Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

Finally! I useful blog post! I thought I should share some of the recipes that I've found in my endless search for healthy, vegetarian foods my kids will eat. First I have Pink Pancakes. This is from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Even though they're pancakes, I rarely make them for breakfast. I usually make them for lunch or when we have breakfast-for-dinner. I freeze any extras (I always double the recipe) and use them for quick breakfasts. When I first started making them I didn't serve them with syrup, but now the kids expect it. (Not sure where I went wrong there!)
Pink Pancakes
Ingredients:
3/4 C water
1/2 C ricotta cheese
1/4 C beet puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 C pancake Mix (I use a whole wheat or buckwheat variety)
1/4 C grated apple

1. In a blender or food processor combine the first 5 ingredients and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple and stir just until combined.
2. Coat griddle with cooking spray and set it over med-hi heat. Cook pancakes until bubbles form and batter is set, 1-2 minutes. Then flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

The second recipe isn't really a family favorite, my oldest son and my daughter aren't fans (although my daughter will eat it if it's mixed with other veggies and in my bowl.) Since I wrote about kale I thought I should give you another option besides the baked kale recipe I already posted. This recipe is from my FAVORITE cookbook The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook by Cathe Olson.
Braised Greens with Sesame (servers 4)
Ingredients:
1 bunch kale (or chard or other leafy green) chopped (about 8 cups)
2 tsp toased sesame oil
soy sauce to taste
brown rice vinegar to taste
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

Wash greens well and chop coarsely. (Don't forget to cut out the stem if you're using kale or chard!) Don't dry the greens. They should still have water adhering to them to help them steam. Heat lg skillet and add oil. Add greens to skillet. Cover and steam until wilted. Reove cover. Season with a little soy sauce and vinegar to taste. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top.

This last recipe I found in Mothering Magazine. I've taken it to a few gatherings and it's been popular.
Baked Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 C brown rice
3/4 C uncooked lentils
1 tsp cumin
1 2/3 C vegetable broth
1 c tomatoes, crushed with juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 C greens (spinach or kale works best) chopped
1/2 C Monterey Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 325. In dutch oven, heat olive oil over med heat, then saute onion, garlic, celery and carrots until tender (about 5 minutes). Add rice, lentils and cumin then stir 1 mi. Add broth, tomatoes salt pepper stir to combine. Bake 1 1/2 hrs. Mix in greens and cheese and bake 15-30 minutes more, until done.