The "Experiement"

Yesterday my 6-year old daughter, the Big One, and I were talking about trying new things in the kitchen. We agreed that we need to try to recipes and new vegetables we've never tried before... OK, well, I made the decision and she went along with it. I was able to generate some excitement by telling her she can make some decisions as to what we can try to cook.  She's been very skeptical lately as I've tried to get her to eat a few new things she just knew were "going to be horrible!" She decided it is a bit like a science experiment - hence the name The Kitchen Experiment. 

Unable to contain my excitement to begin this new experiment, this morning when I made her smoothie I decided to put a couple leaves of kale in the mix (after reading some of the recipes from my new birthday present from the family - Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food). I quickly tore the pieces of kale, threw them into the blender and dumped some pineapple on top, and disposed of the stems before she entered the kitchen. Upon trying the new, improved smoothie she exclaimed "Mom, you make the best smoothies in the world! Even better than Jamba Juice!" She went on and on, telling dad about this wonderful smoothie on the way to school.  I finally had to tell her about my sneakiness, and let her know about the leaves of kale I put in it. She said she had noticed some green pieces, but thought they were leaves from the pineapple! (She said this after making her astonished, half-disgusted face) After the initial shock wore off, she gave me a high-five for adding some extra veggie-goodness and it was still delicious! Our vegan kitchen experiment is on!

So, here I will be posting some new recipes we develop during our little experiment.  Please come back and TRY the recipes! Let me know how they work for you or how I might improve them. My brother suggested my husband and I make a cookbook, so I am trying to work towards that goal. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!