My 7-year-old’s latest trick? Turning her dinner into her own culinary creations. Chicken and baked potatoes turns into “chicken boat wonders.” Bread folded over and dipped in salad dressing becomes “juicy bread.” As much as it irks me that my daughter just can’t eat a meal without turning it into a project, I’m can’t say I blame her. I remember “sculpting” scoops of chocolate ice cream into igloos, while talking to myself in a Julia Child voice when I was her age (don’t ask). And after being home sick from school recently, she became enchanted with the Food Network and now tunes into episodes of “Chopped” whenever she remembers (I kid you not). So with her birthday fast approaching, I thought a kid-friendly cookbook would be ideal. So when A Very Veggie World , from the makers of Country Crock 
and written by noted cookbook author Claire Crespo, recently landed on my desk, I knew I had just the right gift for my budding chef. Stocked with tons of meatless dishes, this cookbook features tons of fun ways to pair veggies with food you may very well already have in the pantry or fridge. Recipes vary from basic–“Beautiful Butterflies,” fashioned from squash and carrots–to the more hands-on, like “Pizza Flag, adorned with tomatoes, mozzarella and spinach. Accompanying each entry are glossy photographs that will have little ones salivating with hunger, even fussy ones who refuse to eat anything green. Our favorites? Molecular Model Brussels Sprouts and Mt. Veggie Volcanoes. Sounds like a science lesson in the making…
In a Nutshell: Please pass the peas. This family cookbook may put a stop to the “no dessert until…” argument once and for all.
