Results tagged “vegetarian” from The Sneaky Chef

Dear Missy,

My toddler does not like meat (or fish) and will not touch anything with meat in it.  I use your first cookbook and love making the meatless dishes for my little one.  I use quite a bit of the orange puree dishes.  I hide it in your french toast, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, and Frank n' Beans (with meatless hotdogs of course) recipes.  We also use the white puree in your twiced baked potatoes.  He LOVES the green puree and eats it without me hiding it in anything!  We don't have issues getting him to eat fruit either.  In addition to you meatless recipes we go through a lot of hummus & natural peanut butter. I would like to prepare more dishes that use lentils and quinoa but don't have any kid-friendly recipes. Do you have any plans to publish a vegetarian cookbook? 

Dear Valerie,

It sounds like Sneaky cooking is working quite well for your family : )  I happen to have a lentil puree in my third book, Sneaky Chef to the Rescue. I've pasted the recipe below. 

One day I hope to do a vegetarian book. Keep your eyes peeled ; )

Enjoy in good health, and keep up the great work!

Missy

Make-Ahead Recipe #5: Lentil Puree

2/3 cup lentils* (about 4 ounces), rinsed 
2 cups water plus 2 tablespoons water

*Green Lentils have the most fiber, but you can use any color lentil for this recipe - green, brown, orange, black; also feel free to substitute canned lentils and skip the cooking step – go right to pureeing.

Combine the lentils and the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain any excess liquid and fill the bowl of your food processor with the lentils and 1 tablespoon of water. Puree on high until as smooth as possible, adding the other tablespoon of water if needed. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon of water to smooth-out the puree.

This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of puree; double it if you want to store more. It will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1⁄4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

Lentil Puree is used in the following recipes:
Mexican Cheeseburger
Sneaky Sliders
Sneaky Gravy

Kathleen

Dear Kathleen,

Stories like yours make it all worthwhile! Sounds like YOU'VE got your plate full, cooking for 7 every day! Isn't it great pleasing all those different palates, knowing you're also making extra nutritious meals?

Keep up the great work : )

Missy

Hi. I love the concept, but my son has severe peanut and
dairy allergies, and my daughter won't eat meat.  Do you have any
ideas on which recipes might convert best to a vegan need?

Thanks, Mary

Hi Mary,

One of my brothers is vegan, so I've had many enjoyable, savory meals with him over the years. I consulted with him in the development of many of the vegetarian recipes you'll find in each of my books, particularly in Book 3, To The Rescue. Each of the recipes is labeled with a "V" in a circle for vegetarian so you can spot them easily. He loves to use different grains to complement the entrée (quinoa, amaranth, and all sorts of different rice blends), which you might explore if your children like variety. But if that's still out of reach for now, you can just stick with the recipe as it's presented in the book and you'll have a sure winner : )

Regarding the dairy and peanut allergies, you can simply substitute soy or rice milk, and chopped walnuts or almonds in most of the recipes.

Keep up the great work!

With healthiest regards,

Missy