Have you seen the August 2007 issue of Food & Wine magazine? In it Emeril Lagasse cooks easy, vegetable and fruit-loaded dishes with his children like Apple Pie Granita and E.J.’s Vegetable Noodle Soup.

Also check out their article, Star Chefs the Next Generation. Writer Sara Dickerman talks to America’s youngest foodies, the winners of their Ultimate Kid Cook Contest.

Catherine Ralston’s recipe for Spotted Porcupine Cookies was an obvious favorite. She’s 11 and won a grand prize. But I liked Alexander Donowitz’s recipe (below) because my kids love beets, too. Alexander also won a grand prize and he’s ONLY 6! He’s been cooking since he’s 2.

If that doesn’t inspire your young chef, I don’t know what will.

Beet and Cheddar Risotto
TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN
SERVES: 4

Ingredients :

1. 1 medium beet, peeled and quartered (I used a bunch of little beets that I guesstimated to be about the same quantity)
2. 2 cups loosely packed beet greens, stems trimmed
3. 2 cups water
4. 2 cups vegetable broth
5. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6. 1 medium onion, minced
7. 1 cup arborio rice
8. 8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

Directions:

1. Place the beet(s) in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the beet greens and pulse until finely chopped.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the water and vegetable broth to a simmer.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 3 minutes.
4. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the beets and beet greens and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the broth to the large saucepan, 1 cup at a time, and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the liquid is nearly absorbed between additions, 20 minutes.
7. Add the cheddar; season with salt and pepper.
8. Cook, stirring until the risotto is creamy and thick, 3 minutes longer. Serve in deep bowls, passing the Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.

Elizabeth Kennedy at About.com’s Children’s Books is recommending the Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook as "one of the most visually appealing cookbooks [she has] ever seen."

Simply in Season Children’s Cookbook is an imaginative, active way to invite kids of all ages - especially 6 to 12 year olds - to get in touch with real food, to see where it comes from, to take responsibility for preparing it, and to have fun in the process.

With summer farmer’s markets in full swing, this is a great time to use such a cookbook. Another great resource is the internet, of course, and one great website for summertime recipes comes from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. They have some great kid friendly and healthy, seasonal recipes. Here’s a small sample.

Watermelon Banana Split
A healthy twist to an old favorite - serves four

Ingredients:

1. 2 bananas
2. 1 medium watermelon
3. 1 cup fresh blueberries
4. 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
5. 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
6. 1/4 cup caramel fruit dip
7. 1/4 cup honey roasted almonds

Instructions:

Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise then cut each piece in half. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against sides of shallow dish. Using an ice cream scooper, place three watermelon "scoops" in between each banana in each dish. Remove seeds if necessary. Top each watermelon "scoop" with a different fruit topping. Drizzle caramel fruit dip over all. Sprinkle with almonds.

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Have you heard about the movie "Ratatouille" where a rat dreams of becoming a French chef? The Pixar movie is coming out June 29, and I know many food bloggers are looking forward to it.

What the heck is ratatouille anyway? (And no it’s not a dish made from rat - pleeeeease!) My French mom calls any kind of stew made from vegetables a ratatouille - especially when she cooks up those weird veggies from the Asian market. In actuality, it’s a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish that can be served as a meal or as a side dish.

It’s featured in Usborne’s 30 Healthy Things to Cook and Eat pack of recipe cards. (If your child loves to cook - or you want to encourage them to cook something but cupcakes - get this! It has large, thick cardboard recipe cards. It’s simple but nutritious recipes make it terrific for kids six and up.)

Combine going to see the movie with cooking up a batch of ratatouille with your family. Maybe you use some of the vegetables or herbs in your garden. Or plan a shopping trip to a local produce stand or farmer’s market for the ingredients. Have the kids write up or draw their own shopping list.

Try some ratatouille on crusty French bread or with grilled meat or fish. Experiment by putting it with plain pasta or spooning it on to a baked potato.

Ratatouille
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb. of ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium ones)
2. 2 onions
3. 3 zucchini
4. 1 eggplant (weighing about 1 lb.)
5. 1 yellow or red pepper
6. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
7. 1 garlic clove, crushed
8. 1/2 tsp. dried oregano (or Italian seasoning)
9. 1/2 can (3 oz. tomato paste)
10. a pinch of salt and pepper
11. 8 large basil leaves ripped into small pieces

Directions:

1. Cut a cross into the bottom of each tomato. Put them into a heatproof bowl, then fill a second bowl with cold water.
2. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water. After 2 minutes, use a spoon to put them into the cold water for 2 minutes.
3. Life the tomatoes out, peel them and cut them into quarters.
4. Peel the onions, cut them in half and then chop them finely.
5. Cut the ends off the zucchini, then cut them in half lengthways. Cut them into strips, then cut them into chunks.
6. Cut up the eggplant the same way.
7. Cut the ends off the pepper and remove the seeds. Then cut it into thin strips.
8. Put the oil and onions into a large saucepan. Cook them over low heat for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft.
9. Add the vegetables, garlic, seasoning, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the onions in the pan. Stir everything well.
10. Cook the ratatouille (keep stirring) on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Then turn down the heat, so that it is bubbling gently.
11. PUt a lid onto the pan. (Lift the lid and stir it every now and then.) Cook the ratatouille for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and cook it for 10 minutes. Stir in the bail. Serve.