Sneaky Chef vs. Deceptively Delicious

This entry has been a LONG time in the works.  Thanks to my brother Chad for giving me two of my favorite cookbooks ever for Christmas.  Both books, Deceptively Delicious (hereafter referred to as DD) by Jessica Seinfeld, and The Sneaky Chef (hereafter referred to as TSC) by Missy Chase LaPine, incorporate pureed veggies into everyday food.  Over the past few months I’ve made several recipes from each book.  Here are the results:

 

DESSERTS:

TSC:  Brainy Brownies:  a complete hit! 

Note:  Definitely add walnuts and use a 9” square pan instead of 9x13.

We all ate!

(blueberries, spinach, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, rolled oats)

 

DD:  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:  Good.  We didn’t have zucchini, so Paul just substituted bananas for that portion, and they turned out fine.

We all ate.

(bananas, zucchini)

 

TSC:  Unbelieveable Chocolate Chip Cookies:  not real impressed, though Paul liked them.

Paul and Brooke ate; Jackie did not.

(wheat germ, whole-wheat flour, rolled oats, slivered almonds, white beans)

 

DD:  Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes:  O.K.  Too heavy.

We all had one, but one was enough.

(yellow squash)

 

TSC:  Choc-ful Cupcakes:  Awesome!  I dressed these up with some fattening frosting, so maybe I shouldn’t count this one.  But they were a tasty treat, and I don’t even care for cupcakes!

We all GRINDED!

(spinach, blueberries, wheat germ, whole-wheat flour)

 

DD:  Chocolate cake:  O.K.; a bit dry.  Beets are very detectable the next day!

We all ate.

(beets)

 

TSC:  Royal Ice Pops:  O.K.; a good alternative to sugary popsicles, especially since most kids just want something cold after being in the heat.  Messy and difficult for a little one to eat without a bowl.  Not entirely satisfying, but they were O.K.  Paul said they lacked flavor. Brooke loved it.

We all ate.  

(blueberry juice)

TSC:  Say Yes to Sorbet:  O.K.  Turned out to be a drink--literally.

Jackie drank.

(blueberries and blueberry juice)

APPETIZERS AND SIDE DISHES:

TSC:  Bravo Nacho Cheese Dip:  Not bad, but not raving about it.  Before long, the texture was dry.

Paul and Jackie ate; Brooke did not.

(carrots and sweet potatoes)

 

TSC:  No Doc Guac:  Not bad; spinach aftertaste, but it could be because I used canned spinach in the green puree instead of fresh or frozen.  Definitely preferred DD, but TSC is much more nutritious!

Jackie ate; Paul and Brooke did not.

(broccoli, peas, and spinach)

 

DD:  Avocado Spread (guacamole):  Awesome!  We love it!  Better than TSC, though less nutritious.

Paul and Jackie ate.

(avocado)

 

TSC:  Crispy No-Fries:  Even though I pulled the pan out before the full time was up, they burned and stuck to the pan.  Not recommended.  

No one ate.

(no sneaky ingredients, just not fried)

 

TSC:  Crunchy Corn Chips:  Great! 

We all ate!

Note:  book recommends cooking for 10 minutes on each side, but I had success only when I cooked for one side for 6 minutes and the other side for 3.

(no sneaky ingredients; just baked instead of fried)

 

DD:  Twice-Baked Potatoes:  O.K.  Jackie liked, Paul despised!!!  But he hates cauliflower.

Jackie ate; Paul and Brooke did not.

  

DD:  Rice Balls:  O.K.  Not worth the time, effort, and clean up. 

Jackie ate; Paul and Brooke did not.

(sweet potato and spinach OR butternut squash)

 

DD:  Mozzarella sticks:  Big disappointment.  Very messy—did not turn out at all.

No one ate.

(cauliflower)

 

MAIN DISHES:

TSC:  Fortified French Toast:  Good.  Very easy.  A bit sweet.  Even Brooke ate.

TSC II: Bonanza Crunch Muffins
Good. Easy. Everybody ate.

 DD:  Quesadillas:  Good; a bit messy.  I omitted the beans which may have affected the flavor for good or bad. Brooke LOVED these.  Paul and I definitely prefer The Sneaky Chef recipe; it's easier, tastes better, and is less messy.

We all ate.

(butternut squash)

TSC:  Covert Quesadillas:  Loved them!  Kids loved them!  So easy!

We all ate!

(carrots and sweet potatoes)

 

DD:  Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:  O.K.; sweet potato very obvious.  Too oozy.

Jackie ate; Paul and Brooke did not.

(sweet potato or butternut squash)

 

TSC:  Guerilla Grilled Cheese:  Very good; preferred this sandwich over the DD one because TSC ingredients were more subtle. 

Brooke and Jackie ate!

(Carrots and sweet potatoes)

 

 

DD:  Chicken Nuggets:  Awesome!

We all ate.

(broccoli OR Spinach OR sweet potato OR beet)

 

TSC:  Quick Fixes for Tuna Fish Sandwich:  I’d die before I made this again.

