SouthwesternTater tot Casserole

Any recipe that calls for 'Lots of tater tots' and 'Lots of cheese', probably shouldn't be on my trying-to-be-healthier-blog-about-hiding-vegetables, HOWEVER, if the veggies make it healthier, then that is the whole point... right?
I got the original recipe from Jenn's blog, west sac honey, but I changed it a little bit.  Tater tot casserole usually has a can or two of creamy Campbells soup, but I omitted the soup completely and replaced it with hidden veggies.

Here are the ingredients I used:

Lots of tater tots
1 lb ground beef
2 cans green chili's
1 bag southwestern goodness (picture below)
1/2 cup cabbage puree
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup kale puree (all I had left)
Salt and pepper
Lots of shredded cheese

So, here's how it went...  line the tater tots up in a greased baking dish like a tater tot army:
(Sorry, I didn't count them, but I did buy a huge bag.  And this was a lot.  In the future I am going to make it in the 8x8 pan instead!)

Bake according to the directions on the bag.  Mine was 12-15 minutes at 450. 

While the tots bake, brown the meat, drain fat, and return to heat.  Add salt and pepper, green chili's and southwestern goodness.... I used this whole bag of goodness instead of canned corn:   

Add puree's and here's what I had:

When the tots are finished baking, sprinkle some of the cheese on top:

Then spoon meat/veggie mix over the cheesy tots:

Then add about a bucket of cheese:  (Or as much or as little as you like.... I like cheese.)

And bake until cheese is melted and browned:

And serve for dinner, lunch the next day, dinner the next day, lunch the day after and the day after.... mmm, tatertoteriffic!

Other than the tater tots, this turned into a pretty healthy meal!  I think it's okay to have tater tots sometimes... especially if there are lots of other veggies (hidden or not) in the meal. 

It was so good.  Tater tots are such a comfort food, they make everything taste good.

Okay, so, next time I think I will add another can of green chili's, I kind of wanted it to be spicier.  Although, I probably wont make this much again, so maybe I will keep the two cans of green chili's, but half everything else and use a 8x8 inch pan or something.


The Verdict: 

"Breakfast, lunch or dinner, it's tatertoteriffic!  Good hot, good cold, good leftover... good casserole."


Well, I think it's safe to say this was a success.  Hidden veggies + tater tots =  everyone is happy!

My most favorite food.

I love beans and cheese.  I could eat it everyday for dinner and be perfectly happy.  My poor research team... example of dinner conversation:

Me:                        "What do you want for dinner?"
Research Team:      "Hmmm, I dunno, what do you want?"
Me:                        "Bean and cheese burritos."
Research Team:      (heaves big sigh)
Me:                        "Or what about bean and cheese nachos?"
Research Team:      (ignoring me, looking in cupboard)
Me:                        "Ooooh, how about bean and cheese tostadas!"
Research Team:      (now looking in refrigerator)
Me:                        "I know, I know, I'll make bean and cheese enchiladas."
Research Team:      (he's back to the cupboard, desperate for inspiration)
Me:                        "Beans and cheese in a bowl with a spoon?"
Research Team:      "I'm making mac and cheese." 
Me:                        "Can I hide some beans in it?"


So it is only natural that I am going to try and figure out what vegetables hide well in my beans.  Today's experiment involved canned refried black beans, canned refried pinto beans, pureed kale, purple cabbage, and pumpkin.

These are my favorite beans:

The closest row is black beans and the farther row is pinto:

1/2 cup beans and 1/8 cup puree in each:

These two have cabbage:

These two have kale:   (but I probably didn't have to tell you that...)

And these are the ones with pumpkin:

In all of them, with my eyes closed, I could barely taste the vegetable puree.  I don't think anyone else would notice the taste difference. 

Everyone would notice the color of the beans with the kale, that's for sure!  I don't want to put in words what I think it looks like.  (Does everyone know I have a 6 month old who loves green beans?)  However, I had the kale beans in my burrito for lunch, and it was just as tasty as usual.  And I swear I didn't have to eat it with my eyes shut.  :)

Now, remember, these beans are plain.  Nothing added but the puree.  It would be so easy to use these beans in a dip with salsa and cheese and it would completely cover up the small color change.  Or add some chopped veggies and spices to make the dip, no one would guess.  Even with the beans that had the kale... yes it turned it very green, but what if I threw in some avocado and salsa and presented it as my bean guacamole?  I bet you'd eat it.

