I have somewhat fussy kids and one of my children has bowel issues. I avoid colourings that in the UK, are noted on packaging as harmful, and I use the failsafe list of 'avoid these additives' in most cases. A list of these ingredients is available on 'Fed Up'. I also try and provide as much natural fibre in our diets as I can sometimes I have to be sneaky!
One way I do this is in meaty Bolognaise sauce and Taco beef. I take a small can of red kidney beans and puree them, then add this to the meat when it has browned. I know you would not typically get Red Kidney Beans past super fussy little food inspectors, so wanted to show you a pic of my finished meal ...
If you scrutinise the picture you may identify a mushroom piece or a red fleck of bean but overall the Mushroom sauce really disguises the presence of the beans.
I'd love to hear how this works in your home if you give it a try!
Hah well at least you're not pretending with the numbers in food thing... we're all human, we can't avoid preservatives all the time and you're a busy lady!
ReplyDeleteI am allergic to a couple of preservatives but even then I still can't avoid them completely. Looks tasty, maybe the Mr will think twice before not eating mushrooms next time. :D
Our bolognaise mince has been known to have zucchini, carrot, frozen spinach and sometimes red lentils hiding away out of sight!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I make a beef casserole in the slow cooker red lentils are always the first ingredient in the pot. They mush down to become sauce. Have also been known to finely dice fresh beetroot and pumpkin in casseroles.
Happy vege hiding! :-)
our youngest hits 17 in a couple of weeks and i still hide vegies in food. he's a good eater and it's not just for him. last night i made sausage rolls, while it tastes yummy, not really much nutritional value. so last nights sausage rolls also had a finely grated zucchini, apple and carrots. if i make hamburger patties i always put them in as well. if you can grate it finely enough, you can normally hide it☺
ReplyDeleteHave you seen Jessica Seinfeld's cook books, "Deceptively Delicious" and "Double Delicious"? They are all about hiding vegetables in everything - including chocolate brownie. I have both books and have tried a few recipes now and they are great. My four year old particularly liked the pink pancakes - coloured with 1/2 cup of beetroot puree added to the mix :). One simple idea she has is crumbing your own chicken (etc) and putting vegetable puree in with the egg mix that you dip the chicken in before the crumbs. And there are heaps more ideas that I haven't got space to include here :).
ReplyDeleteEven for those of us who love our veggies, it's always good to find new ways of using them...and hiding them!