Sunday, April 15, 2012

Veggie Pets (Kitty Cat Potatoes)








This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Some kids are born veggie-eaters. Some kids flat out refuse leafy green stuff. Some are suspicious of vegetables, but will try them after careful inspection and promise of a reward in the form of chocolate. My own children fall somewhere between the type who willingly partake in a select few vegetables, but expect dessert-compensation if they have to try something new.

We all had the opportunity to try something new when I got to take a peek at A Very Veggie World, a cookbook put together by Country Crock and Clare Crespo. It was a blast to check out each recipe (there are 25!). I was pleased to see that each one included straight-forward instructions and a photo of the finished product, so I knew what mine should look like!

Country Crock titled this recipe "Veggie Pets," but my girls insisted that they looked like "Kitty Cat Potatoes".

Kitty Cat Potatoes



Ingredients:



4 new potatoes
4 snap peas
4 kernels of corn
24 fresh rosemary leaves
2 Tbsp. Country Crock Spread, melted
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Cut a slice off the long side of the potatoes so that they don't roll.

2. Bring 1 inch of water in a medium saucepan to boil over medium to medium high heat. Place potatoes, cut side down, in steamer basket and place in pan. Cover, and steam 10-15 minutes. Carefully, with tongs, remove potatoes.

3. Place snap peas in basket to steam for 5- 10 minutes.

4. Remove peas and cut tips off to make hamster's (or cat's!) ears. Remove eight peas from the pea pods.























5. Using a small knife, poke two holes into the top of the potato. Insert snap pea pieces into the top of the potato for the pet's ears.

6. Use small knife to make three holes on the front of the potato and insert peas for the "eyes" and a corn kernel for the "nose."

7. Use a toothpick to poke a few holes around the nose and insert rosemary leaves for the "whiskers."

8. Brush pets with Country Crock and sprinkle with salt and pepper.























Older kids will love helping you assemble their own veggie animals, and they are so much more likely to want to sample a dish if they've had a hand in making it. Younger kids (like mine) will be so intrigued by the idea of edible animal "sculptures" that they won't really pause to consider the fact that you've successfully gotten them to eat vegetables they don't normally care for!


I was really excited to be a part of the Country Crock campaign because how cool is it to find a way to serve vegetables to your kids without having to whip up heavy sauces to disguise them, mix or puree them into other recipes, or threaten/cajole in order to see them eaten?

I love this recipe because of its simplicity. No extra fancy dips or mixes. Just vegetables, some Country Crock, and a few simple seasonings!


Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!

If you enjoyed this post, I hope you'll click the "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+. 

7 comments:

  1. Hi Amanda! These kitty cat potatoes are the cutest! Defintely will have to try them! I'm stopping by from the UBP12 and am now following you on Pinterest and through Google Connect. Can't wait to have more time to peruse your site! Below are some links where you can follow me if you're interested:

    http://allaroundthecircle.blogspot.com/2012/04/welcome-ultimate-blog-party-hoppers.html
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftwithkids/
    http://pinterest.com/craftwithkids/
    https://twitter.com/#!/CraftWithKids

    Enjoy the rest of the UBP12!

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  2. I LOVE the kitty cat potatoes, so cute they'd be hard to eat! BTW, your girls are growing up fast, every time I see their picture I can't believe it!
    xo
    Kate

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  3. Those potatoes do indeed look like cats. I'll bet the girls had a blast helping you to make these.

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  4. Adorable! I wish we had fun dishes like this when we were growing up. We barely survived with all the threatening mom made if we didn't eat our meals! lol!

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  5. These are cute! My husband is obsessed with animal shaped recipes ever since he made turtle burgers. He will be excited!

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  6. Love these, Amanda! I'm sure my girls would love them too. I like making food fun. At lunch I use small cookie cutters on apple, cucumber, etc. And of course I use bigger ones on sandwiches or quesadillas. I can't wait until my youngest is in school all day and I can pack her lunch. I have a board on Pinterest named 'Lunch Box' will all kinds of great links to hundreds of bento boxed lunches.

    Anyway, now that I rambled on about lunches, have a good night. haha =)

    ~ Catie

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