Vegetarian recipes for kids

If you want to bring up your children as vegetarians, how do you make sure they get a healthy diet? Nadine Abensur has five delicious suggestions

If people are diffident about becoming vegetarian, they are doubly so when it comes to their children. There are understandable concerns about meeting the nutritional requirements of the developing child, especially providing sufficient protein, iron and calcium. A vegetarian diet is intrinsically rich in fibre and vitamins and tends to be lower in fat, but watch out for deep-fried foods and so-called vegetarian health foods which tend to be stuffed full with it.

Children have an undeserved reputation for not liking vegetables. But it is true that practice and conditioning play their part. ‘Start them young’, must be the advice here. My own not-quite-four-year-old adores vegetables, including such sophisticated pleasures as fennel, red peppers, butternut squash and sweet potatoes. He also loves all manner of pulses, not just the ubiquitous baked bean.

Pasta, rice, couscous and polenta are all winners especially if covered in grated parmesan. And, like all children, he loves small portioned and finger-friendly food, so I play on these preferences. Sweetcorn Fritters with Cucumber and Mango Salsa Potato Gnocchi with Broccoli and Parmesan Polenta Chips with Roasted Vegetables and Parmesan Quick Chickpea Casserole with Spinach and Carrots Puff-pastry Pizza