A borrowed lasagne

Today's hidden veggie recipe comes from a website called The Sneaky Chef. Apparently this chick makes a living hiding veggies. I've never posted an address and suggested people go there for today's recipe, but I'm going to do it today because I'm going with a theme and I can't find the last recipe that I was planning on posting. Hopefully, it will surface for tomorrows post or else I'm just going to have to move on. If hiding veggies is something that seriously interests you, I strongly suggest you poke around on this lady's website. She has plenty of everything for your picky eaters. And she does a great job showing how a little creativity will go a long way in the kitchen. The only advice I'll give is beware of brownies. I've tried adding spinach to mine and the kids can always tell that there is something not quite right with them. So check out this site, it has a recipe for a fairly quick (considering the item) lasagne on it.

http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipe_speedy_lasagna.php

Burgers, Anyone?

Yes! Burgers! Even something so wild and wholesome as a hamburger can be loaded with hidden veggies! That's right, I said hidden! Don't tell the hubby; don't tell the kids! Just make and enjoy. It's a new twist on an old favorite and since the veggies are mostly hidden, no one will whine about it. See what you think:

Hidden Veggie Burgers

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (white is generally best)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped or grated zucchini
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 T olive oil
Hamburger buns, for serving plus optional toppings (cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, etc)

1. Preheat oven or grill to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix meat, mushrooms, crumbs, zucchini, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, and pepper. It's going to be a little runny. Don't worry about it too much. If you decide to grill them, put a piece of aluminum foil down first so they don't slime or break through. Form into 16 patties and place them on a piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil.

2. Place patties in a single layer on a cookie sheet (with sides) or a baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, flipping after 5. You can also pan sear them first for a few minutes in the oil and then bake them for 5 or so minutes until desired doneness. If you use ground turkey make sure the burgers are cooked all the way through.

Enjoy!!!

Super Sneaky Macaroni

I love using vegetable puree`s in food because they're sneaky. If you don't have a blender or food processor or you don't have the time to make them, then you can always use baby food. Just make sure to read the ingredients so you're only getting the vegetable and not added sugar.

This recipe uses two puree`s which will probably never get noticed because most kids will eat this without even questioning the ingredients. I've only met one kid who wouldn't eat macaroni and cheese and that's because he was sensitive to gluten. That makes it easy to sneak the veggies in and kids and husbands will never even guess. **Please note that I double this recipe for my family of five.

Super Sneaky Macaroni

1 1/3 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
1 c. small curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 t cornstarch
1 c milk
1 small onion, grated (you can chop it, but chop it small. It's a secret.)
1/4 c finely chopped green pepper
1/4 c carrot puree
1/4 c cauliflower puree
1 t Dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c crushed cornflakes or butter crackers
1 T butter, melted

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Add the three cheeses and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and milk until smooth. Stir in the onion, green pepper, mustard, salt, red pepper flakes, and both puree`s. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Transfer to a greased 2-qt baking dish.
3. Combine cornflakes and butter. Sprinkle over macaroni. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Florentine Spaghetti Bake

So the vegetables aren't completely hidden in this one, I'll be honest. However, if you generally add herbs to your cooking and your kids are used to random green leaves in their food, then you should be able to get away with this recipe. The prep is only 15 minutes (if you already have the puree`) so your time in the kitchen should be fairly minimal.

Florentine Spaghetti Bake

8 oz uncooked spaghetti
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 to 1 cup carrot puree` (instructions included at bottom)
1 can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 egg
16 oz small curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t seasoning salt (like Lowry's)
1/4 t pepper
2 c mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, brown sausage, onion, and garlic. Drain. Stir in carrot puree, sauce, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. In large bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
4. Spread 1 cup sauce mixture in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Stir spaghetti into sauce mixture and place into baking dish. Top spaghetti with cheese mixture and layer the top with mozzarella.
5. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes until lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes to firm the sauce up before cutting and serving.

Sneaky veggies?

Someone asked me for a few recipes that can sneak veggies into food without kids really noticing. So for the next few days, I'm going to focus on veggies or things kids will eat regardless. I'm not sure today's recipe completely counts because there's quite a bit of sugar in it, but it's also loaded with the same amount of zucchini, so I'm calling it good. This here is my grandmother's famous Zucchini Bread. It takes some time, but it is soooo worth it.

