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…where you’ll find dozens of vegetarian and vegan recipes, cooking and nutrition tips, info for vegetarian and vegan kids and teens, reviews, news, and much more!

Those of you familiar with my books know that I love to share my passion for great vegetarian and vegan cooking with easy, healthy recipes, from simple family meals to festive fare for holidays and entertaining. Seasonal produce, vegan baking, and kid- and teen-friendly food are all on the menu.

Aside from simple and delicious recipes, Healthy Cooking Tips will help you set up a healthy pantry, make your kitchen more earth-friendly, plan meals, and much more. Vegetarian Nutrition provides info on protein, fiber, fats, calcium, and lots more need-to know topics to live a healthy veg lifestyle.

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BAKING WITH KIDS: A Sure Cure for Cabin Fever

When my sons were young, long winter days at home seemed—well, long. When one more board game, one more art project, or yet another video no longer did the trick, I turned to the one indoor activity that never seemed to lose its charm—baking together. Not only was this in itself fun, but then, after a short wait, the delectable results could be eaten with some warm cocoa. Now that my sons are older and no longer need to be entertained when we are snowbound, a cold, dreary day still inspires me to bake something sweet and comforting, yet healthy, for our family.

Baking at home is a good opportunity to create treats that are lower in fat and sugar than those you would buy in a store or a bakery. By baking at home, even if only occasionally, you convey to your children the connection between the heart and the hearth. Enjoying warm, whole-grain treats fresh from the oven nourishes body, soul, and senses at once. Your children will intuitively get the connection.

Here are some benefits of baking with your children:

Baking can be a live demonstration of math concepts: “Measure three half-cups of flour, because we need one and one-half cups,” “Let’s divide this cake into nine equal squares.” It’s a good way to teach young kids to be aware of time: “This has to be in the oven for twenty minutes, so help me remember to take it out when the long hand is on the four.” There’s also a smidgen of chemistry they can glean from watching the entire alchemy of seeing wet and dry ingredients coalesce to become something other than the sum of their parts.

Baking is an excellent way to introduce kids to the entire process of food preparation. By the age of 3, children can pour measured ingredients into bowls, open packages, sort ingredients, stir and mix with supervision, and place toppings where needed. From ages 4 and up they can help grease pans, knead and shape dough, slice soft foods like bananas, attempt to measure accurately, learn to use a rolling pin, and cut shapes with cookie cutters, and roll dough into small balls, as for cookies.

Creating home-made baked goods is an instant spirit-lifter for all involved. The kids are just as involved in the process as with the product. They get the gratification of working with their hands, and learn patience and perseverance along the way. This leads to appreciation of the effort and artistry that goes into the preparation of food. And when that lesson sinks in, they’re far more likely to eat—and enjoy— something they’ve helped make.

GRAHAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Makes about 2 dozen

This easy-to-make cookie will please young and grown-up tastes alike. Kids can participate in every step of the recipe, but they have the most fun with forming the dough into balls (make sure they have plenty of flour on their hands—the dough is slightly sticky), making the thumbprints, and filling the holes. We like to use two or three different types of preserves for each batch—strawberry and apricot are favorites.

• 4 graham crackers (regular, cinnamon, or honey-flavored)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or wheat germ
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• All-fruit preserves (use 2 or 3 different types if you’d like; choose from among berry, peach, and apricot)

Place the graham crackers in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until the crackers are finely ground crumbs. There should be 1/2 cup. Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the next 7 (dry) ingredients.

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add the applesauce and oil. Stir together until completely mixed into a medium-soft dough. If time allows, cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With well-floured hands, pinch off pieces of the dough to form 1-inch balls. Arrange them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your palm.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies begin to turn golden, and remove from the oven. While the cookies are still warm, but not hot enough to burn, make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie, pushing the thumb down almost, but not quite, to the bottom of the cookie. Fill each hole with about 1/2 teaspoon of preserves. If you’d like, use 2 or 3 different types of preserves.

Return the cookies to the oven for two minutes longer, then allow to cool for a minute or two on the baking sheets before carefully removing to plates to cool.

(Adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. For more kid-friendly recipes and cooking projects, visit Kid-Friendly Recipes.)