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.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large sweet onion, ends trimmed and sliced into half circles
  
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, skin on
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes (with basil or plain)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, optional
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sliced onion and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with about a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss with your hands then spread into an even layer. Roast until the onion is very golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
   
2. If using a hand-held immersion blender, add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning to a pot. Cook for a few minutes on medium-low until onion is roasted. If using a traditional blender, add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the blender. Once onions and garlic have cooked, set garlic aside until cool enough to handle. Add onions to the tomatoes then remove outer skin from garlic cloves. Discard the skin and add the garlic to the tomatoes as well.
   
3. Blend until smooth. If using a traditional blender, add sauce to a pot and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Serve sauce with pasta or store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

We are excited to bring you this month's adorable post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling!
You can join in on lots of onion fun with our "Onions are Fun & Compost is Cool!" Veggie Buds Club box. Your child(ren) are guaranteed to love (...or at least try!)onions after this fun box, learn more and purchase here.

​Onions are one food that I often forget about! No one else in my family of picky eaters like them so I often sub for onion powder. But real onions give such a better flavor and I’m so excited to share this onion food art with you!
Transforming an onion into a flower and adding a favorite dip make it a little more approachable for the picky eaters. Simply slicing and baking turns this veggie into a beautiful bloom! My kids loved seeing it transform in the oven.

Kids 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
• ½ cup flour (any kind)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ 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 ¼-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.

Get kids involved in the kitchen- peeling carrots, adding veggies to the pot, and
stirring in those fun alphabet noodles with this veggie-packed, comforting soup.
​
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.

We're happy to welcome Heather as a guest blogger this month!

Heather is a mom of two boys, ages 4 and 2, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather_kidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.

Have you ever roasted corn? Cooking the fresh kernels at a high temperature, intensifies the corn's sweetness and takes corn flavor to a whole new level. The sweet kernels get golden brown and crunchy around the edges, making them reminiscent of popcorn. Roasted corn is great as a side dish, on its own, or combined with other fresh, seasonal produce like in the salsa recipe I've included below. Get your kids in the kitchen to help prepare the corn for the oven. They can help transfer the cut corn to a bowl, drizzle the corn with oil, sprinkle the salt, and spread the corn on the baking sheet. Simple, delicious, and easy... what could be better?

Ingredients

• 3 ears of corn
• 2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Carefully, cut the kernels off the corn cobs. Transfer corn kernels to a bowl.
3. Add oil and salt to the bowl and stir to coat the corn.
4. Dump corn onto the prepared sheet pan and spread into an even layer.
5. Roast corn until golden brown around the edges of the pan, about 15 minutes. If you want the corn extra crunchy, stir the corn and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Watch closely so corn does not burn.

​Scoop up this fresh salsa with your favorite chips, serve on top of simply cooked chicken or fish, or pile on top of a green salad. Feel free to add whatever produce you have on hand: fresh herbs like cilantro or basil would be delicious. Bell or spicy peppers would also be a great addition.

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon, diced small
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, if necessary, and diced small
• 2 to 3 cups tomatoes (any kind), diced small
• 2 scallions, minced
• Roasted corn, recipe above
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.