Hidden Veggies

Joyce - posted on 09/20/2010

try zucchine bread. it is great for breakfast and if you can use pecans in it you get protien also. you can also make cupcakes with it. we make it in a square cake pan or a sheet cake pan.

Marsha - posted on 09/18/2010

This is not a vegetable puree but there is a recipe for enriching flour from Cornell University. I found it in my Joy of Cooking years ago. You put 1 T. soy flour, 1 T. noninstant milk and 1 t. wheat germ to every cup of flour. I would often add more soy flour as it doesn't change the color of item. It went in cookies, cakes, breads ie anything I used flour for. It adds more nutrition.

Marissa - posted on 09/17/2010

My daughter loves when I put broccoli in her macaroni and cheese (just the broccoli florets). I also put peas in the shell macaroni and cheese. She likes it like that because the peas hide in the shells. I also find that picky kids will eat green beans in beef stew. my daughter loves carrot muffins for breakfast and as a dessert. She also goes crazy for my homemade pizza with spinach and garlic. Don't forget CHEESE makes everything taste better! Good luck!

Stephanie - posted on 09/16/2010

I put steamed broccoli and coliflower in grilled cheese so that when I cut it you can't see it. By the time mine noticed it was there he'd already ate alot of it and decided to finish. Now he actually prefers to have broccoli in it.

Nichole - posted on 09/16/2010

That's so great. It's such a great way to get in the iron and protein, especially if kids are picky eaters. I'm glad it was helpful.

Erin - posted on 09/16/2010

Nichole, I just added spinach to my son's fruit smoothie. He drank it all up! Thanx:)

Montana - posted on 09/16/2010

Eggplant parm! They'll never know. Cut them big enough to look like chicken. My kids love it!

Nichole - posted on 09/15/2010

Add raw spinach to anything, it's the best veggie to hide. I too put it in my fruit smooties.

Kelly - posted on 09/15/2010

Purees pizza sauce with mostly red veggies so it will look similar...Put fresh veggies out in a small bowl or plate and let them graze on them..mac and cheese add veggie puree with the milk.

Betty - posted on 09/15/2010

I put pureed cauliflower in mac and cheese and spaghetti sauce. My daughter has no idea. I also put shredded zucchini in chocolate cupcakes. It makes them really moist. I put pureed carrots and sweet potatoes in pancakes. The Sneaky Chef cookbook has great recipes. My daughter hasn't really liked any from Deceptively Delicious, but loves a lot from the Sneaky Chef.

Megan - posted on 09/14/2010

I just baked some pumpkin choc chip muffins for my boys. I took a recipe for apple muffins that uses apple puree and replaced it with steamed and mashed pumkpin - they loved them! Jessica Seinfeld has a great recipe book with all sorts of purees hidden in foods- cakes, brownies, meals etc. I also make my own healthy chicken nuggets which my 3 boys all love. Dice up chicken breast, dip the pieces in flour and then coat them in pureed vegetables - whatever you think they will eat, we use carrot or a blend of carrot and cauliflower. If they are adventurous make green ones, like a Dr Seuss meal! Finally coat them in seasoned breadcrumbs and shallow fry. Good Luck!

Alicia - posted on 09/13/2010

Make Cauliflower like you would mashed potatoes. Steam them, add milk, butter and mash, add a little bit of salt and pepper! It is some good stuff!!! You can also but some cream cheese in with them so they are a little creamier.

Linda - posted on 09/13/2010

try baking some sweet potato oven fries...

Liliana - posted on 09/12/2010

I have to agree with the raw spinach. I blend it with milk and a banana and u get a nice shake that u only taste banana in. U can add vanilla yogurt as well to give it an extra sweetness and sell it to the boys as a "buzz lightyear" shake lol... my son loves it and due to his colorful cups I dnt even think he's noticed the color.

Brenna - posted on 09/11/2010

Search Rachael Ray's website for recipies, she is always making foods with hidden veggies. Some of the ones I know off the top of my head are spaghetti squash replaces spaghetti noodles, she mashes root veggies (like parsnips & celery root) with potatoes for her shepards pie http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recip...

Gail - posted on 09/11/2010

We put zucchini in spaghetti, along with the carrot and sometimes squash. Maybe try quiche or san shoy bouy. My kids ate that tonight and loved it. Chopped up water chestnuts, pork mince and noodles with seasoning of course. Also you can try anything that they can make themselves. Maybe pizza's that they can add the toppings too. We also use tortilas and the kids make their own (roll up bread) with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and mince. They love this idea because they can be messy and make themselves. Get them to help you. The woolworths (food supermarket) here in Australia have a website with lots of receipes for kids, a simple one was Orange Noodles with corn and peas. Orange noodles being carrot, peeled into noodle looking pieces. www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/website/woolworths/fresh-food-kids/kids-site/eat

this is the direct link or you can just go to the site itself and navigate your way there. www.woolworths.com.au
Hope this helps and best of luck

Kristin - posted on 09/09/2010

Sweet potatoes are easy to add to things and have a relatively sweet flavor plus they are healthy. I have read a recipe (although I don't have it here with me) for a sweet potato pasta sauce. I have also added finely shredded zucchini to lasagna and my son can't even tell it is there. Zucchini muffins are great as well. You can put shredded zucchini, squash, carrots, etc and they are sweet so the kids don't notice the veggies. Try this recipe (i think you'll have to cut and paste it into your browser)... http://w9.examiner.com/x-65900-Olympia-S...

