My son will eat carrots. People say to focus on the positive when it comes to parenting, so I am trying not to say that my son won’t eat any vegetable of any color except carrots. I’ve yet to figure out why potatoes, peas and cucumbers are obnoxious, or what is so abhorrent about onions, eggplant and bell peppers, but I’m determined to crack his 3-year-old picky code.

Any myths you hold about picky eaters should be dispelled now. My son won’t eat if he’s hungry, and he won’t try something just because you keep putting it in front of him. What he will do is lose his stomach all over the kitchen floor if you somehow get him to put a single pea in his mouth. He’s gone to bed hungry too many nights. Bribery is useless. The fact that I am a self-proclaimed amazing cook who adores kale means nothing to him.

He will eat white rice. So after I discovered that quinoa cooked in my Japanese rice cooker comes out fluffy and is fairly innocuous in color and texture, I thought maybe I could get him to eat some. I unceremoniously added it to his plate, and when he asked, I just called it rice. He immediately said, "I don’t like this kind of rice."

I shrugged, telling him he could go to bed early if he wasn’t hungry. His sister scooped some up with her Korean seaweed while he eyed her suspiciously. He decided maybe the stuff was edible and took a bite. I did not crack even the slightest smile, but I did chalk it up as a point. These are tiny victories to match our tiny opponents.

But substituting nutritious ingredients for the more traditional ones isn’t something we do only for toddlers. Quinoa mixes easily and picks up flavor well, making it a great addition to my greens-wrapped enchiladas. I don’t think my son will be eating this any time soon, but maybe by the time he’s 23, I’ll be able to get him to try it.

QUINOA ENCHILADAS

2 sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (can substitute with a can of black beans)
2 cups cooked quinoa
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons sauce from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
8 to 10 large leaves of dino kale, chard or collard greens
2 cups shredded cheese (mixed mozzarella and cheddar is OK)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel and chop sweet potatoes in slices about 1 inch thick. Peel and slice onion into rings. Cut bell pepper in half and remove seeds. Toss with olive oil and lay out on baking sheet. Roast 20-25 minutes or until just cooked. Let cool.

Chop roasted vegetables into 1/2-inch pieces and place in large bowl. Add chicken and cooked quinoa. Add salt, pepper, and toss. Taste and adjust salt as necessary. Toss again with cumin and garlic.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set out 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Empty tomato sauce into large pie pan and stir in adobo sauce.

Rinse greens well; if using collard greens or kale with a thick middle vein, remove vein or stalk and split into two leaves. If using chard or other softer green leaf, just remove bottom of stalk, keeping it as one piece.

Lay one leaf down in the sauce, dipping both sides, and let the excess fall back into pie pan. Put leaf down into baking dish, spoon about 1/3 cup quinoa mix into middle of leaf vertically, leaving an inch or so at top and bottom. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over it. Fold the bottom and top of the leaf down and then roll leaf like a tortilla and stack against side of pan.

Repeat with remaining leaves and push wrapped leaves against each other tightly so they will stay rolled. When you run out of filling, sprinkle rest of cheese over enchiladas and bake 25 minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.