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Veggitos

SAVE ✓ SAVED ADD TO MEAL PLAN PRINT

At the Dr. Yum Project Kitchen we are always looking for fun ways for families to enjoy healthy food. In my pediatrics practice I see an epidemic of vegetable “haters” and many of their parents who are too frustrated to know what to do. Little by little, these kids slide into the “junk food lane,” eating a diet of fiberless processed food which can lead to myriad of potential health issues (which I see in my practice every day). We are determined to find ways show kids that whole foods can taste good and make them feel good, too!

Some times kids just need a “food chain” to coax them to try new foods. Make a new food with a familiar flavor or texture and you may see them gain confidence in trying those foods. We ran into a spice mix on simplecountryhome.com that can be used on squash. It really mimicked the flavor of Doritos, a popular processed “snack” which is loved by most kids I know. However, this spice mix was completely natural with nutritional yeast lending the “cheesiness” and spices like onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne giving it the “kick!” Nutritional yeast is different from baking yeast and looks like yellow flakes with a cheesy nutty flavor (it’s also FULL of B vitamins). I buy mine at Wegmans but it can usually be found at health food stores in the bulk section. So imagine taking the ultimate most palatable junk food and using its flavors to coax kids to try new veggies in a healthy way! Genius! We tried this flavoring on four different veggies during some of our kids camps and the results were unbelievable. I even brought some of my patients into the kitchen and Voilà! We transformed kids into veggie lovers! Poof! Veggie-hating be GONE!!

Once kids realize they can enjoy “brussel-itos” they will be more willing to try brussels sprouts in other ways. I have seen this work for many camps as I introduced kids to BBQ Kale Chips and then heard stories about how they were trying more greens at home. Many vegetables can be made into chips either raw or by baking (see the directions below). Add the super special spice mix and you’ve got VEGGITOS! See an example of the four veggies we tried. Use your own veggie chip recipe and sprinkle the vegito seasoning on to taste. One day in camp we thinly sliced a rutabaga and found it to be super tasty, too. Have fun embracing your family’s new love of veggies and celebrate the health and wellness that will follow!

Ingredients

Food
Amt
Units
Prep
Notes
¼ cup nutritional yeast
nutritional yeast
¼
cup
1 teaspoon onion powder
onion powder
1
teaspoon
1 teaspoon paprika
paprika
1
teaspoon
1 teaspoon cumin
cumin
1
teaspoon
1 teaspoon chili powder
chili powder
1
teaspoon
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if a spicier chip is desired)
cayenne pepper
teaspoon
more if a spicier chip is desired
1 teaspoon salt
salt
1
teaspoon
VEGGIE CHOICES
VEGGIE CHOICES
2 zucchini (nutrition analysis completed for this option)
zucchini
2
nutrition analysis completed for this option
yellow squash
2
1 bunch kale
kale
1
bunch
Brussels sprouts
1
pound
jicama
jicama

Method

Mix nutritional yeast and seasonings in a small bowl or shaker and follow the directions below using the amount of seasoning that suits your taste.

"SQUASHITOS": Preheat oven to 200 degrees Thinly slice zucchini or squash (about 1/8 inch, a mandolin works great for this). Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and mist lightly. Sprinkle with seasoning and bake for 1-1.5 hours

"KALE-ITOS": Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse, remove thick rib of several kale leaves and pat until very, very dry. Tear into bite-size pieces. Massage all sides with very light coating of olive oil. Bake in a single layer until crispy, about 7-10 minutes. Some leaves may bake sooner, so check at 7 minutes and remove the crispiest chips every few minutes so they don’t burn. Sprinkle with seasoning once removed from the oven.

"BRUSSELITOS": Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut of thick stem of several brussels sprouts, and let the outer leaves fall off until you reach the thick center (center can be saved for other recipes). Massage all sides with very light coating of olive oil. Bake in a single layer until crispy, about 7-10 minutes. Some leaves may bake sooner, so check at 10 minutes and remove the crispiest chips every few minutes so they don’t burn. Sprinkle with seasoning once removed from the oven.

"JICAMITOS": Peel and thinly slice jicama into “chips” No baking necessary, just sprinkle with seasoning and enjoy!

Prep time
5 min
Cook time
0-90 minutes
Yields/Serves:
4 servings
Nutrition Information

Yum Ratings

😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum! I the seasoning.” —Claire, age 9
😫😟😐😀😍 “Yum. I like the seasoning and the chips” —Jordan, age 9
😫😟😐😀😍 ” Yum! It was a little too spicy.” —Jacob, age 11
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum! I hate Doritos but these were really good!” —Kalie, age 11
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum, they would be better with more nutritional yeast.” —Eliza, age 11
😫😟😐😀😍 “Yum. They should be more sour.” —Rudra, age 7
😫😟😐😀😍 “Yum. I like the spice but not the starchiness.” —Noah, age 17
😫😟😐😀😍 “Super Yum! The seasoning and the taste of the jicama go really well together.” —Moira, age 13
😫😟😐😀😍 ” Super Yum, I liked it all! Don’t change anything!” —Faith, age 9