These savory veggie-packed waffles are great for breakfast, lunch, or a snack any time of the day. Experiment with the ingredients, you can add or omit veggies from this recipe and still have a delicious outcome! These Rainbow Veggie Waffles taste great paired with sour cream and/or applesauce, you can find our recipe for pretty pink Beet Applesauce here.

Give your child some "power" over this recipe and have them help pick out the veggies for these savory waffles! The base of the waffles are shredded sweet potatoes and carrots but the extras are very flexible. We have used sweet corn, bell pepper, and green onion in this recipe but you can add or omit these... some other great veggies that you can include are cubed zucchini, frozen peas, chopped green beans, and fresh herbs!

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Who knew that broccoli was such a party veggie?! And with a name like "Rockin' Broccoli Salad", this recipe is sure to sound exciting to kids who may not be too keen on salad.
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Chef Dawn, from VegeCooking, developed this recipe for Veggie Buds Club. This "Rockin' Broccoli Salad" makes a great side dish for any picnic or gathering and is vegetarian/vegan.

Let your child mix up the salad ingredients and taste the salad before the Creamy Dressing is added. Have your child whisk up the Creamy Dressing and stir it into the salad. Ask them, "How has the sweet dressing changed the flavor of our Rockin' Broccoli Salad?".

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Mujadara is a pilaf featuring lentils, rice, and caramelized onions. This protein-rich combination of rice and lentils is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine. Chef Dawn from VegeCooking shared this recipe with Veggie Buds Club that features onions and garlic!

Caramelizing onions really brings out the sweet flavor of this not so kid-friendly veggie. Have you child lick a raw piece of onion, before caramelizing it, and then have them try one caramelized and ask, "How has the flavor changed?" Really emphasize how awesome it is that a "spicy" onion can be transformed into such a sweet treat!

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Made from just 4 ingredients, this pasta sauce is so simple but so delicious! Roasted sliced onion and whole cloves of garlic makes them super sweet and cuts out any of the “spicy” or strong flavor kiddos might not enjoy. Little chefs can help toss the onion and garlic in oil and sprinkle on salt before roasting. Then they can help add the can of tomatoes and blend up the sauce. Serve on top of or tossed with whatever kind of pasta your family enjoys. Spaghetti is our favorite. The flavorful tomato sauce is also great for pizza or any other recipe you’d use marinara.

You can leave the garlic unpeeled or peeled for roasting. If you peel them, be sure to have your kids do the job! First they can smash the garlic cloves a bit using the flat end of a butter knife and then they peel it. Peeling garlic is great for fine motor skills and gets that garlic-y flavor on their fingers and aroma in the air, this is a great introduction to garlic for kids!

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This salsa is made in a food processor, so you don’t have to worry about chopping tomatoes all day. Add a few other ingredients and you’ve got a delicious snack to eat with chips, on tacos, or with a variety of food! Homemade chips are really fun for kids to make at home (recipe below), but you can serve this salsa with store-bought chips as well.

*Please be aware that tortilla chips can be a choking hazard or are hard to chew for toddlers and kids under 4*

​This recipe was created by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

This salsa tastes fresh and tomato-y, not spicy at all, therefore it is very kid-friendly!
Get your kids in the kitchen: they can help cut the tomatoes into rough chunks, add the ingredients to the food processor, and pulse until everything is roughly chopped.

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

Simply slicing and baking turns this veggie into a beautiful bloom! Kids will love seeing the onion transform in the oven.

This recipe was developed by Eat Pretty Darling for Veggie Buds Club.

Food art is a great "tool" to help kids learn to love veggies! Transforming an onion into a flower and adding a favorite dip makes onions more approachable for picky eaters.

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

These Crunchy Baked Onion Rings are sure to be a hit with the whole family! Experiment with the kind of breadcrumbs you use or try grinding pretzels or crackers in the food processor to make a crunchy coating for the onion rings. Serve up the baked, crispy rings with ketchup, ranch dressing, or your family's favorite sauce to enjoy as a snack or side dish.

This recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

Onion rings are a great way to make onions more approachable for kids! Get your kids in the kitchen with many steps: they will love to help measure the ingredients, crack the eggs, and set up the breading assembly line. Little fingers might get pretty messy while making this recipe, but the end result is well worth it

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

We are excited to bring you this month's post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. January's featured veggie is BROCCOLI so of course we're celebrating GREEN veggies!

This week is as easy one, GREEN! I think green is probably the easiest color to find in the produce section of your grocery store. But unfortunately, it can also be the hardest one to get your little ones to eat. You can find anything from fruit to vegetables, herbs to nuts. Green is such a fun color to take on for #eatprettycoloroftheweek and allows for so many options!
We picked out broccoli, spinach, avocado, and green onion and decided to make it into a savory pancake. Pancakes are always a favorite in our house so I thought it would be a great new way to introduce a food we’re still learning to like, broccoli. And what pairs better with broccoli than cheese?! These Broccoli & Cheese Pancakes are great served as pancakes for breakfast, dipped in ketchup as a side to any meal, or eaten just as they are!

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 of an avocado
• 1 tablespoon green onions
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Flour ( optional )

Instructions

1. Place the broccoli florets into a food processor and pulse until it becomes a rice like texture. Add in eggs, mozzarella, avocado, green onions, salt & pepper. Pulse until mixture is combined. If you have trouble getting the batter to stick together, add a spoonful of flour to help it bond.
2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Pour in olive oil and scoop heaping spoonfuls of the mixture into pan. Lightly flatten with the back of the spoon. If it sticks, coat the spoon in olive oil.
3. Cook until lightly browned and carefully flip. Cook other side until lightly browned and remove from pan. Repeat until all of the broccoli batter is used up.
4. Serve breakfast style or with ketchup as a side dish to any meal!

Ingredients

• 6 plum (Roma) tomatoes* (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees then line a sheet pan with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Trim stem end off tomatoes then slice into ¼ inch thick rounds. Tomatoes are difficult for little ones to cut, so have your child get involved by placing tomato slices side-by-side on the sheet pan.
3. Your child can help pick the tiny leaves off of the thyme stems and scatter them over the tomatoes. Make sure you both smell the fresh thyme and talk about what it makes you think of.
4. Gently smash the garlic cloves to make them easier to peel. Cut each garlic clove into thin slices then have your child scatter them over the tomatoes. Together, drizzle the oil over the tomatoes then sprinkle on a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Show your child how to hold his hand up high to “shower” the salt all over the tomatoes like rain.
5. Place pan in the oven and bake until the garlic is brown in spots and the tomatoes have shrunk in size, 20 to 25 minutes.

*You can also use small tomatoes such as grape or cherry tomatoes in this recipe. No need to cut smaller tomatoes, and they may take less time to roast, about 15 to 20 minutes.