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Goo Powers Used for Good
I recently found a book that I could not resist: The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals by Missy Chase Lapine. Well, I could have resisted it, but I didn't.
I identify with both the grown-up the book is aimed toward and the picky eater that is the cause of all the fuss. I have it better than the intended audience, though, because the picky eater in question is not picky due to control issues, stubbornness, drama queen tendencies, or anything else other than just not wanting to eat food that tastes yucky. This means it's okay if I know that vegetables are in my supper and it's even okay if the vegetables are visible to the naked eye, so long as the food tastes good.
The author has several strategies for sneaking healthy foods into yummy foods. Her favorite is the puree method. The way this works is that you whilr mild-tasting healthy foods in a blender or food processer until unrecognizable. Then mix it with other foods of the same or camouflaging color. Here are some examples:
* purple goo (spinach + blueberries) in chocolaty things
* orange goo (sweet potatoes + carrots) in cheesy things and tomato sauce
* green goo (spinach + broccoli + peas) in meatloaf and guacamole
* white goo (cauliflower + zucchini) in cheesy things and mashed potatoes
* other white goo (white beans) in most anything at all
The above is a simplification - you need liquids to get the vegetables to puree properly.
This is almost the same as my favorite method: finely grate an objectionable food and then mix it with a strongly-flavored food. I have added carrots and zucchini to soups, meatballs, spaghetti, and chili successfuly (and to macaroni and cheese unsuccessfully).
I already like beans and sweet potatoes just fine. However, I am intrigued by the idea of sneaking spinach and blueberries into brownies. Also, mixing sweet potatoes into the egg batter used to make French toast sounds yummy. And you can also mix orange goo into the egg batter used for breading things like chicken fingers and fish. And if you can successfully sneak cauliflower and zucchini into macaroni and cheese, that would be cool.
But then we get to my main problem with this book. You put very little of the purees into the yummy foods. For example, Masterful Mac 'n' Cheese contains 1/2 pound of macaroni, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 cups of cheese, salt, and only 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white goo for presumably four servings. (You should start with 1/4 cup, then work your way up to 1/2 cup over time.) She says that the secret ingredients are so packed with nutrients that there is still benefit to doing this, but I'm afraid the benefit is tiny. She doesn't include any nutrition information, and looking at her website, I can't help suspecting she might be more into feeling worshipped than in looking too deeply into her wishful thinking.
Still, this reminds me that I should get back into adding vegetables when I do my own cooking. And it reminds me that I want to try a recipe I found that is half mashed potatoes and half mashed cauliflower.
And goo is only her favorite strategy. She has others. (Suspense builds.)
I identify with both the grown-up the book is aimed toward and the picky eater that is the cause of all the fuss. I have it better than the intended audience, though, because the picky eater in question is not picky due to control issues, stubbornness, drama queen tendencies, or anything else other than just not wanting to eat food that tastes yucky. This means it's okay if I know that vegetables are in my supper and it's even okay if the vegetables are visible to the naked eye, so long as the food tastes good.
The author has several strategies for sneaking healthy foods into yummy foods. Her favorite is the puree method. The way this works is that you whilr mild-tasting healthy foods in a blender or food processer until unrecognizable. Then mix it with other foods of the same or camouflaging color. Here are some examples:
* purple goo (spinach + blueberries) in chocolaty things
* orange goo (sweet potatoes + carrots) in cheesy things and tomato sauce
* green goo (spinach + broccoli + peas) in meatloaf and guacamole
* white goo (cauliflower + zucchini) in cheesy things and mashed potatoes
* other white goo (white beans) in most anything at all
The above is a simplification - you need liquids to get the vegetables to puree properly.
This is almost the same as my favorite method: finely grate an objectionable food and then mix it with a strongly-flavored food. I have added carrots and zucchini to soups, meatballs, spaghetti, and chili successfuly (and to macaroni and cheese unsuccessfully).
I already like beans and sweet potatoes just fine. However, I am intrigued by the idea of sneaking spinach and blueberries into brownies. Also, mixing sweet potatoes into the egg batter used to make French toast sounds yummy. And you can also mix orange goo into the egg batter used for breading things like chicken fingers and fish. And if you can successfully sneak cauliflower and zucchini into macaroni and cheese, that would be cool.
But then we get to my main problem with this book. You put very little of the purees into the yummy foods. For example, Masterful Mac 'n' Cheese contains 1/2 pound of macaroni, 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 cups of cheese, salt, and only 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white goo for presumably four servings. (You should start with 1/4 cup, then work your way up to 1/2 cup over time.) She says that the secret ingredients are so packed with nutrients that there is still benefit to doing this, but I'm afraid the benefit is tiny. She doesn't include any nutrition information, and looking at her website, I can't help suspecting she might be more into feeling worshipped than in looking too deeply into her wishful thinking.
Still, this reminds me that I should get back into adding vegetables when I do my own cooking. And it reminds me that I want to try a recipe I found that is half mashed potatoes and half mashed cauliflower.
And goo is only her favorite strategy. She has others. (Suspense builds.)
the green goo bit
Re: the green goo bit
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Instead of Sneaky, Jessica is Deceptive. But as I recall, same concept. Hide it!
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Slate article
(Anonymous) 2007-10-25 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)(Tam)