Veggie Dishes Your Kids *Will* Eat, Part 2

As promised, here are some more yummy veggie recipes.

For a flavorful and filling pasta-

Vegetable Lasagna-makes 12 servings

1 16-oz package lasagna noodles

2 26-oz jars pasta sauce (any variety will do)

2 eggs

1 15-oz container ricotta cheese

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup tomato sauce

¾ cup green bell pepper, chopped

¾ cup onion, chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9”x13” baking pan.

In a large saucepan, heat the mushrooms, onion, garlic and green peppers in the oil. Add the basil and pasta sauce and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil water in a large pot and cook the noodles for 10 minutes or until they reach the desired firmness (also called 'al dente'). Drain and rinse in cold water.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta and 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and layer in half of the ricotta/egg mixture, noodles, sauce and Parmesan cheese. Then, repeat, top with the rest of the mozzarella and bake uncovered for 40 minutes. After baking, let it stand for 15 minutes and serve.

For dessert, here's a nice twist on one of my favorites. I know I said 'vegetables', but at least fruits are at the same 'level' on the Food Pyramid! Somehow I don't think anyone will mind.

Super-Sweet Waldorf Salad-serves 8

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

1 Asian pear, cored and cubed

1 Red Delicious apple, cored and diced

1 cup seedless green grapes, cut in halves

1 ½ cups sweetened dried cranberries

1 ¼ cups plain yogurt

1 cup golden raisins

1 stalk celery, diced

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the apples, pears, raisins, cranberries, almonds, celery and grapes.

In a separate medium bowl, mix up the mayonnaise, lemon juice, yogurt, cinnamon, white sugar and brown sugar. Pour the yogurt mixture over the fruit mixture and stir until the fruit is evenly coated.

I haven't tried this recipe with other types of apples, but you could probably use Gala or Fuji apples in place of the Granny Smith or Red Delicious. If you don't care for almonds, walnuts or pecans are a good substitute.

As you can see, there are several ways to get your kids (or husband!) to eat fruits and veggies. These taste so good that they probably won't even realize they're eating something healthy. As for the dog...well, that's what Alpo is for.

Enjoy!