Pod Poppers

Ingredients:

• Edamame beans
• Salt

Preparation:

Bring several cups of Edamame to a boil for about 5 minutes until slightly soft. Allow kids to “pop” the Edamame out of its shell for a fun snack. Edamame is great lightly salted , in salads or dipped in dressing.

Eggplant Fries

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium Eggplant
• egg whites
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1t Italian seasoning
• 3/4 t garlic salt

Preparation:

Cut eggplant into bite sized sticks. Combine wheat germ, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and salt in a bowl. Dip eggplant strips in a small bowl of egg whites then coat in the dry mixture. Broil for approximately three minutes. Turn sticks over and broil two more minutes until brown.

Pizza Pears

Ingredients:

• Whole grain tortilla
• Marinara sauce
• Diced pears
• Variety of veggies
• Low-fat cheese

Preparation:

Spread some marinara on a whole grain tortilla and add all your favorite toppings. Diced pears add a mild sweet flavor to the pizza. Top with cheese and broil for a warm treat or serve cold.

Zapped Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 large apple
• 1/2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T brown sugar
• 3 T Raisins
• 2 tbsp. nonfat milk

Preparation

Core apple. Place in a microwave safe bowl and fill the center with the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle with Cinnamon. Place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about a minute until the apple is soft. Allow to cool before serving.

Butternut Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup tahini paste
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1t minced garlic
• Spices as desired (paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin)

Preparation:Preheat oven to 400F. Rub cut sides of the squash with olive oil and place cut side down on cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes until soft enough to scoop out flesh. Combine flesh with 1/2 cup tahini paste, 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice and 1t minced garlic. Add paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Concord Raisins

Ingredients:

• Concord Grapes

Preparation:

Remove grapes from stems and wash in a colander.Spread the grapes onto towels to dry. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper. Use a small knife to split grapes in half and remove the seeds. Lay the grape halves on cookies sheets to bake at 115-120 degrees for 48-72 hours rotating the pans and stirring the grapes as needed to keep from sticking. Cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

• Fresh pumpkin seeds from a large pumpkin
• Seasonings as desired

Preparation:

Have your kids pull the pumpkin seeds out of their pumpkins into a big bowl. Rinse the seeds in a colander until clean. Lay the seeds on paper towels to dry and sprinkle with seasonings. Place seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 300F  stirring until golden brown. Cool and enjoy, add them to a fall trail mix!

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 large sweet potatoes
• 3 T olive oil
• seasonings of choice (try cinnamon)

Preparation:

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/8” thick slices and toss in a bowl with 3T olive oil and your seasonings of choice. Spread slices on a cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes flipping after about 7min. Spread chips onto paper towels to drain oil.