Dawn Hutchins is the founder of VegeCooking- healthy cooking classes for kids, teens and adults. Dawn has an extensive knowledge of the power of plant-based cooking and nutrition. She has a certificate in plant-based nutrition through Cornell University and the T. Colin Campbell foundation, and is certified in nutritional therapy with a focus in epigenetics. She's been developing healthful, delicious recipes since 2009.This recipe was developed by VegeCooking Club. ​

Serves 4-6
Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped finely (about 2 medium heads)
  
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
  
• 2 large apples, finely chopped (I used gala apples)
  
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  
• 1/2 cup raisins
  
• 1 carrot, chopped finely, optional
  

Creamy Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or vegan alternative
  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon agave
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Add the broccoli, onion, apples, raisins, sunflower seeds, and carrots to a large bowl.
   
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients and pour over broccoli mixture.
   
3. Mix well.

Enjoy this crunchy and sweet Waldorf Salad that's on the lighter side because of the creamy yogurt dressing! This recipe is a great introduction to celery and salad to children if they're apprehensive about both. Be sure to have them assist you with chopping the celery and apples using a kid-safe knife or butter knife and have them mix up the sweet dressing!

​Want some great products that teach kids to learn to love veggies?
Check out our shop for kid-safe knives, interactive placements, and veggie-themed activity boxes!

Ingredients

• 4 large apples, cored and cut into chunks (peeled optional)
• 1 small beet
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Place a pot on the stove top over high heat and add the apples, beet, cinnamon and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes or until the apples are tender.
2. Put all ingredients into a blender and pulse until desired consistency (be careful blending the hot liquid!). Place in a sealed container and chill in the fridge. Eat within 3 days.

Sweet potato pancakes are such a yummy way to celebrate the veggie of the month! There are so many different and beautiful varieties of sweet potatoes in markets these days. We especially love the purple ones but you can use any kind of sweet potato you have for this recipe. These pancakes are a great way to add some extra nutrients into your morning. Pack them up for a healthy snack or they are also delicious spread with nut/seed butter and tucked into a lunch box. Kids will love to help peel and chop the sweet potato, and measure and mix all of the ingredients. Applesauce makes a great lower-sugar dip for the pancakes, but traditional maple syrup is delicious as well. 

Makes 15-18 medium sized pancakes
Ingredients

• 1 medium (orange or purple) sweet potato
• 1 egg (or flax egg)
• 1 cup milk (any kind)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
• 1 cup flour (whole wheat or gluten-free blend)

Instructions

1. Have your child help you peel the sweet potato. You can do this by standing behind your child and holding the peeler together, making sure little fingers are out of the way. Cut the potato in a medium sized dice. If your child wants to help cut the potato, give them a larger diced piece and have him cut the piece smaller. 
2. Add 2 heaping cups of diced potato into a small pot and cover with water. Simmer until potato is fork tender and easily mashed. Drain and set aside to cool until cold enough to handle. (This can be done in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.)
3. Add cooked potato to a large bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, take turns mashing the potato as well as you can. Have your child help crack the egg into a separate small bowl, in case you need to remove any shell. Add egg, milk, oil, and maple syrup to the bowl and carefully mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger (if using), then mix to incorporate. Finally, add the flour. Stir until the flour is just mixed in. It is alright if some lumps remain.
5. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with oil or butter. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to make as many pancakes that will fit in your pan. Cook until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pancake, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Serve pancakes with maple syrup or applesauce for dipping.

Refrigerate pancakes for up to 5 days or freeze and reheat in the toaster for a quick weekday breakfast.

​When you hear the word chips, do you automatically assume they will be a “less healthy” option or a “sometimes food”??? If so, you are not alone. I have great news that this is not always true! You can actually increase your child’s interest in many kinds of vegetables by making them into “chips”. We love doing this with sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, carrots, and most of all BEETS!!!! Also children love to dip so pairing Beet Chips with a nice Beet and Berry Dip is a definite winner for everyone! 
Today I want to share this recipe with you so you can make Beet and Apple Chips and a yummy Beet and Berry Dip for your family too!

