Cooking in Stealth Mode

Not every vegetable was created the same.  Well, at least in my book.  While there are some that I love, some that I'd rather do without, and some that are just "meh", there's only thing that I can't get past and just "suck it up and eat"...when they're overcooked and mushy.  My mom used to serve us those previously frozen, "look at what a marvel the microwave can be!" yucky mixed veggies - not even a boatload of butter and salt could make them edible.  Rubber carrots, pasty lima beans, green beans that squeaked when you chewed them and mushy peas.  What torture it was to be stuck at the dinner table, having eaten everything on my plate but the dreaded veggies, growing colder and even more inedible by the second.  One time, I finally got wise and after everyone left the table I stuffed the cold and shriveled looking mixture in my sock and proudly announced (to no one in particular) "I'm DONE!", cleared my plate and rushed upstairs to my room...but quickly learned a handful of loose vegetables can and will migrate to the lowest point as soon as they are able and had quite a time trying to scrape them off the bottom of my foot and out of my sock.  Lesson learned.  From then on it was "quick!  cover them up in the potato skins and clear your plate before anyone notices"!  (Sorry, mom).

Fast forward, oh, 20+ years and I've vowed never to put my family through the same torture.  I think I have had bags of frozen corn, or carrots, or even peas, but NEVER that dreaded mix.  Most often we like to eat our veggies raw and for the most part my kids have no complaints.  I've gotten past the ridiculous notion that everything has to be cooked for it to be a "real dinner".

There are however some vegetables that are more difficult to serve "on the side" - no offense to rabbits, but my son flat out refuses to eat kale.  To get around this (since kale is one of the best leafy greens you can eat) I've devised a sneaky way to get him and his siblings to eat it and the best part is that they have no idea!  Bwahahaha!

Ever heard of the "Sneaky Chef" (www.thesneakychef.com)?  The whole premise is to "hide" healthy foods in every day foods so kids don't even know they are eating it.  I have to confess that I've not ever read the cookbook or seen any recipes, but taking that concept have incorporated certain vegetables into foods where it's hard for my kids to detect them.  I'm not suggesting that everything be done this way - in fact, I think it's important for kids to be exposed to all kinds of foods to develop and appreciation for them (sometimes this needs to be done MULTIPLE times!) but for the times you just don't feel like having another whine/argue/bargain/whine session at the dinner table....

Find something that you know your kids will eat (pasta with tomato sauce in my case) and think of what vegetables might incorporate nicely.  I've used carrots, kale and chickpeas in sauce before, and while the kale and chickpeas change the look of the sauce, you can hardly taste them when you blend them in (using a regular or immersion blender).  The kale just makes it look like there's extra oregano or basil in there, and the chickpeas lighten the sauce up and make it a bit thicker.  Not much extra work is involved, either - especially if you use a blender.  Perfect!

FYI, this does not only have to be "for the kids" - it's a great (painless) way to get all your daily vegetable servings in!

Here's a recipe I've been meaning to try that came highly recommended (thanks, Alissa!) - maybe this weekend...

They're billed as "Flourless Brownies"....great for those with gluten sensitivities/allergies.
(from wholefoodsmarket.com)

Makes 16

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed 
3 large eggs 
1/3 cup melted butter, more for the baking dish 
1/4 cup cocoa powder 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
2 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract 
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cane sugar 
1/2 cup gluten-free semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Butter an 8-inch baking pan. Place the black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Remove the blade and gently stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just set in the center. Cool before cutting into squares. 

Nutrition

Per serving (1 brownie/about 2oz/60g-wt.): 160 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 4g saturated fat, 50mg cholesterol, 35mg sodium, 17g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 12g sugar), 4g protein