Hiding vegetables in other food?

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Does anyone hide vegetables in other food? I've read that you could hide many vegetables in pasta sauce and pizza. Does this change the taste of the food at all? Are there any other secrets to hiding vegetables that doesn't change the taste?

 

(OK... full disclosure... this is for me. :D I am a horribly picky eater, and have TRIED and TRIED to eat more vegetables, but I just can't do it. I eat peas, corn, potatoes, tomato sauce, and lima beans, but all the rest just give me the willys. SOOOO, I was thinking maybe I could hide the other vegetables in something and not taste them!)

 

Oh, also, if you puree a vegetable, as in to put it in with something else, would that take away the nutritional value?

 

Thank you!! :tongue_smilie:

[charmama4]

I put shredding zucchini in our pasta sauce. It works like a charm for my picky eater who only eats mac-n-chz (if I let him :D). I love zucchini muffins. If you want to PM me I think I can find a recipe that is sugar free.

[Geek]

Shhh. {looks furtively over shoulder} This is my secret.

 

My kids eat veggies. But I increase nutrition all the time by adding even more any way I can.

[MaMa2005]

I mix cauliflower in mashed potatoes. Still tastes like mashed potatoes to me.

[FaithManor]

This is how I hide vegetables.

 

1. Chicken and Rice soup....Cook the vegetables in chicken broth (keep the green beans and peas somewhat limited or it turns really green - so heavy on carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery) and then let it cool enough to run through the blender on puree. Then I add the chicken back and rice and let simmer until it's nice and yummy. Kids don't know the difference so long as I use pepper, garlic, etc. and if they see a little green speck they think it's "herbs". The finicky child is banned from the kitchen when I cook hidden vegetable recipes.

 

2. Lasagna - I use a half package of frozen spinach, thaw (where the finicky boy can't see it), and then finely chop (very finely chop) with my food chopper. I mix this with riccotta cheese, mozzarella, and cottage cheese. I layer it onto cooked lasagna noodles and then every layer gets a thick helping of homemade pasta sauce. Again, Mr. Finicky thinks it's herbs and I don't correct his notion. Dh and I just smile sweetly across the table.

 

3. Rice Bake - I make up some generous size helpings of brown rice and also steam a small serving size of broccoli for each person. Oh, and I cook the rice in chicken broth with garlic and a little butter. Then I VERY finely chop the broccoli until it has a "heavily herbed" look...the key is very, very tiny pieces of green - miniscule. I mix it together with lots of parmesan and bake until the cheese is thoroughly melted. I can't say that it is my favorite but the kids eat it up.

 

I don't know about adding to sauces. I haven't tried that yet. But, I do make a very heavy veggie/herb blend salsa, can it every year, and blend it whenever I want taco or enchilada sauce. The kids love it and they don't seem to get that they are each eating about a 1/2 cup of cooked veggies.

 

Faith

[kathkath]

Shhh. {looks furtively over shoulder} This is my secret.

 

My kids eat veggies. But I increase nutrition all the time by adding even more any way I can.

 

same here

[Jen in PA]

I add flaxseed to tons of things. Muffins, oatmeal, taco meat, spaghetti sauce, apple crisp...... I figure my kids get a couple of servings of it each day and they have no clue.

[Lara in Colo]

I Put shredded zucchini in meatballs. It really makes them tender and I tell the children the green part is oregano.

 

I also make a homemade pizza with veggies.

I take a veggie peeler and make wide yet paper thin strips of yam, zucc, carrot,, then I add bell pepper, brocc and onion--I lightly oil them and roast in the toaster oven till tender and sweet. I Put them on the pizza (pretty high IMO) with red sauce and cheese ---My pickiest eater loves this pizza.

 

Lara

[Rosie_0801]

I put kelp powder on popcorn.

 

Rosie

[Amber in AUS]

My friend had a chocolate brownie recipe which used grated carrot and zucchini, to eat it you would have never known.

 

I think the trick to hiding vegies is to go with low flavour ones, zucchini, carrot and sweet potato are generally easy to hide in a variety of things.

[IsabelC]

I do bolognaise with more veg (in the loose sense of the word) than beef! For 500g (about 1lb) of beef I add:

 

 

• 1 large grated zucchini/courgette
  
• 1-3 grated carrots (depending on size)
  
• a bag of chopped mushrooms
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped olives
  
• a can of refried beans (eg black beans)
  
• 2 onions
  
• 1 large capsicum/bell pepper
  
• a large tin of diced tomatoes
  
• and any leftover cooked veg that is soft enough to mash
  

 

It still tastes mostly of beef, and nobody complains.

[Photo Ninja]

Okay, here is my favorite.

 

Add spinach leaves to a smoothie.

 

Make a smoothie. Any fruit smoothie will do. I usually use fruit juice, frozen strawberries, frozen mixed berries, and banana. Then add a very large handful of washed baby spinach. Really! Then blend it up. It looks bad - usually an unappealing brown color, but it tastes just like the pretty smoothie. No hint of spinach taste at all, and we get as much spinach as one would have in a medium to large salad. It works for any type smoothie, really. Base it with milk and yogurt instead of fruit juice, and use different fruit. If you use fresh fruit, then add in some ice cubes to make it nice and cold and icy. No one will ever know there is spinach in that delicious smoothie if you serve it in an opaque cup with a lid and straw.

[Murmer]

Does anyone hide vegetables in other food? I've read that you could hide many vegetables in pasta sauce and pizza. Does this change the taste of the food at all? Are there any other secrets to hiding vegetables that doesn't change the taste?

 

(OK... full disclosure... this is for me. :D I am a horribly picky eater, and have TRIED and TRIED to eat more vegetables, but I just can't do it. I eat peas, corn, potatoes, tomato sauce, and lima beans, but all the rest just give me the willys. SOOOO, I was thinking maybe I could hide the other vegetables in something and not taste them!)

 

Oh, also, if you puree a vegetable, as in to put it in with something else, would that take away the nutritional value?

 

Thank you!! :tongue_smilie:

 

I started using the sneaky chef book because just like you I am SUPER picky but wanted to get in some veggies. I have found that I enjoy it and don't really notice the veggies. I have found that I love the sneaky chef tacos with blueberries and spinach puree and she has a yummy (easy to make dairy-free) brownie mix with blueberries and spinach puree.

[AngieW in Texas]

I have the Sneaky Chef book. I have found that her white puree (cauliflower and peeled zucchini) can hide in just about anything. Any time I make something that has butter or oil in it, I replace half of the butter/oil with an equal amount of white puree. That also allows me to cut back on the sugar by about 1/4.

 

The blueberry/spinach puree works perfectly in anything that is chocolate. I haven't tried to hide it in anything else.

 

I use the orange puree only in peanut butter cookies. It makes the peanut butter cookies taste much better.