Ingredients

• 6-8 small Purple, Red, or Yellow Beets
• 3-4 apples
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or Chosen Food avocado oil spray)
• 1 cup (2% fat or more) plain Greek yogurt (or dairy free yogurt)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Instructions

1. Peel and slice beets into thin chip size pieces. You can leave them as whole circles or 1/2 circles.
2. Core and slice apples.
3. Place beet and apple slices on a baking stone and drizzle (or spray) avocado oil over them.
4. Bake at 400 for about 25-35 minutes (or longer) until they are cooked through. Baking time will vary by oven and thickness of the slices.
5. Once the beets and apples are out of the oven set about 1/2 cup aside and blend with the yogurt and berries until smooth. Pour dip into a container and serve with the chips warm or cooled down. 

While making these recipes you can use it as a teaching moment with your children. You can talk to them about the letter B for BEETS, the color PURPLE, and how the intense color of the beets takes over the white of the apples and dip. Also children may find it interesting that they are eating their beets in two forms…one CRUNCHY and one SMOOTH.  The preparation and eating of these may be on the messy side but the nourishment and enjoyment is SO worth it! If your child is an apprehensive eater then they may be more interested in trying this new food after they have prepared it as opposed to just seeing it on their plate. There is never a shortage of fun learning to be had when Kids are in the Kitchen!

You can purchase our favorite kid-safe knives and really get your kids involved in the food prep, you can find them in our shop!

We hope you enjoy these 7 activities that teach your preschool-aged kids about the letter "A" (and that veggies and fruit are fun!).

Here are some of our recommended books featuring veggies & fruit and the letter "A":

• "Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
• "The Apple Pie Tree" by Zoe Hall
• "Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship" by Edward Hemingway
• "Curious George: Apple Harvest" by H. A. Rey
• "Ten Apples on Top" by Dr. Seuss
• "Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time" by Jody Fickes Shapire

Both my 2 and 4 year old had fun with this craft! I cut out some apple seed shapes and drew the lower case letter "a" and apple stem on construction paper. My 4 year old was able to trace the word "Apple", cut out the "a" and stem and use a glue stick to put the picture together. I assisted my 2 year old through the whole craft, he particularly enjoyed using the glue stick!

Download this FREE Letter "A" Tracing Sheet below:

Enjoy this simple kid-friendly recipe for Applesauce (we added a carrot because this is Veggie Buds Club!). Your kids can help peel and chop the apples and carrot. Have them measure and add the apple juice and then observe the rest of the process.

Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Instructions

1. Peel and chop apples and carrot.
2. Add apple juice, chopped apples, and chopped carrot to a large pot.
3. Simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat until the carrots are tender
4. Place softened apples and carrots into a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.

Download these FREE Letter "A" Coloring Pages!

Here is a simple and fun "snacktivity" that is great for fine motor skills, problem solving, and encourages healthy eating. My 2 year old is not an apple fan (he's more of a berries and grapes guy) and he totally ate up these apple chunks on toothpicks!

This is a simple science experiment for young kids! Even if they're too young to process why oxidation happens, it is still great to expose them to the idea of a "science experiment" and "observation". Make sure they observe what the apple halves look like at the beginning of the experiment vs. the end!

Materials Needed

• Apple 
• Lemon Wedge
• Knife

Instructions

1. Cut the apple in half.
2. Rub the lemon wedge on the cut side of one of the apple slices.
3. Place both apple halves on a plate with the cut side exposed to air.
4. Check on your apple halves in about 3 hours and observe the differences.

The apple half that was not rubbed with lemon juice should have browned a bit and the apple half with lemon juice on it should still look fresh.
There are compounds in apples that turn brown when they are exposed to air which contain oxygen. This process is called oxidation. If you add an acid to the apple this prevents oxidation, and lemons are very acidic. 

Back to school season is in full swing and here is a fun and simple way to decorate those boring ol' paper lunch bags! This is also a cute way to decorate goody bags for a fall-themed gathering or birthday party. 
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You can check out great tools and kits that teach kids to learn to love veggies in our shop!