Jessica Seinfeld's Kid-Friendly Eats

Her crazy notion turned out delicious.

I had begun to dread mealtime

Stirring Up Success

This busy mom was sick of begging her three kids to eat their veggies, so she came up with an innovative plan, outlined in her new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious (Collins, 2007).

"I had begun to dread mealtime," Seinfeld writes. "Then one evening, while I was cooking dinner and puréeing butternut squash for the baby, I had the crazy notion to stir a little of the purée into the mac and cheese I was making for the rest of us. You couldn’t really see the squash, and the texture was perfect. So I stirred in more. Feeling only a little guilty that I was tricking my poor babies, I mixed in enough to feel satisfied that I was giving them a healthy, great-tasting meal. I held my breath. It worked! My kids plowed right through their dinners."

Seinfeld now hides sweet potato in pancakes, cauliflower in potatoes and spinach in pizza. Read on to see how.

Prep Tips
Before you toss these veggies into the blender or food processor to purée, prep and cook as follows:
  • Beets. Trim stems to 1 inch. Wrap, unpeeled, in aluminum foil, and roast at 400º for about 1 hour, or peel, quarter and steam for 45 to 50 minutes.

  • Broccoli. Cut into florets. Steam 6 to 7 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons water to blender or food processor if needed for smooth texture.

  • Cauliflower. Cut florets off stem; discard stem. Steam 8 to 10 minutes. Purée with a couple of tablespoons water if needed.

  • Baby spinach. Steam 30 to 40 seconds, or cook in skillet with 1 tablespoon water 1 to 1 1/2 minutes to wilt.

  • Sweet potato. Cut unpeeled potatoes into quarters and steam 40 to 45 minutes, or roast whole potatoes at 400º for 50 to 60 minutes. Scoop flesh out of skin.


Deceptively Delicious Recipes
Chicken Nuggets
Mozzarella Sticks
From Reader's Digest - September 2007
 
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