We’ve been working very hard to broaden our girls’ vegetable-eating repertoire. I find that when the kids are involved in the choosing, picking, or prepping, they are even more willing to taste with an open mind.
Here are three of our favorite veggie recipes, all with our girls’ stamp of approval. These recipes have kid-friendly steps in the prep, too – from whisking to tearing to tossing with our hands. Go veggies!
Broccoli Slaw
My girls have never been big fans of traditional cabbage coleslaw, but they love broccoli slaw. I buy organic broccoli slaw in a bag, which is just shredded broccoli stems and carrots.
The girls love to whisk the dressing ingredients and toss the dressing with the slaw. Two forks are great tossing tools!
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste
Whisk the dressing together and toss with the broccoli slaw. Chill overnight or for a few hours. We eat this as a side dish, and also as a topping on veggie burgers. So yummy!
Sometimes we get fancy with some add-ins, like julienned apple slices, cranberries, sliced almonds, or sunflower seeds.
Roasted Green Beans
In a large bowl, drizzle a little olive oil on 1 pound of green beans. Use your hands to toss and coat the beans with oil. Spread on a pan and sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes, turning once during cooking.
We eat these with our fingers like fries – tasty!
Kale Chips
We’re growing extra kale in our garden this year, just so we can make many batches of these chips. The whole family loves them – crispy, salty, green goodness!
- 1 large bunch of organic kale
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
- salt to taste
Preheat oven to 300°.
Wash the kale leaves and dry thoroughly – get your kids working the salad spinner. Tear the leaves into pieces, discarding the thick center stem.
In a large bowl, combine the kale, olive oil, and lemon juice and toss to mix well. We use our hands for this, and make sure the oil gets all over the kale.
Spread the kale in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, till the kale gets crispy and dark, but not burnt. Add a little more salt, if necessary, and enjoy!
Veggie recipes we want to try:
Parsnip Chips :: Mel’s Healthy Kitchen – We’ve never tried parsnips. Sounds like grocery store scavenger hunt!
Sauteed Shredded Zucchini :: Annie’s Eats – Kids can help wrap the shredded zucchini in a towel and squeeze out the water.
Sweet Potato Hummus :: My New Roots – I love sweet potatoes, and dips are always a good vehicle for raw veggies.
What kinds of vegetable dishes do your kids like? I would love it if you would share your family friendly veggie recipes or techniques!
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Looks like some great recipes! Can’t wait to try them!
We are quite addicted to roasted green beans right now. Even my non-veggie loving husband!
And I just today made the shredded zucchini recipe you posted and we ALL give it two thumbs up. Even my 11-month old loved it
Thanks for letting me know about your success with the shredded zucchini – it’s on my meal plan for next week!
We LOVE roasted Broccoli at our house…. pretty much the same recipe.. but when you have the entire “tree” just cut in half and lay on the cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil (and sometimes it “snows” on our tree with parmesan cheese)… bake… YUMO !
Yes! Roasted broccoli is so good too…actually, most veggies are really yummy roasted aren’t they? Thanks for chiming in!
What is the rooster utensil in the slaw?
Hi Heather! That is a one-piece chopstick made by Hog Wild Toys. They come in farm animals, sea animals, dinos, and zoo animals. You can find more info on the Hog Wild website: http://hogwildtoys.com/app.cfm?fa=PRODUCTS.showCategory&categoryID=2
We have a bunch and my girls love to eat with them!
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