Veggie Dishes Your Kids *Will* Eat, Part 1

My parents never made me eat anything growing up. As a result, there aren't very many vegetables I don't like. My husband, however, is another story. :) He lives in The Land Of No Vegetables, a country that I swear is populated by nearly every male on the planet. Have you heard of it?

Seriously, almost every kid I've ever known has had some sort of aversion to vegetables. It's probably because they see vegetables as being green, icky things that they have to eat. But what if you could turn these 'have tos' to 'want tos'? It's not as hard as you think. In fact, here are some recipes for vegetables that your kids will beg you to make. Well, maybe they won't beg, but at least they won't feed them to the dog when you're not looking.

For a nice 'country' appetizer or snack-

Fried Green Tomatoes

6 green tomatoes, sliced

1 egg, beaten

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

vegetable oil for frying

Combine the egg and buttermilk in one bowl and the cornmeal, salt and flour in another. Dip a tomato slice in the egg mix and let the excess drip off. Then, put it into the flour mix and fry in a large skillet until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, pass out the forks and serve!

I like to use Dixie Lily cornmeal because, unlike some other brands, it doesn't contain sugar. That's just my preference, though; use whatever brand you want.

If your family likes pizza (and who doesn't?)-

Veggie Pizza-makes an 11”x14” sheet

2 8-oz packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1 1.4-oz package dry vegetable soup mix

2 8-oz packages soft cream cheese

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup radishes, sliced

½ cup carrot, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

1/3 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Preheat your oven to 375F. Stretch the dough out onto an 11”x14” cookie sheet, pinching the rolls together to form the crust. Bake for about 10 minutes and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, soup mix and cream cheese. Spread it over the crust and sprinkle on the rest of the 'toppings'. After cutting it into small squares or rectangles, wrap with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight. Tomorrow, you will have a nice cool 'veggie pizza'!

If you need to substitute something or just want more 'toppings', try using olives, mushrooms or chopped tomatoes. Baby spinach and chopped white or red cabbage might work too.

For more veggie goodness, check out Part 2!