It is made with whole wheat flour and applesauce so it is a healthier snack as well.

Carys - posted on 09/09/2010

I make carrot cake, banana bread, corn muffins and I grate carrots into my son's food. It kills me to do it, because he was a great eater, but he needs his fruit & veg

Christy - posted on 09/09/2010

You can mix steamed cauliflower into mashed potatoes & they will never be the wiser.

Shannon - posted on 09/09/2010

Have you tried raw veggies? My daughter will only eat raw carrots because, according to her, cooked ones taste funky. When I make carrots, I make sure there are raw available for her. The bags of baby carrots are not that expensive and are great to have on hand for a snack. I also saw on "Good Eats" on the Food Network (they are online) he used pureed parsnips in a boatload of recipes for a niece that does not eat veggies and likes sweets. She got her sweets in, but got a bit more too.

Jen - posted on 09/09/2010

I have the exact opposite problem, the only way to get my daughter to eat anything BUT veggies is to mix the bite together with a veggie showing. However, I HATE most veggies, so I've been having to hide them from myself. I agree that putting shredded zucchini or carrots (root veggies, basically) in anything goes over well; I did pumkpin/zucchini muffins last week that were wonderful! And I loooove spinach dip, which may work for your boys, because they can dip anything into it!

Beth - posted on 09/09/2010

Toritias are my hiding device, i can spread pureed peas and carrots on the tortia, add a layer of cheese and taco seasoned hamburger, fold and heat on my george forman grill or frying pan, and my two year old eats it up with no idea! also yo baby makes a great yogurt that has fruit and pureed veggies in it, i mix it with regular strawberry yogurt and he eats that up too..and finally spegetti sauce makes a great cover for pureed veggies :)

Christine - posted on 09/08/2010

I buy frozen squash in the grocery store and put it in pasta. It looks just like Mac and Cheese. Boil it with the pasta and no one knows the difference (as long as you add a little cheese for flavour).

Erin - posted on 09/08/2010

wow! I like that, great idea! I have a lot of veggies in the freezer that I've already pureed but I will definitely think of that when they're gone.

Lisa - posted on 09/07/2010

That's funny Erin, I do the same thing!! I love the book, but I also love to 'cheat' and not puree my own veggies. Instead I buy organic, baby food and put it into foods... quick and easy... my kind of 'recipe'! ; )

Erin - posted on 09/07/2010

I love that book! I do a lot of her recipes but I cheat and add the veggies into instant foods like pancakes and mac and cheese.

Lisa - posted on 09/07/2010

I use some of the recipes from Jessica Seinfeld's: Deceptively Delicious Book. You could get it from the library and copy the ones you like. My UNBELIEVABLY picky son's favorite is the Peanut Butter Banana muffins (healthy, easy to make!).

Adrienne - posted on 09/07/2010

Put shredded carrots in meatballs, meatloaf, buy a spicecake mix and add carrots and pineapple and butterscotch pudding in addition to the package directions, make sweet potato and beet chips (slice them into circles, and drain/pat dry canned beets, and either pan fry or bake them on a lightly greased frying pan until crispy and top with a bit of salt. Have you tried tempura? Its easy and brings out the natural sweetness of some veggies most kids stay away from (carrots, green beans, asparagus, onions). A Pizza Roll up, buy pillsbury pizza crust layer spaghetti sauce, spinach, cheese and pepperoni (I've use prosciutto too for a lower fat option and it was still delicious).

Lindsey - posted on 09/07/2010

Since they like potatoes you can put all sorts of veggies in them, like kale, spinach, broccoli, ect.. Also sweet potatoes are really good for you.

Erin - posted on 09/07/2010

Add sweet potatoes puree to instant pancakes, and add cauliflower to instant mac and cheese, make English muffin pizza's and before you put the sauce on spread a layer of spinach puree on it.

Kate - posted on 09/06/2010

i would try just a simple acorn squash by its self cut it in half and put water in a pan and bake it a 350 till tender then put butter and brown sugar in it and mash it up like potatoes it makes a good desert

Darcy - posted on 09/06/2010

The first thing that came to my mind was zucchini bread. I have also made smoothies with raw spinach in them. I use plain yogurt and add honey or sugar, frozen blueberries and/or strawberries, apple juice and ground flaxseed for a delicious smoothie. My kids can't even tell there is spinach in it! Good luck!