I am sharing a secret today. Well actually, I think I have mentioned this before, but, I really need to talk about this post on How To Make Purées For Hidden Veggie Recipes!
You see, my son and my husband detest vegetables. Well most of them anyway. They will have a few spears of asparagus here and there, and especially if it has bacon in it, like my sautéed asparagus and bacon.
But other than that, vegetables are only loved by my daughter and I. And that is sad. So, several years ago, I heard of a few cookbook Authors, who created recipes using hidden vegetables in everyday foods that kids just love to eat, and I knew that these recipes would work on my husband as well, so I bought them books up!
One book is called The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine, and the other book is called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld ( Jerry’s Wife!)
These two books have transformed the way I see food now, and they have created the base, for my ideas, and how to add hidden vegetables to food that my family loves to eat. Before, all my husband liked, was meatloaf and meatballs; Well guess what? You can hide puréed vegetables in these foods, and as long as you keep it a secret, they will scarf it down, and eat all their veggies without them knowing about it!
If I were to tell my husband before hand, that there is hidden vegetables in the meatloaf, he will have a funny look on his face while he is eating it. My teenage son, would probably not go near it.
But after they ate it, and praised about how good the meal was, then and only then, will the magician reveal the secret, and they are usually pleasantly surprised!
Not only has my method of cooking, then telling, has gotten my son to be happy about eating vegetables, but it has helped them to taste them veggies as is. And that makes me feel like I accomplished a huge and difficult task. Now, that doesn’t mean that they eat vegetables now very much, but it means that they are open to trying some here and there.
Now, if you have seen my Meatballs and Rice, with Hidden Vegetables, you will see that I use puréed store bought baby food, because it is convenient and easy to find puréed carrots and butternut squash, but other vegetables aren’t that easy to find already puréed, so that is where my favorite Food Processor comes in. It is a Hamilton Beach Stack and Snap Food Processor, that works so well for me, and it was really affordable!
Today, I puréed and froze, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, chickpeas, and great northern white beans. Which when puréed my kids loved!! They dipped tortillas in it like it was hummus, and I didn’t get a chance to place it in the freezer, because they ate it all!
So the key is, to hide these nutritious vegetable purées in foods that can hide the color well, like for instance, you could put about 1/4 cup of puréed white beans and cauliflower in macaroni and cheese, and totally get away with it.
Or you can hide puréed spinach in Italian style meatballs and simmer them in a marinara sauce that has puréed carrots and butternut squash in the sauce, and now spaghetti and meatballs is not only packed with vegetables, but also packed with flavor!
I will be rolling out a lot of hidden veggies recipes that will be a part of my hidden veggie series. This series will show you how to add puréed vegetables to so many meals, and feel good about feeding your kids meals like chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, or brownies! You’ll see!
To start this process, you will need to steam some vegetables.
For broccoli and spinach puree or just broccoli alone:
Steam chopped broccoli in a saucepan with a few inches of water, by bringing to a boil, cover, then simmering for 8-10 minutes or until really tender.
Then add chopped broccoli to your food processor with a few tablespoons of the liquid it was cooked with, and purée until smooth. It should have the texture of baby food.
Let cool in a bowl, then place about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of purée in a zip top freezer bag, that has a description of what kind of purée, and what date it was placed in freezer.
The same method can be used for cauliflower.
For spinach alone, I steam for just a few minutes, or until spinach is wilted and soft. Then I use the same method. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the spinach or cauliflower purée.
And BTW, I am loving this Copper Chef Pot, that was a gift from my Mother-in-law (Thanks Mom!) It has a steamer basket, that you can fry in as well, and the basket can be lifted and sit on the edge of the pot for draining and steaming! How awesome is that?! You can get one here!
For beans, you just empty a can of beans with juice and all into the food processor. You can drain the liquid if you want to, but be sure to then add a few tablespoons of water, to be sure that it is smooth when pureeing.
These purées can be frozen for about 3 months, but I have never had them in my freezer that long, because I’m always using them up.
So join me on this vegetable journey, and have some fun, creating delicious recipes, that no one will know, are actually good for you;) Stay tuned for hidden veggie recipes for picky eater inspiration!
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