The best part is, I have lots of left over beans from this experiment.  Hee hee, guess what we are having for dinner tonight?!?!

Fun for Summertime

I have had my next naughty recipe planned for weeks, but funnily enough, this is not it!  I just had this great idea one day and had to try it... okay, are you ready?

S'mores pie.  Sounds so good, right?!

Mmmmm, and it was.  :)

And also so easy.  Here's what I did:

1 graham cracker crust (from the store)
1 package chocolate pudding
Marshmallow cream (shoot, I have been doing better about this... but I don't know how much I used!  Let's see, I have the 13 oz jar, and I didn't use it all.)
Blowtorch?

Follow the directions for pie on the pudding package, refrigerate for a few hours, add mallow cream and then, spray some fire on it:

AWESOME, right?  I have to admit, my research team was in charge of the torching.  So funny... such a manly tool, a torch, being used for pie.  :)    Here is the end result:

The burnt parts were the best!  They made it taste just like we roasted it over the fire.  As opposed to under?  :)

The Verdict:

So good, but the research team and I agreed that the ratio of chocolate to marshmallow cream was off.  Unlike with actual s'mores, we needed more chocolate than cream.  I think it's because the chocolate isn't dense like a Hershey's bar.  (Although, when I first was planning this pie I seriously considered putting a whole layer of Hershey's dark chocolate bars...)  So next time I am going to use two pudding boxes.  I also might cut the marshmallow cream with some whipped cream, or use half as much, because it was super sweet.


So, originally I was going to put it in the oven, you know, like baked alaska?  (I have never made baked alaska either.)  But I was too nervous that the whole thing would melt!  So I guess what I am saying is, if you don't have a blowtorch... putting it in the oven miiiight work?  Maybe.  If you are brave enough to try it, let me know!

A Week of Kale

My good friends Kim and Chris have an awesome garden with all kinds of goodies.  We got a bag full of kale from them,  along with a challenge, "here hide this!"

Now kale is perfect for this hidden vegetable project, because it is a SUPERFOOD!  In fact, now don't quote me on this, but I think it might be the number 1 superfood.  Well... let me go check, hold on a sec...



Good thing you didn't quote me!  It's not number 1, and on some of the lists (none of which are the same from one website to the next) it wasn't even there!  But it was listed here on Green Superfoods, down at the bottom under leafy greens.

Well anyway, the point is, it is still very good for us, but hard to eat a lot of.  So, I steamed and pureed the whole bag, and here is what I have done with it...

I decided to use it in small amounts (so that it didn't turn the food bright green), in everything we ate this week:

1/2 cup kale puree in homemade lentil soup: it looked hilarious at first because all the kale floated on top and looked like algae!  Sorry, I tried to take a picture but I couldn't figure out how to change the lens on the camera fast enough.  It was funny though.  Once it blended in, the soup was maybe a little greener, but I think I am the only one who would notice.  We couldn't taste the kale at all.

Spoonful of kale puree in mom's green chili, on top of bean burritos: again, it may have turned it slightly greener, but no big deal, and I couldn't taste the kale it at all.

1/4 cup kale puree (and also 1/2 cup purple cabbage puree) in meatloaf:  yay! It didn't turn it all green!  Couldn't taste the kale.

Spoonful kale puree (and also 1 cup carrot puree) in the family secret tomato sauce:  if I may:  OMG this was the best sauce, I am going to continue to mix additional veggie purees into it and will make a post just for this.  So good.   Also, it did change the color slightly, but it wasn't green, just a little darker.
(we had tomato sauce twice this week:  once with tortellini's, and once on pizza)

Other not-exactly-hidden ideas I had, but haven't had the guts to try:

Green mashed potatoes
Green eggs and ham
Green pancakes
Green oatmeal

I would say that the week of kale was a success!  I think this might be a better way to add hidden veggies, just a little at a time instead of as much as I possibly can!  I also like hiding more than one vegetable puree.  Well, I'm sure I will keep pushing the limits, I just can't help it!  This week, more hidden purple cabbage...

Meatloaf

Not to be confused with American rock legend, Meat Loaf.

