The Great Food Disguise

Becoming vegetarians has been especially hard for a couple of my kids. Giving up McDonald's (Sad) Meals and Cheetos that change color upon arrival in your mouth are apparently much more appealing than asparagus.

I get it. We had to totally change our mindset about the food we put into our body. When you think that you are actually consuming decomposing flesh, loaded with bacteria and sugar, and that poses a potential risk to your health through food born illness...I don't know, it's a little bit easier to say no to the hamburger and yes to the vegetable!

For the kids though, and even us adults to a certain extent, we have a preconceived mindset that we "don't like something" (why is it usually vegetables?) that makes us reluctant to try new things. I mentioned that I hated peas. I did buy some fresh sugar snap peas at the market because I wanted to give them a chance. Maybe I would like them. (I tried them. I hate them.) I thought I hated cauliflower, but it turns out, it is delicious.

Convincing the kids to be open minded has been a bit more challenging, so I took a cue from Jessica Seinfeld and disguised my veggies. I very lightly steamed several heads of cauliflower and a few pounds of carrots and then pureed them in my blender. I started adding them a little at a time to various recipes, and when I found that they did not change the flavor of the food in a negative way, I got more daring and started adding LOTS to whatever I could....scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, anything with a cream base got cauliflower added in. Any muffins or cake, anything sweet I baked, I added carrots. Funny thing, even though I knew people ate carrot cake, I never had, and I always ate my carrots with a lot of dip or dressing. When I pureed the carrot and tasted it, I discovered it was sweet! Now it goes in everything I bake.

When I made homemade macaroni and cheese the other day the kids all LOVED it, and as they were complimenting me on it, I just couldn't resist. I said "you probably like it so much because IT'S FULL OF CAULIFLOWER!!!" (Then I laughed maniacally!) If your kids, or you, think you don't like a vegetable, try this. Make a puree out of it, and add it to recipes wherever you can. Even if you aren't a vegetarian, vegetables are still good for you.

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese-n-Stuff-That's-Good-For-You
16 oz. macaroni noodles, preferably whole wheat (I actually used the noodles from the Kraft box, and Meghan watched in horror as I threw the packet of cheese sauce away. "That's the best part", she said. Now she likes mine better anyway).
2 T whole wheat flour
4 T butter
2 C milk
2 C pureed cauliflower
2 C (or more) shredded sharp cheddar (don't use a store brand, it needs to be good stuff or you won't have any flavor)
Salt and pepper

Boil the noodles until al dente. Meanwhile, melt butter in sauce pan and stir in flour, cooking a few minutes. Gradually add milk and then cauliflower, constantly stirring. Just before combining with noodles, add the cheese, and stir until just melted. Mix the noodles with the sauce and salt and pepper to taste. You can also top it with breadcrumbs and bake it but I am usually in a hurry and this is fast. Enjoy!