Yes you can! So I checked out from the library,
The Sneaky Chef and
Deceptively Delicious. Both cook books talk about hiding fruits and vegetables in puree form in almost any recipe you can think of even desserts! So I had to try it out since we've been lacking in the fruit/vegetable department as of late. Both books are doing the same thing but they are going about it just a little differently than the other. In Deceptively Delicious you basically take a single vegetable or fruit and puree it in a blender/food processor until it's smooth and then either use it right away in a recipe or store it in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for 3 months. You can use any vegetable but you only use one vegetable in each puree (if that makes sense).
In The Sneaky Chef you have 6 different purees that are categorized by their color, a couple of juice recipes, a better breading recipe and a healthier flour blend to use in any baked good you make. With these color organized purees you put in at least 2 different vegetables/fruits in it together. For me, this way was easier so I only had a few different purees in my freezer but those purees could be used in a number of different recipes depending on the color of the food in the recipe I was making.
But both books have great recipes and ideas for making any recipe you already have or any boxed item (ie: macaroni and cheese) be better for you just by adding a puree you made ahead of time and are storing in your freezer.
I decided to make 4 of the purees just to start out and see if it was something I could do easily and something that wouldn't be too much of a hassle. It took me about 2
1/2 hours for the 4 purees and I made double batches of each and that's start to freezer time. That wasn't too bad but we'll see how long these purees last me and how often I'll actually have to set aside that 2
1/2 hours to make more.
After reading through the books I got a pretty good idea of how to tell what puree I would add to whatever recipe I was using. Meaning, I didn't have to just use the recipes in their books. Which makes this entire process a lot more appealing so that I'm not just confined to one set of recipes for it.
Ok I know this is long and according to Tim it's legal to post these recipes so I'm going to give you the 4 puree recipes I made and see for yourself if it's something you want/need in your food. The 4 I chose were used in the majority of the recipes in the book.
Purple Puree
- 3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (1 cup frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard
greens)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no syrup or sugar added)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoons water
> If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if the package says "prewashed." Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen blueberries, quickly rinse them under cold water to thaw a little, and then drain.
> Fill the bowl of your food processor with the blueberries and cooked spinach, (or collards) along with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water, and puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push top contents to bottom. If necessary, use a second tablespoon of water to make a fairly smooth puree.
> This amount of spinach and blueberries makes only about 1 cup of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of the puree. It will store in the refrigerator up to 2 days, or you can freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
Orange Puree
This makes about 2 cups of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of puree. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze one-quarter cup portions in sealed baggies or small plastic containers.
- 1 medium sweet potato or yam, peeled and rough chopped;
- 3 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks;
- 2-3 tablespoons water
> In a medium pot, cover carrots and potatoes with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until yams, and especially the carrots, are very tender. If the carrots aren't thoroughly cooked, they'll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetables, which will reveal their presence (a gigantic NO-NO for the sneaky chef).
> Drain the potatoes and carrots and put them in the bowl of food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth; no pieces of carrots or potatoes should remain. Stop occasionally to push the contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the third tablespoon of water to make a smooth puree, but the less water the better.
White Puree
Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or the small plastic containers.
- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary
> Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl , cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.
> While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.
White Bean Puree
1 15-ounce can white beans (great northern, navy, butter or cannellini)
- (If you are starting with dry beans, soak 1 cup for an hour, then cook according to instructions.) - 1 to 2 tablespoons water
> Rinse and drain the beans and put in the bowl of your food processor. Pulsing in on/off turns, puree the drained beans with just 1 tablespoon of water in processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. The goal is a smooth, but not wet, puree. (You are aiming for the consistency of peanut butter.) If necessary, thin with a little more water by one teaspoonful at a time until there are no flecks of whole beans visible.
> Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers. Makes about 1 cup of puree. Double this recipe if you want to store another cup of puree.
Using the Orange Puree I tested the secrets of the sneaky chef to see if it was possible to hide vegetables in Macaroni and Cheese. I of course tested this out on my 2 1/2 year old. I also added some diced ham because it was for Sunday night dinner.....don't judge me......I am pleased to say that it worked pretty well all except for that one chunk of carrot that must not have been chopped well enough but I quickly scooped it out and no one knew. The only thing I would say if you're going to just do straight up macaroni and cheese is to add a little salt. The blandness of the puree transfers to the macaroni a little. You could also add some extra shredded cheese and be fine as well. I give this recipe a 5 just for the pure sneakiness of it!
