Hiding The Veg For Those Fussy Eaters
A Guide To Disguising Vegetables For Choosy Children
We have all known a fussy eater, but having one in the family can be frustrating and will make mealtimes challenging.
The nutritional benefits of vegetables, beans and pulses are undeniable, but what do you do with a child that will only eat certain foods, and refuses to try anything?
Two words….bribery and deception!
It is time to be creative with food, disguising those all-important vegetables and grains into meals that will fool even the most sceptical of children!
Tomato Sauce
Most children like and enjoy ketchup, with some wanting it on everything. Ketchup in general is high in sugars and preservative so here is a recipe for a homemade, healthier version that is jam-packed with veg.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 or 2 cloves (for the authentic ketchup taste)
800g canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 Red Pepper finely chopped
2 grated carrot
1 grated courgette
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan, and fry off the onion and pepper until soft
Add the apple cider vinegar and tomato puree and cook for 1-2 minutes
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, carrot, courgette, and cloves.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Take off the heat and remove the cloves.
When cooled, use a food processor to remove all the lumps.
For an additional bit of deception, slowly integrate your healthier ketchup into your existing bottle of sauce. Slowly increase the quantity over time until you are purely using your healthier creation.
Beef and Red Pepper Burgers
Burgers are a fantastic way to hide those vegetables in a way your little one won’t expect.
Make sure to shred any vegetables you use so that they are less visible (and don’t forget to top with your homemade ketchup!)
There is no end to what vegetables you can hide in a basic looking burger, but here’s a Red Pepper option for you to try.
Ingredients:
1 Red Pepper cut into quarters
2 tbsp Olive Oil
400g Lean Steak Mince
1 medium egg
1 grated carrot
50g stale breadcrumbs
Method:
Heat the oven to 220C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Place the Red Pepper on a baking tray, drizzle in olive oil and roast for 25-30 minutes. (turn once halfway)
Remove turn over and finely chop once cool.
Tip the mince, roasted pepper, egg, carrot, and breadcrumbs into a bowl.
Mix together and mould into burger-shaped patties.
Heat the rest of the oil and fry the burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side, or for an even healthier option, place under a preheated grill for 5-6 minutes on each side.
Leave to rest for 2-3 minutes then serve in burger buns of your choice, adding cheese.
Courgette Brownies
Don’t think that vegetables have to be reserved for the main savoury meal! With vegetables such as beetroot and carrot being naturally sweet, they lend themselves perfectly to baking.
We’ve chosen a courgette brownie for you to try on your fussy eater.
Ingredients:
200g white sugar
125ml vegetable oil
2tsp vanilla extract
250g self-raising flour
50g cocoa powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
250g grated courgette
125g chocolate chips
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/160CFan/Gas 4
Line a 20×20 cake tin with baking paper
Mix sugar, oil, vanilla, flour, cocoa, eggs, and salt.
Add the courgette and chocolate chips
Pour into your lined tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool and cut into pieces.
Sweet Potato, Chicken and Couscous Nuggets
For most fussy eaters, foods like fish fingers and chicken nuggets aren’t an issue. This recipe should look exactly like a basic chicken nugget, avoiding the prying questions.
Ingredients:
65g couscous
65g sweet potato (cooked and pureed)
2 tsp Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
500g chicken mince
1 small apple, cooked and grated
1 egg
1 tbsp chopped parsley
130g panko breadcrumbs
Splash of oil for cooking
Method:
Cover couscous with 125ml of boiling water, cover and stand for 5 minutes and allow to cool.
Separate grains with a fork.
Heat onion in a pan until soft, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
Combine couscous, chicken, apple, egg and parsley in a bole, seasoning to taste.
Roll mixture into balls.
Take the cooled sweet potato mixture and coat the chicken mixture.
Flatten the balls, shaping them into recognisable chicken nugget shapes.
Roll in the panko breadcrumbs and heat in the oil until golden brown on both sides.
Drain on a paper towel and serve!
(you can also grill on each side until golden brown)
Whatever you decide to cook, have a look at what vegetables can be added. Parsnip can be hidden in mashed potatoes without compromising the colour or texture and all sorts can be added into pasta sauces and bolognese.
Good luck!