Collette's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 c. oil
2 c. zucchini, grated
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 t vanilla
1/8 t ground cloves
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 t salt
2 T grated lemon rind
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. chopped nuts
1/4 t baking powder
3 T lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan; set aside. In mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, soda, baking powder, grated zucchini, lemon rind, lemon juice, and nuts. Mix well. Pour into a buttered and floured loaf pan and bake in oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and cool on rack.

The secret to success is to not tell the kids that it's made with zucchini.

Meaty Manicotti

Today's dish is a mix of everything Italian that I love, but doesn't take quite as long as lasagne and makes more than enough to feed my family with leftovers. Keep in mind that I feed a family of five and this is a pretty large quantity. It can easily be halved for smaller families. Nummy, nummy manicotti, oh how you make my tastebuds sing...

Meaty Manicotti

1 package large shells or manicotti tubes
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded or 12 deli slices
fresh basil, to taste

Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz low-fat, small curd cottage cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese (or you could do 16 oz ricotta and 8 oz cottage, whatevs)
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze the excess moisture out)
1 egg
3/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
3-5 T fresh parsley (however you like it)
1/2 to 1 T fresh oregano

Sauce
1 lb ground pork or pork sausage
2 lb ground beef
1 (or 2 if you <3 them) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained
2 T Italian seasoning
Medium onion or 1-2 T onion powder
1 T minced garlic
2 jars of tomato sauce (traditional, onion & herb, and mushroom seem to be the best)

1. Cook manicotti according to package directions. Drain and let cool on a piece of wax paper sprayed with vegetable oil.
2. Meanwhile start sauce. Brown pork, beef, and onion in a medium saucepan. Drain and wipe excess grease out of pan with a paper towel. Add garlic, mushrooms, and seasonings to meat and saute' for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce and let simmer while you prepare the filling and noodles so the flavors can meld.
3. For the filling, mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. To prepare, spray two 9x13 baking dishes with some sort of vegetable oil. Ladle 1/4 cup of sauce into the bottom of the baking dishes. Fill each shell with 1-1/2 tablespoons of cheese mixture. If using tubes, put cheese mixture in a gallon size freezer bag and cut off a little portion of the corner like a pastry bag. Then you can just squeeze the mixture inside. Arrange the shells (or tubes) in the baking dishes.
5. Cover each baking dish with half the remaining sauce.
6. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Heather's Enchilada Casserole

My friend Heather makes this super easy and filling enchilada casserole for her daycare kids. I was stunned when she told me my kids loved it. She was kind enough to pass it on to me and I'm going to pass the favor on to you. Enjoy!

2 lbs ground beef
2 t onion flakes (or small-med onion, chopped)
1 can enchilada sauce (red)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
4 oz cheddar cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1 package of tortillas (she used corn, I use fajita size flour)

1. Brown ground beef with onion flakes. Drain.
2. Add enchilada sauce, chicken soup, and tomato sauce to beef. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, tear up tortillas and cover bottom of greased 13x9 pan.
4. Put 1/2 of meat mixture on top of tortillas. Cover with 1/2 of each kind of cheese. Repeat all layers.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Feeling cajun?

I often run into the problem that something will sound like the perfect dinner about 20-30 minutes before I want to serve it. This usually happens with something that takes a little time to prepare, like jambalaya. So I've thrown together this recipe that takes less than 15 minutes to make and is cajun enough to fill the spicy rice longing of jambalaya, but is mild enough that my kids will eat it and we can all get to baseball practice on time. Give it a try. It's easy to adjust to taste and if you want to add beans, then go for it. It's versatile too!

15 minute Sausage and Rice Skillet

1 cup frozen onion and pepper mix
1/2 t crushed red pepper
14 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 can (14.5) oz no-salt added diced tomatoes, UNDRAINED
2 cups water
3 cups instant white rice, uncooked
Hot sauce (optional)

Heat onion and pepper mixture in large skillet. (You can also use a small fresh onion chopped, medium green pepper chopped, and 1 T oil. Cook about 2 minutes until crisp tender.) When no longer frozen, add sausage, tomatoes with liquid, and water. Stir. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Stir before serving. Add hot sauce for bite (optional).

