The Sneaky Chef: Bonus Burgers

Even though Noah refused to eat these, I still thought they turned out deliciously! We hardly ever eat hamburgers, so it could just be that this is something unfamiliar, which is a no-no in Noah's world.

Bonus Burgers
Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/4 cup Purple Puree*
3 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
8 to 10 cheese slices (optional)
8 to 10 whole wheat hamburger buns or English muffins
Garnish with pickles, mustard, ketchup, etc.

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix egg, Purple Puree, ketchup, salt, and bread crumbs. Add meat, mixing with hands until well combined. If too sticky, add a few more bread crumbs. Using damp hands, shape mixture into 8 to 10 patties that are fairly thin. Spray skillet with non-stick spray and set over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook the burgers on each side for 3 minutes, then flip to add and melt cheese. Serve with buns and condiments of your choice. You can find whole wheat bread crumbs in natural or organic food stores but can make your own by pulsing whole wheat bread in the food processor. 3 slices yield about 1 cup.

Purple Puree
Ingredients:
3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 2 cups frozen chopped spinach or collard greens)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. lemon juice
3-4 tbsp. water

Directions:
Bring spinach or collards and water to a boil in a medium pot. turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen blueberries, quickly rinse under cold water to thaw a little, then drain. Fill the bowl of your food processor with blueberries and cooked spinach (or collards), along with lemon juice and 2 tbsp of water, then puree on high until as smooth as possible. stop occasionally to push top contents to bottom. This makes 1 cup of puree.

I will admit that of the 3 "Sneaky" recipes I have made in the last week, Noah has liked none of them. But this could just be because he's been especially resistant to eating anything other than snacks all week in general. Jeremy and I both thought all the recipes tasted well. So I'm not giving up! I used fresh spinach and blueberries for this one and froze the leftovers. Make sure you immediately empty your blender and do not allow the purple puree to rest there! It was a challenge to get the blender clean. I am finding that these recipes are all pretty quick and easy to do, provided that you already have the "make ahead" recipes, such as the purple puree, already made. I would suggest making double or triple recipes all at once, when you have the time to devote to cooking, and freezing the leftovers. That should make for some easy, nutritious dinners. I should also add that the author states that a pureed form of a fruit or vegetable is highly concentrated so the small amount you add to your recipe should pack a punch! Oh, and the 8-10 meat patties made by this recipe are Happy Meal sized burgers, so you may need to double the recipe to fill up your crowd. Adding 2 tbsp. of pureed chickpeas is also suggested. My meat patties fell apart somewhat easily so maybe extra egg and bread crumbs would be helpful. Happy Sneaking!

The Sneaky Chef: Incognito Burritos

My mother-n-law gave me The Sneaky Chef cookbook for Christmas and I finally got a chance to look at it the other day! I decided to give it a shot and made this recipe last night. The burritos were very good and the veggies are practically undetectable. I'll try to post recipes from this book as I make them. Parents can use some help with this stuff!

Incognito Burritos
Ingredients:
1/2 cup canned low-fat refried beans
1/4 cup White Puree (see below)
4 6-inch flour tortillas (whole wheat preferred)
1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Directions:
Combine beans and white puree in skillet and mix while heating through on low heat. (Or, combine in bowl and microwave.) Place tortillas between moise paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds. Spoon about 2 tbsp. of bean mixture onto the bottom 1/3 of each tortilla, top with 1 to 2 tsp. of cheese, and any additonal toppings. Fold the end of the tortilla closest to you over the ingredients and then fold the right side over the ingredients and roll up.

White Puree

Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp fresh lemon juice 3-4 tablespoons water, if necessary

Directions:
Steam cauliflower in vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until very tender. Or, place cauliflower in bowl, cover with water, and microwave 8-10 minutes, or until very tender. While waiting on cauliflower to steam, pulse raw zucchini with lemon juice only in food processor or blender. Drain the cooked caulifower and add slowly to the zucchini puree, adding water as necessary. Puree until smooth. Makes about 2 cups. Store leftovers in fridge up to 3 days or freeze in small portions.

I used fat-free organic refried beans and frozen cauliflower and they turned out great. I also added a can of tomatoes but don't recommend that because it made the beans a little runnier than I wanted. Mrs. Lapine is right: they are very similar to Taco Bell's bean and cheese burritos, which I happen to love! Hope somebody finds this useful! Noah will only occasionally eat sweet potatoes, no other veggies. (Except for his babysitter. He has eaten corn, mushrooms, and peas for her.) So I feel compelled to make things where he won't notice that he is eating them.

Chicken Breasts in Caper Cream Sauce

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

Directions
1. Mix together lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, dill weed together in a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice. Season chicken with the seasoning mixture, turning to cover both sides. Allow to marinate while making other preparations.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place breasts in skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Turn chicken frequently, until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until breasts are cooked through. Remove chicken to a warm serving platter, and cover with foil.
4. Deglaze the skillet with the wine. Return skillet to stove, and increase heat to high. Whisk in whipping cream, whisking continuously until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken, and serve.