I know what you are thinking, but I don't understand why meatloaf has such a bad rap.  I must be in the wrong generation, or maybe it's because I can't remember my mom ever making meatloaf, but I love it.  After making it, I can understand why moms of a generation before fast food made it all the time... it's so easy.  And it makes 1 lb of ground beef go a long way.  Anyway, this is my friend Miss Kelli's recipe.  She told me that it is a really good recipe, so what am I going to do?  Yep!  Try and ruin it with veggies.  It is also very simple and easy, which is good for experimenting...

 Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 12 oz bottle hunts chili sauce
1 package onion soup & dip mix
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg

1/2 cup purple cabbage puree
1/4 cup kale puree

Mix all together, pour into bread pan and bake 375 for 45-60.  I did mine for 60 minutes total, taking it out of the bread pan and adding ketchup to the top for the last 15.

The purees:  purple cabbage and kale, I steamed them before blending, and added water as necessary to keep the blender going.  I honestly have no idea how much kale I started with, but I pureed 1/2 a cabbage head with about 1 cup water.

This was my first meal with pureed purple cabbage.  It was totally hidden.  I think I could easily have added 1 cup.  Next time!   The kale has some little stringys that are visible if you know what to look for... but otherwise the kale was hidden as well.  I was SO worried that it was going to turn the whole thing green, like the turnip greens did to my hamburgers, remember?

Here's the meatloaf picture:

Hee, my meat pictures never turn out very good, do they?  It wasn't burnt, but in the picture it looks sort of burnt.

It was good.  It had great flavor.  With the addition of the purees I think I needed another egg.  It was sort of... fallapartee if you know what I mean.  It was also a little salty for my taste, I don't know if it was the brand of onion soup mix, or the chili sauce, but I might try and do something about that next time... like add more veggies!

The Verdict:

The research team really liked it, but he said "this meatloaf is thirsty!"  Which I think is his way of saying it was a little salty.  So I'll try to figure that out for next time.


I'd say as a whole, this was a success.  A great way to make feel good home cookin' a little bit healthier.  So that makes it okay that along with the carrots I served it with, we also had tater tots, right?

Sauces for Sister

A few weeks ago my sister issued me a challenge... to come up with a non-tomato, non-cheese based sauce for pasta.  No prob.  These will be, dun dun dun, wait for it... vegetable puree based!  I know, you are shocked, right?  Well, really, that is what tomato sauce is, isn't it?  Tomato puree.  So it should be fun to try and find a different vegetable to use.   


These are my first three ideas.  They are not perfect yet, but I thought I'd share the journey of trying to find my sister the perfect sauce.  So,   

1st Pasta Sauce:  Carrot with Orange and Ginger

I got this from a soup recipe with the same flavors.  This is the link.

Ingredients:
1 cup carrot puree (thick - from 8 or 9 carrots, 1 cup water)
1 spoonful orange-pineapple juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
         (or 1/4 cup orange juice instead of the concentrate and water)
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger  (or fresh if you've got it!)
1 tsp lemon juice (or lime)
sprinkle of salt

I cooked it all together on the stove, but of course, the microwave would work just as well. 

It's good.  It smells very ginger-y, but the taste isn't as strong as the smell.  I like it, but I think I'd use less ginger next time.  Maybe only 1/8 tsp.  Also, this barely serves two.  I'd make twice as much for my research team and I for dinner. 

Here is a picture:

Plus, can't you just hear Mom saying that ginger is sooooo good for you?   ;)

The Verdict:

The research team thinks it needs something else.  Maybe something spicy.  Paprika?  Chili pepper?  Chalula?  But he thinks everything needs to be spicier.  :)  

2nd Pasta Sauce:  Peppers and onions

What's with the orange sauces, I wonder?   Alright, this one is peppers and onions.   This one is sort of strange because peppers are one of those veggies that is so easy to eat, so it is sort of weird to puree them.  Although, not any different than carrots I guess!  So here we go:

Ingredients:
Bag O' Peppers and onions
Some olive oil (shoot, ummm, maybe a tablespoon.)
Sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika

This time I didn't use fresh peppers... sigh, I know, but no one is perfect right?  I used this whole bag:

 It says there are 4 cups of veggies, but I'd say it was just under.  I'm going to add more pictures of the process here, because I made this sauce differently than I normally do.   Plus, peppers are so pretty! 

I cooked the peppers/onions on the stove with the olive oil and spices until the onions turned clear.

Then I poured the whole thing into the blender, and blended it up.

It became just over one cup of sauce.

I put some ground beef in it, but I don't think the sauce HAS to have the meat.

