JOPLIN, Mo. —
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love being sneaky. I get immense satisfaction from making a meal as packed with nutrients as possible, while keeping it edible and, preferably, delicious.
It's a pet peeve of mine when someone won't try a certain food. As a child, my best friend claimed to hate mushrooms. My family told her we were having fried chicken for dinner, when we were actually having fried morels. She loved them. I remember giggling with delight. Food deceit started early on in my life.
My 4-year-old has always been a great eater. Lately, it's become more challenging to get her to eat her fruits and vegetables. Like her momma, she really only wants bread and cheese. And olives. But unfortunately, I don't think they really count as a vegetable. What a shame.
I take great pleasure in sneaking in vegetables wherever I can. I've read about how sneaking in veggies doesn't teach the child to actually eat vegetables. I took that argument into consideration, and decided I would rather my kid ate the veggies without the use of bribery. I want her to have a healthy relationship with produce, with no lingering childhood ill will toward vegetables. As a result, my daughter doesn't know that her oatmeal isn't supposed to be tinged with green, which is a result of a frozen pureed cube of broccoli.
Your reason for sneaking veggies in is irrelevant. Yes, it's great for the kids, but it's really great for everyone. Try it for a stubborn adult, too. Once you start doing it, you'll see that your meal is just as yummy. It doesn't have to be a temporary thing to get your kids to eat their vegetables. It can be something that's standard. It's also a great way for you and your spouse to get some extra fiber and vitamins.
Why wouldn't you want to throw some carrots, cauliflower and peppers into the food processor to add to your ground beef? Once you add some seasoning, no one will be the wiser. Try adding cauliflower to your boiling pot of potatoes next time you have mashed potatoes. Puree some veggies and a couple of cloves of garlic to add to your spaghetti sauce. I hope you feel as giddy as I do from the deviance!
Not just potato soup
4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped, leaves included
1 onion, diced
1 head cauliflower, pulsed in food processor to resemble crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add onion, celery and cauliflower. Simmer about 10 minutes or until onion is soft. Add chopped potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Stir in butter. Remove from heat and slowly stir in milk. Season with salt and pepper. Use less water and a potato masher if you prefer a thicker soup. I also like to add carrots into the food processor with the cauliflower. The cauliflower virtually disappears into this "potato soup", making it a great choice for a winter Meatless Monday.
Butternut squash macaroni and cheese
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and diced (about 3 cups)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
11/2 cups skim milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole-wheat spirals
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (I use pureed cottage cheese)
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Combine squash, stock and milk in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add noodles to boiling water; cook according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.
Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
Coat a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with olive oil spray and pour in the noodle mixture.
In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, remaining Parmesan and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodles.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 20 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.
Source: recipes.sparkpeople.com
Have questions? Email them to amandastone31@hotmail.com or mail her c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
-
Amanda Stone
Discussion
Amanda Stone: Healthy deceit does no harm
- Lifestyles
-
-
Bearing down: Carl Junction woman has passion for bear hunting
Born and raised in Joplin, Mitchell graduated from Joplin High School in 1963. For 35 years, she has been self-employed as a real estate developer. Seventeen years ago, her husband, Steve, a bowhunter, introduced her to hunting.
-
Ryan Richardson: Appliances complicit in dog-hair problem
Despite missing having her here, her absence has given me an opportunity to clean up the small messes that have been accumulating since she has been gone. I've also given myself the opportunity to evaluate what has and has not worked in such a small living space.
-
Phyllis Seesengood: 'Six Years' fast-paced, suspenseful
Harlan Coben is a superb suspense writer who has written an intense thriller/love story, although I personally think he should stick with the thrillers and leave the romances to romance writers.
-
Frankie Meyer: Website offers digitized newspapers
Newspapers are a great source of info for genealogists. Obituaries are especially helpful, as are articles about major events that occurred in the areas where ancestors lived.
-
Roger McKinney: Touring Israel with Indian Christians is enlightening
Christians are a small minority of Indians, making up a little over 2 percent of the population. Even fewer are Protestant, which was the denomination of this group.
-
Craig Tally: God's story doesn't translate to screens well
While the "stories" can certainly be broadcast, the "Story" cannot. More is needed -- much more.
-
Museums, history and eclectic culinary culture key to Kansas City’s appeal
I get to Kansas City a couple of times a year. That’s my bad. I wish I could go more often. Every time I do, however, I realize what the metro to the north has to offer, especially now that the Old Highway 71 is the new Interstate 49.
-
Jeremiah Tucker: Vinyl may help keep record stores alive
The New York Times recently reported that the resurgence of vinyl music sales has led to a number of new record-pressing plants opening around the country, including one in Salina, Kan.
-
Benji Tunnell: Vaughn, Wilson phone it in for 'Internship'
"The Internship" is the story of a vast conglomeration in the form of Google opting to have a two-hour advertisement for all of its various products, ostensibly as a lighthearted comedy about the crushing weight of an unstable economy once someone is no longer part of the younger demographic and finds himself unemployed. Or at least I think that was it.
-
Joe Hadsall: Hummus at center of controversy? Hummus?
I don't even know why I like it so much, because it's basically a paste made out of beans, and I hate beans. Something about the tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil removes all the beany texture, and leaves it tasting wonderful.
- More Lifestyles Headlines
-