Yum! I made a healthier version by using olive oil instead of butter, and using some fat-free half-in-half because I had it. I used about a pound of tenderloins instead of breasts that I had on hand and served over brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli. The rice is great because it absorbs the sauce. The sauce looked a little curdish and weird (maybe because of the half-in-half?) but it still tasted great. The original recipe did not call for wine and I cut back on the salt since capers are salty anyway. I had extra seasoning mixture leftover.

Slow Cooker Rosemary and Red Pepper Chicken

Valentine's Dinner 2011! Good slow cooker recipes are hard to come by, right? Here is my most recent creation, including the multitude of changes I made as suggested by various reviewers.

Ingredients
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces turkey Italian sausages, casings removed
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken tenderloins
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup marinara sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons cold water
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1.In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Brown, drain, and crumble sausages over onion mixture. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange in a single layer over sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with tomatoes. Pour in wine, broth, and marinara. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through when pierced.
2.Transfer chicken to a warm, deep platter, and cover to keep warm.
3.In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat to High, and cover. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 times, until sauce is thickened (about 10 more minutes). Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve over pasta.

We really liked this. The main thing I would suggest is more of the cornstarch mixture. I did not drain my tomatoes, and the sauce was really more liquid than I would have liked. Maybe eliminate the broth? I used vegetable broth because I had some open but I'm sure chicken would be good as well. I have to say, it looks a little fancy when you serve it up! ;)

Lasagna Soup

I finally cooked again tonight! In our new house. I looked at a couple recipes online, and then invented my own. Noah is scarfing it down :)

Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 onion
1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
About 3 cups water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
2 cups mafalda or rotini pasta
1/4 cup shredded/parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

Directions:
Brown beef and onion. Drain grease. In a pot, mix beef, onion, tomato sauce, tomatoes, water, and seasonings. Add pasta. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer about 30 minutes. Mix in parm cheese just before serving. Top with mozzerella.

Thought this was tasty, quick, and simple. Next time, I'll probably try sneaking in extra veggies! You just have to be careful not to simmer too long, as your pasta gets larger and more slippery the longer it cooks!

Christmas Morning Biscuits

I was so stinking proud of myself. For the first time, I made biscuits from scratch. Probably not a big deal to most, but oh well. Not only was it my first attempt, they were AWESOME!! Unfortunately, I could eat these every weekend. Unfortunately, I won't be doing that. Not hard to make at all, very simple recipe. And they will easily translate to Any Morning Biscuits, too. :)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Directions
1.In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
2.Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 20 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

One reviewer suggested replacing half the shortening with butter to avoid blandness. I didn't have any shortening, so I used all butter. Great taste and texture! Soft, and not at all dry like biscuits can be. I also used a star cookie cutter for most of them since I don't have a real biscuit cutter and I wanted to be festive! Served hot out the oven with a buttery spread :), apple butter, honey, and blueberry jam.

T. Flo’s Dr. Pepper Chili

A while back, I read this recipe on Tina's blog and, with my love of Dr. Pepper, knew I had to try it. Tonight was the perfect snowy, frigid night. And it is delicious! Besides being an amazing photographer, she makes a mean chili recipe too!

Ingredients
1.5 lbs of ground beef
5 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. cumin
1 tbs. oregano
3 tbs. chili powder
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
salt & pepper to taste
1 large tomato (from garden)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of Dr. Pepper
1 tsp beef concentrate or 1 cup of beef broth
1 block of chocolate
1 tsp cinnamon

Before you start cooking combine the onion and the jalapeno together. Also, mix the chili powder, cumin and oregano together in a bowl.

Render the bacon until crisp in a large pot; set bacon aside.

Brown meat in the bacon fat until brown, then drain and set aside. Salt & pepper the meat.

Add some OO to the pot, and when hot, add the onions and jalapenos. Cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a minute, being careful not to burn it.

Add the chili powder, oregano and cumin to the onions and fry for a couple of minutes to release the flavors.

Add beef & bacon to the onions and spices. Mix together and cook for a few minutes.

Add the Dr. Pepper, tomato sauce and tomato soup and bring to a simmer. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Add diced tomato and beef concentrate (or broth). Stir everything together.

Bring to a simmer and cook for one hour.

After one hour add chocolate and cinnamon and continue simmering for another hour.

Adjust seasonings to your taste. Serve alone or with rice, nacho chips, shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream and or hot sauce. Enjoy!

Served with cornbread made from scratch! I made a few adjustments based on what I had on hand, including using the slow cooker, but you can make your own! My only suggestion is frying the bacon whole, very crisp, then crumbling as small as possible before adding to the mix. I used turkey bacon because I have some, but it's probably better if you go whole hog. :) Thanks, T!