It was pretty good.  The research team and I both liked ours with some cheese on top.  Believe it or not, it taste like peppers!

The Verdict:

The research team thought it was better than the carrot sauce, but thought a spicy pepper would be a good addition.  Green pepper, jalapeno, he didn't think it really mattered (but here we go again with the extra spice...)  So next time I am going to make this same recipe with one can of green peppers.  

3rd Pasta Sauce:  Cauliflower Pesto

Now, anyone who is a true pesto aficionado will not be pleased with me.  I called it a pesto only because the flavors are similar.  It does not have the fresh herbs, chopped by hand, or the toasted nuts, chopped by hand, or the fresh garlic... basically I used the same flavors, but mostly from dried herbs and I paid the price in flavor I'm sure.  Actually, feel free to use fresh, I would have if I would have planned this in advance! 

Ingredients:
2 cup cauliflower puree
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used walnuts because I had some left over from the knock you naked brownies, but I think pesto usually has toasted pine nuts)
1/4 cup dried basil
1 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle salt and pepper

Here is a picture of the sauce:

Pesto also usually has Parmesan or Romano cheese, but as my sister specified 'non-cheese based,' I left it out.  But if it only had a little cheese, would that be okay?  Because in truth, I think this would have been better with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.  So, after we tried it without...  we both sprinkled some cheese on top.  :)  But I like cheese, so what can I say.   

I learned two lessons here.  Number one:  It is not possible to substitute this much dried basil for fresh.  In the future I will plan ahead and buy fresh.  (Although, my research team thought it was just fine and said it tasted a lot like pesto.)  Lesson number two:  The addition of milk made the sauce much creamier, and is something I will continue to experiment with in my sauces and macaroni and cheese.

The Verdict:

This was the research team's favorite sauce so far.  And it didn't have ANY hot spicy-ness in it... what's that about?!  


In conclusion...

The only issue I see with all three of these sauces, is that they are all puree based.  Which means they are not the easiest dinner ideas for a busy student.  So I think your best option would be to buy a bunch of a vegetable when it is on sale, puree it and freeze it in reasonable amounts (assuming you have the freezer space?).   Then you will have it ready and dinner will be easy.   Or, do like I do.  Puree something at the beginning of the week, and keep it in the fridge and use it all week.

Well there you go, the beginning of an on going experiment to find the perfect sauce for my sissy.  More to come!   

Beef Enchiladas

Last night I just threw this together, it was so good, and a great example of actually hiding pureed vegetables instead of having them take over the whole dish.

This is just a variation of the Mexican Lasagna I did a few posts ago...

Beef Enchiladas

The inside:
1 lb ground beef
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion, and Chili powder, Cumin... or other spices of your choice
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup chopped green chili's (one of those small cans, you know?)
1/2 cup green enchilada sauce

The outside:
Corn tortillas
The rest of the can of enchilada sauce, warmed
Shredded cheese

Brown the ground beef, add lots of yummy spices.  Mix in puree, green chili's, and enchilada sauce.  Keep warm.

Warm tortillas on griddle or in microwave, roll up with ground beef mixture, and top with enchilada sauce and cheese.   It made 8 rolled enchiladas, but I probably added a little too much meat.... I kept busting the tortillas, so maybe it should make 10.  :) 

These were delicious, and really caught the spirit of this blog.  My research team had no idea anything was hidden in it, and he is used to trying to find hiding veggies!  Granted, there isn't as much puree as I would normally have put... and honestly I think I could have easily added another 1/2 cup of puree, but I thought I wouldn't push it this time.

I have to say, that I do think the hidden carrots made it a little bit sweeter, which complemented the spicy green chili nicely.  I would guess that in a side by side taste test, the enchilada's with the carrot puree would win.  So there you go, I am finally on the way to making some really good food where the puree makes it healthier and tastier!

Sorry, no pictures, we had all but finished eating when I realized this recipe should be on the blog.  But here is a funny for you...

As we were eating last night, I had one of those moments...  when I realized how hilarious it was that I was feeding our 5 month old pureed squash, straight up, but hiding it in our food!  I wonder what happens between the ages of 5 months and 5 years, when we go from "Mmmmmmm, squash!" to "I HATE SQUASH." ???   Well, I'm sure we will find out!  

Here is what it looks like to love eating plain pureed peas...  (and be falling out of the chair... I'm a good mom, I swear! ;) ) 

 

Next time...   pasta sauces for my sister!