Orange Tapioca Salad

My mom and I came about this recipe through good old-fashioned thievery. We were flipping through a friends cookbook, saw it, and copied it for our own. I've never regretted it. It's not a main dish, but it can rock as a side or a dessert. And it's just one of those recipes that's too good NOT to share.

Orange Tapioca Salad

3 c. water
3 oz package orange jell-o
2-3 oz packages instant tapioca
15 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
8 oz can pineapple, drained
8 oz tub cool whip

Boil water in large saucepan. Whisk in jell-o and tapioca. Return to boil and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fold in oranges, pineapple, and cool whip. Refrigerate 2 hours.

20 minute meal: Tuna and Fennel Sandwiches

It's fresh, it's fast, and it's fabulous! Fennel is an underused herb/vegetable (depending on which part you use). It is available in the spring and fall (and sometimes in the summer if it's cool enough). It has a soft anise flavor. Because of it's size it can easily take a staring role and stand on its own, but if you've never tried it before, I suggest trying it in these sandwiches.

When buying fennel look for firm, plump, compact bulbs, preferable with their stalks and some of the feathery greens on top. Avoid any that have begun to crack unless you're using them in a soup. (Which we are not.)

Here's a link to a video that explains how to clean and prep it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woq5xV7G_N0. Otherwise, cut off the stalks just where they emerge from the bulb. Fennel has a core, which is visible once you cut it in half. If the bulb is small, you don't need to remove it. If the bulb is very large, quarter it and remove the core with a paring knife if it seems tough or stringy. It's okay to taste it to find out. Remove scarred outer leaves by cutting a thin slice from the base of the bulb, and peeling them off.

Tuna and Fennel Sandwiches

3-6 oz cans tuna, drained
3T capers, roughly chopped
5T extra virgin olive oil, divided
4t red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 medium fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3/4 c Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 large baguette

1. In medium bowl, combine tuna, capers, 3T olive oil, vinegar, and 1/4t pepper. In another bowl, combine fennel, parsley, 1/4t salt, 1/4t pepper, and remaining olive oil.
2. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, then into quarters or sixths crosswise and plate.
3. Serve the tuna and fennel salads over the bread.

ENJOY!!!

Not-Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken is a staple to American culture, but it's super bad for our health. It's also messy, smelly, and time-consuming to make and clean up. Enter today's recipe: Not-fried Chicken. It's super yummy, super quick, and super easy!

Not-Fried Chicken

1 T chili-garlic sauce (international aisle)
3 T pineapple juice (if you serve this chicken with a can of pineapple, then the juice is already there!)
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 6 oz each, which is a double serving)
3/4 c. bread crumbs
kosher salt
3 T canola oil

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine chili-garlic sauce and pineapple juice. Add chicken and toss to coat.
2. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, 1/2t salt, and oil. Working with once piece at a time, coat the chicken in bread mixture and transfer to a baking sheet.
3. Bake until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

See, easy! Bon Appetit!

Macaroni Masterpiece

I heart macaroni and cheese. It's so easy, quick, cheap, and indulgently yummy. My children love macaroni and cheese. My husband loves macaroni and cheese. Except for the stigma and the boredom of eating the same thing over and over again, we could easily eat it multiple times a week. I know my family is not alone in this, so I'm going to give you a super easy recipe today to almost completely alter your macaroni goodness into *gasp* MORE macaroni goodness!

Macaroni Lasagne

1 box macaroni and cheese
1/2-1 jar of spaghetti sauce (this can be leftovers, or your own version of spaghetti sauce, the recipe is versatile, just use what you like or what you have)
1/2-1 lb ground beef or turkey (unless it's already mixed into the sauce, then omit)
Mozzerella Cheese

1. Make macaroni and cheese according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, brown the meat, add your own special blend of spaghetti seasonings (if you don't know what to add try a basic Italian seasoning mix or some basil, onion powder, and garlic). Drain. Add spaghetti sauce.
3. Layer macaroni and cheese in an 8x8 baking dish with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. You probably won't get more than two layers tops. That's okay. It's really good no matter what and your kids won't care.
4. Serve with healthy veggies and enjoy!!!