By Neha Vivek, VRG Intern

One day in my 8-year-old life, I came home and told my parents I no longer wanted to eat meat, and was switching to a vegetarian diet. While my parents undoubtedly thought this was a phase, our culture’s general acceptance of vegetarian food meant they were well-prepared to support me. However, for many families, this transition may be worrisome, factoring in growing children’s nutritional needs while accommodating their changing taste buds.

The main goal with children is to appeal to their likes, making vegetarian food comforting and exciting rather than scary and dreadful. An excellent way to do this is by making vegan versions of foods they already like and getting the kids involved with the cooking with simple tasks like mixing ingredients.

A fail-safe recipe to start with is Chocolate Chip Pancakes. For the past few years, my family has stopped using eggs in our household, and during the pandemic, this meant we had to learn how to make eggless versions of our favorites, starting with pancakes! We developed our family recipe for eggless chocolate chip pancakes, making it a Sunday morning habit! For both my sister and I to this day, we both wake up excited for chocolate chip pancakes on Sunday, and I’m sure other kids will find the recipe just as good, especially since chocolate chip pancakes are a comfort food for many kids. To get your kids involved, you can have them measure the ingredients, such as flour and cocoa powder, mix, and allow them to put chocolate chips in the pancake batter to feel involved in the process.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Servings: 10-12 medium pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon organic sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup plant milk (ex: almond milk, soymilk, or oat milk)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons vegan butter/margarine

1 cup vegan chocolate chips (or as many as desired)

Procedure:

Whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a liquid measuring cup, measure 1 cup of milk. To that, add the vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract.

Stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Refrain from over-mixing. Lumps are perfectly fine. Set aside for a couple of minutes.

Heat a skillet at medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the vegan butter and let it melt. Add the melted butter to the pancake batter and return the pan to the stove. Mix the butter into the batter.

When the pan is hot enough, pour a ladleful of batter on the pan for each pancake. Top with chocolate chips and cook until bubbles appear on the face of the pancake.

Carefully flip the pancake and cook until it’s golden brown.

Also, if your child is a pasta lover, a good recipe to try is spaghetti and meatballs (without the meat!) and marinara sauce. In that case, they can still eat the recipes they love and are used to without eating meat. After they get used to the pasta, they can branch out to other sauces, such as Roasted Vegetable Pasta, which is something I came up with to get my sister to eat more vegetables. This is listed below!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 ounces dried whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta

½ cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ cup water

Freshly ground black pepper

 Procedure:

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to modify based on the vegetables you have in the fridge! First, chop your vegetables and place them in an air fryer or oven till they are roasting.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan according to package directions. Drain. Rinse with cool water. Drain again. Return to the saucepan.

Transfer the roasted vegetable mixture to a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, Italian seasoning, and ½ cup water. Blend for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Top the pasta with the desired amount of sauce and toss to coat. Season with pepper.

The great thing about a vegan diet is that it allows for diversity and exploring other cuisines. While staying in your children’s comfort zone is good, don’t be afraid to branch out and introduce them to different foods from different cultures. For me, this meant branching out to another recipe that I have loved, noodles, and trying my best to make them from scratch. Below I listed my personal Vegan Noodles recipe!

Vegan Noodles

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 block extra-firm tofu (8 ounces yields ~1 cup)

1 cup packaged vegan noodles

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped green onion

½ cup peas

2 carrots

1 bell pepper

Optional: crushed peanuts or cashews

SAUCE

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (or to taste)

1 heaping Tablespoon Gochujang (a red chili paste)

1 Tablespoon organic brown sugar or maple syrup

1 Tablespoon Hoison sauce

1-2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional, or substitute peanut or avocado oil)

Water to dilute the sauce

Optional: peanut butter

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or lightly grease it with non-stick spray).

In the meantime, wrap tofu in a clean, absorbent towel and set something heavy on top (such as a cast iron skillet) to press out the liquid.

Once the oven is preheated, dice tofu into ¼-inch cubes and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 26-30 minutes. You’re looking for golden brown edges and a firm texture to the touch. The longer it bakes, the firmer and crispier the tofu will become. If you’re looking for softer tofu, remove it from the oven around the 26-28 minute mark. I prefer crispy tofu, so I bake mine for 30 minutes. Set aside.

While the tofu bakes, prepare your noodles by bringing water to a boil in a large pot, adding the noodles to the boiled water, and boiling until the noodles are soft.

While cooking the noodles and tofu, prepare the sauce by placing all the sauce ingredients into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more tamari or soy sauce for saltiness, peanut butter for creaminess, brown sugar for sweetness, or chili garlic sauce for heat.

Once the tofu is done baking, add directly to the sauce and marinate for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, use a slotted spoon to scoop the tofu into the pan, leaving most of the sauce behind. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides. Lower heat if browning too quickly. Remove from pan and set aside. Add garlic, green onion, peas, and carrots to the still-hot pan. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, and season with tamari or soy sauce, to taste.

Add cooked noodles, tofu, and remaining sauce and stir. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve immediately with extra chili garlic sauce or sriracha for heat (optional). Crushed salted, roasted peanuts or cashews make a lovely additional garnish. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave.

While introducing your child to vegan food can feel like a daunting experience, remember to keep it simple at first and focus on what your child enjoys. By incorporating familiar flavors and dishes into their meals, you can make the transition smoother and more enjoyable for them.

Children are also often more receptive to new foods when they’re involved in the cooking process. By encouraging them to help measure ingredients, stir the batter, or even pick out vegetables at the store, you can get them more excited about the new foods they are making and trying.

Finally, make sure to have fun with it. Trying new diets and meals is supposed to be a fun and interesting experience. It’s important to keep experimenting to find what is best for your child and to keep on learning about what they love in the versatile vegan cuisine, from plant-based meat alternatives to different cuisines. As your child grows and develops their palate, continue to introduce them to new flavors and ingredients. Encourage them to be curious, adventurous, and open-minded about trying new foods from different cultures and cuisines. Who knows? They might discover a newfound love for a dish they never thought they’d enjoy. Embrace the journey, celebrate the small victories, and enjoy the delicious meals. Happy cooking!

For more kids’ recipes, see https://www.vrg.org/teen/#plans

For information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php