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.

Garlic is a nutritional powerhouse and we have a fun and simple game and song to teach your children about the health benefits of garlic! Pair this game with one of the tasty kid-friendly garlic recipes from Veggie Buds Club and we guarantee that your children will love (or at least try...!) garlic. Search "Garlic" in our blog archives to find your new favorite garlic recipe.

Materials Needed

• "Garlic Buddy Body Game" print out <-- click here to print!
• Optional: Garlic cloves

How to Play

1. Place each Garlic Buddy* on the body part that it helps out!

*You can also use garlic cloves instead of the paper cutouts for playing pieces to get your kids excited about eating garlic!

It's "Onion Fun & Garlic Yum" month at Veggie Buds Club and this delicious recipe from VegeCooking is the perfect recipe to celebrate! 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.

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. ​

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.

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 or anything you’d like. It’s great on tacos or to serve with quesadillas too. Kids can help cut the tomatoes into rough chunks, add the ingredients to the food processor, and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Homemade chips are really fun for kids to make at home too, 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).

Ingredients
Salsa

• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 scallions or 1/4 of a small onion, trimmed and sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
• Juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Tortillas

• 6 small corn or flour tortillas
• Oil
• Salt

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. 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.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1/2 cup flour (any kind)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3 large eggs*
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs, regular breadcrumbs, or ground pretzels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease with oil or non-stick spray.
2. Cut the ends off the onion then peel outer papery skin off. Carefully cut across into 1/4-inch rings. Separate out rings and set aside inner-most rings and any broken pieces aside for another use.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, garlic powder, paprika, and salt.
4. Crack eggs into a second bowl and whisk together. Add breadcrumbs to a third bowl.
5. Working with a few rings at a time, dredge in flour mixture, dip into eggs, then dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
6. Spread onion rings in an even layer on the prepared baking sheets. Place into oven and bake until golden brown and crispy, about 20-25 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with salt then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

*For egg-free version, use 3 tablespoons of ground flax mixed with ¾ cup water or ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk.

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.

We hope you enjoy this recipe that was included in Veggie Buds Club's "Kids Love Veggie Soup" box this month! It was developed by the very talented Heather Staller of Happy Kids Kitchen.

Get kids involved in the kitchen:

• Peel carrots
  
• Chop veggies (you can purchase our recommended kid-safe knife made by Foost in our shop)
  
• Add veggies to the pot
  
• Stir in those fun alphabet noodles

​
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• ½ small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
  
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
  
• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch dice
  
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more to season
  
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 medium sized waxy potato (red or yellow skinned), cut into ¼-inch dice
  
• ¼ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  
• ½ 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes (about ¾ cup)
  
• 3 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
  
• Handful of green beans, trimmed and cut into small rounds
  
• ½ cup frozen peas, frozen corn, or a combination of both
  
• ½ cup alphabet shaped pasta*
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or micro basil
  
• Freshly ground pepper
  
• Parmesan cheese, for the top (optional)​

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and cook until vegetables have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
   
2. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and potatoes. Stir an additional minute.
   
3. Add tomatoes, broth or water, green beans, and alphabet pasta. Bring pot up to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Stir in frozen peas then turn off heat and stir in fresh basil.
   
5. Taste soup for seasoning then add in pepper and additional salt, as needed.
   
6. Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of  extra basil, if desired.

*Cooked pasta will absorb lots of liquid if left in the soup for an extended period of time. If you’d like to make this soup in advance or freeze a portion to enjoy another time, you will want to cook your pasta in a separate pot, drain, then add to the portion of the soup you will be eating right away.