Happy New Year! Ring in 2014 with these delicious meatless marvels from our friends at Cooking Light! Packed with nutrients and flavor these meatless dishes are sure to please the whole family, keeping them happy and healthy.

Supercrunch Tofu Tacos

Pickled daikon radishes and carrots plus a spicy Sriracha sauce set these Asian-inspired tacos apart. Pan-sautéed cashews lend meaty crunch to this vegetarian dish.

Butternut-Kale Lasagna

Gruyere-spiked Bechamel drapes over the noodles and squash to give this dish velvety richness. Hearty, earthy kale perfectly balances the sweet squash, and crunchy, toasted pecans crown the top of this luscious lasagna.

Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Make homemade veggie burgers in a snap with precooked lentils. We like the black beluga variety from Archer Farms, with no added salt. Brown lentils can be substituted but tend to be more moisture-dense and may require additional breadcrumbs to help bind the burgers.

Tomato, Squash, and Red Pepper Gratin

Sometimes, the best “steak” comes in the form of ripe, juicy beefsteak tomato slices, as in this easy gratin. Serve with a salad of fresh summer greens.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Spark your inspiration with a month worth of  healthful tips for you and your family, from our friends at Cooking Light. These simple tips are the perfect way to keep your family’s New Years resolutions on track! The best part is you can incorporate them into everyday life without breaking the bank or the clock, which will leave you and your family healthier AND happier.

We Dare You to Try……

Try to experiment with a new seasonal vegetable or fruit each week this month. Parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and winter greens such as collard greens, kale, or mustard greens are all worth a try. Get inspired with our Best Recipes for Winter Vegetables and Fruits collection.

Sweet Cereal Trick

Do you prefer your whole-grain cereal biscuits, flakes, or oh’s with a little added sugar? Just stick with varieties that have about 8 grams of sugar or less, about the amount in the 2 teaspoons of granulated you’d be sprinkling on that bowl of plain shredded wheat anyway.

Chill Out With Tea

Switch your latte to a tea to chill out. Research shows L-theanine, an amino acid in tea, reduces feelings of stress and increases relaxation.

Put Produce on Eye Level 

To increase your fruit and veggie intake, don’t put them in a drawer in the refrigerator but rather on a shelf at eye level. The more you see them, the more likely you will be to grab for them.

Smoothie Creations 

Make sure that fruit is the base of your smoothie creation—too much fruit juice can rapidly add calories without providing any of the heart-healthy and digestive-friendly fiber that you get from the fruit itself. Find recipes for 250-Calorie Smoothies.

Energy Food

With the perfect combo of slowly-digested protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber, lentils could be the ideal energy food. Just 1/2 cup of cooked lentils provides more protein than an egg and more than a quarter of your daily dose of fiber for only 115 calories and practically zero fat. Find more Foods For All-Day Energy.

Quick and Good for You

A speedier cook time doesn’t mean less wholesome. Instant and quick cooking oats—both rolled and steel cut—are as nutritious, tasty, and fully whole grain as their longer cooking counterparts. Find more Common Nutrition Myths.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Getting the kids in the kitchen can be nerve wracking for parents! Some parents may be uneasy about kitchen breakables, the mess of cooking, and sharp tools, other parents may be hesitant about a lack of interest in the kitchen from their kids. Well, this new year is a perfect time to put those old thoughts to rest and get those kids cookin’! Make sure to read this article from Cricket and our friends from This Old House  that has all the fun, silly, and colorful kid-friendly essential tools your little chef will need!

Mini-Roller

Kids can flatten dough with more ease, less frustration, and quicker clean up with a miniature non-stick, silicone rolling pin. The Junior Silpin is a necessity for families that enjoy making homemade pizza and sugar cookies in fun shapes. Available in pink, light blue, red, and yellow, $10.95; bakedeco.com.

Rainbow -Colored Measures

The Giraffe Neck long-stemmed measuring spoons are easy for small hands to grasp, durable, and dishwasher-friendly, $7.99 for a set of five; kidscookingshop.com

With spouts for splatter control, these adorable nesters are fun to pour. Zak Designs’ Assorted Brights Measuring Cups, $9 for a set of four; amazon.com

Slip-Proof Mixing Bowls

Rubberized bottoms keep these space-saving nesting bowls from slipping off the counter while your little chef whips up the Sunday morning pancake batter. Loop-style handles and spouts make it easier to pour perfect silver dollars. 3 Piece Handled Bowl Set, $10;collectionsetc.com

Utensils for Little Hands

For children interested in cooking, miniature cooking utensils are a must for whisking, flipping, scraping, and mixing. This basic set includes a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, stainless steel whisk, spatula, and metal cup to corral it all. Kid’s Utensil Set, $8; growingcooks.com

Alli-Grator

Whether shredding cheese or carrots, a cool-shaped grater makes the task fun. The handle shaped like an alligator’s head is easy to grip, and keeps little digits at a nick-free distance from the stainless steel cutting blades. Bonus: the green “jaws” fold down around the blade for safe storage. Cutting Utensils Alli-Grator, $15;kidscookingshop.com

Fun Peeler

Kids get a kick out of playful peelers. Just be sure to supervise, colorful and animal-shaped peelers look cute but their blades are still sharp enough to effortlessly slice the skin off of hard vegetables. Animal House Monkey Peeler, $8.14; target.com

The (Petite) French Chef

Staub’s Mini Round Cocottes are the perfect size for re-heating kid-sized portions in the oven. Not every meal is microwaveable! And the adorable shape and bright colors appeal to young eaters. $50 each; cookware.com

Chop & Scoop Board

Boasting fantastically fun colors, these flexible cutting boards help chefs of all ages transfer ingredients with ease…and less spilling! $5.99-$10; surlatable.com

Safe Shears

Pro chefs cut ingredients down to size with scissors, so why shouldn’t kids do it too? These small, 6-inch ladybug snips are great for turning stale bread slices into crouton cubes, lobbing off broccoli florets, and shredding fresh-picked herbs. And, of course, they also cut paper. Kid’s Animal Scissors, $7; containerstore.com

Plastic Paring

Use disposable plastic knives for chefs as young as 2½years. For older children, a plastic lettuce knife is just sharp enough to cut most ingredients, but it’s safer than a conventional steel blade knife. And, of course, it comes in handy for cutting iceberg too. Supervision recommended. OXO Lettuce Knife, $3.49;bedbathandbeyond.com

Immersion Blender

Keep the kitchen clean, while making foods typically deemed “messy” by using an immersion blender. Make smoothies, puree soups, blend dips, and more. Children have fun pressing the button and watching the textures and colors change. KitchenAid Immersion Blender, $49.99; target.com

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner.  Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children.  She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.