Hidden Foods And We Did It On Purpose!

Discussion in 'Food & Drinks' started by Ina I. Wonder, Mar 5, 2017.

  1. Ina I. Wonder

    Ina I. Wonder Supreme Member
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    I'm sure I'm not the only one to do this. I think we all have had those in our family that said, "I hate vegetables". Well over the years I came up with all sorts of ways to camouflage vegetables, so that I could get the most stubborn anti-vegetable members of my family to eat them.

    Like todays, I fixed a pot roast with the favored potatoes, carrots, and onions. But when Bobert wasn't looking I added cut up green bell peppers, and yellow squash to the very bottom of the pot, so he couldn't see them. I let everything simmer for seven hours, and by then the peppers and squash had cook to a point that Bobert and his father never even noticed they were there.

    I used to fix things like zucchini bread, pumpkin and sweet potato soup, cucumber and white potato hash brown, and so on.

    As my children grew older, I did tell them about the hidden vegetables, and by the time they were feeding themselves, they had grown to like vegetables.

    What were some of the ways you hid those good veggies so that you could get your family to eat them?
     
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  2. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ina I. Wonder
    My Mother recognized the importance of spinach, healthwise. None of my friends would touch it at their homes. Once, a friend happened to be over while my Mother was preparing some. She encouraged him to try it. He grimaced and took a taste, quickly changing facial expression! Not sure exactly how she did it, but it was cooked up on a fry pan, with something she called "prazeni", which was Bohemian for Roux, I think. I do know she used butter and flour, added garlic, and possibly even scarmbled in some eggs. I loved it from day one! She called it "Pop-eye Gravy".
    Frank
     
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  3. Ina I. Wonder

    Ina I. Wonder Supreme Member
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    @Frank Sanoica, my mother taught me make a roux with rendered bacon fat and flour, and I still keep a canister for bacon drippings. It makes a great gravy, and you certainly can't even start a gumbo without it. My grandmother use to put coffee in the roux instead of water or milk. I think she called it Red Eye gravy, but I have no idea why.

    Putting spinach in it is new to me, but that sounds interesting. I think I'll try it, but I'll have to eat it all myself. My grandson will only eat spinach when I hide it in a mixed greens salad.

    I like to get some bacon fat good and hot in my 15" cast iron skillet, then I throw the spinach in just long enough to wilt it real good. Then I add fresh ground red pepper corns, I toss it until all is mixed. It takes no more than 15 minutes to fix. I let other salt to their own taste.
     
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  4. Missy Lee

    Missy Lee Veteran Member
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    I do make soup using pureed butternut squash as a base. Add a little chicken stock and he never knows.

    Now if anyone can come up with a way of disguising brussel sprouts please let me know.
     
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  5. Sheldon Scott

    Sheldon Scott Supreme Member
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    I've always used vegetables in meatloaf and many other ways described here but because we all like them, never to hide them.
     
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  6. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    My girls would eat broccoli if I made cheesy broccoli rice. I also made carrot cake which they loved and sweet potato bread. And they all loved my homemade vegetable beef or chicken soup...which always had plenty of vegetables in it and which was the only time they didn't complain about eating veggies! :)

    I also made vegetable pear (militon) and eggplant rice dressing or dirty rice and they never knew those vegetables were in that until they asked me for the recipe for their own families. They liked my cabbage roll casserole too which besides having cabbage in it had bell pepper, onions, and chopped tomatoes. My girls did not like most vegetables if I cooked them alone, but if I added them and minced them most of the time they didn't even know they were eating vegetables. ;)
     
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    Last edited: Mar 6, 2017
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