Jackie ate and about gagged.  Had to go out to eat to wash the taste out.

(white beans)

 

DD:  Tuna Salad:  Good; Paul LOVES this recipe.

Paul and Jackie ate; Brooke did not.

(cauliflower)

 

TSC: 

Incognito Burritos:  Really good!  Truly tastes like Taco Bell’s!

Jackie ate; Paul and Brooke did not.

(zucchini and cauliflower)

 

DD:  Spaghetti Pie:  Good; my crust wasn’t crunchy for some reason, though the book says it’s supposed to be.  This dish was good, but for the effort and expense, I would stick with spaghetti and meatballs.

We all ate.

(broccoli and carrots)

 

DD:  Spaghetti and Meatballs: Good; Jackie wasn’t impressed with the sauce, but Paul loved everything about it.

We all ate.

(butternut squash and carrots)

   

TSC:  Magic Meatballs:  Delicious!  Baking really is almost as good as pan-frying and you can barely tell a difference.

Note:  I froze some and Paul detected spinach in the frozen batch.

We all ate!

(Broccoli, spinach, peas, wheat germ)

 TSC:  Undercover Crispy Ravioli:  Paul's favorite dish out of BOTH books!  

Paul and I ate; Brooke refused.

(Spinach, broccoli, and peas)

DD:  Burgers 1:  Paul really liked these; Jackie thought they were just O.K. 

We all ate.

(cauliflower OR carrot)

 

DD:  Burgers 2:  Paul says these are better than any restaurant burger; Jackie thought they were O.K. 

Note:  the shiitake mushrooms are quite expensive.

(zucchini and mushrooms)

 

TSC:  Bonus Burgers:  O.K.; Paul said they looked green, which deflated his appetite, and we both agreed the texture was too mushy. 

Paul and Jackie ate half a burger and threw the rest away.

(spinach and blueberries)

 

TSC:  Masterful Mac ‘n Cheese:  O.K.; definitely better with crunchy topping.  I used whole-what macaroni and the author suggests a wheat blend, so that probably made a difference.  Brooke took one look and REFUSED to eat.  This is a lot more expensive than the packaged (and much more fattening) mac and cheese.

Paul ate; Brooke and Jackie did not.

(zucchini and cauliflower)

 

DD:  Aloha Chicken Kebabs: The few that cooked evenly and thoroughly were very good; however, most cooked in a way that I wasn't sure was good enough to eat (I don't have a meat thermometer yet).  

We all ate the chicken we knew was good.  

 (pineapple and sweet potato)

TSC:  No Harm Chicken Parm:   Complete hit!!!

Note:  recommend using Heartsmart Prego instead of tomato sauce.

Jackie and Paul ate:  Brooke did not.

(broccoli, peas, spinach, whole-wheat flour, and wheat germ)

 

TSC: Packed Pizza Bagels:  DISGUSTING!!!  DISASTROUS!!!  AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! 

NO ONE ATE!!!  The smell alone was enough for Jackie to wait until Paul took a bite. 

Paul took one bite and ran for the garbage. 

(carrots, sweet potatoes, white beans)

 

DD:  Tacos:  Super good!  Paul prefers DD, Jackie prefers TSC, but we both agreed that both recipes were excellent!  TSC is superior nutritionally.

We all ate!

(sweet potato OR carrot OR butternut squash)

 

TSC:  Total Tacos:  Excellent!  Paul prefers DD, Jackie prefers TSC, but we both agreed that both recipes were excellent!  TSC is superior nutritionally.

We all ate!

(spinach, blueberries)

 

TSC:  Tricky Taco Soup:  O.K.; too tomatoey for us.  We even dressed it up with avocado spread (from DD), cheese, and sour cream, but it just wasn’t very good.

No one ate.

(carrots, sweet potatoes, white beans)

 

DD:  Turkey Chili:  Good, but needed more of a kick.

Paul and Jackie ate; Brooke did not.

(red pepper and carrots)

 

TSC:  Chocolate Chip Pancakes:  Unsuccessful.  Tried it twice.  Batter is thick, to say the least, even though I added extra milk both times.  The pancakes burned on the outside and were gooey on the inside, though I varied the temperatures.  Paul and the kids liked them, but they are very messy to turn, so clean up is burdensome.

Paul, Brooke, and Blaine ate; Jackie did not.

(whole wheat flour, wheat germ, spinach, blueberries)

 

TSC:  Popeye’s Eggs:  Good!

We all ate!  Spinach juice completely undetectable!

Note:  recommend using lowfat Cheddar instead of American cheese

(Spinach juice)

 

TSC:  Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins:  O.K.; some of my friends tried these and seemed to like them more than me.  

Brooke refused to eat.

(carrots and sweet potato)

DRINKS:

TSC:  Blueberry Milk:  Pretty good.  Brooke still prefers regular milk.

Brooke drank.

(blueberries)

 

 

TSC:  Earth Day Milkshake:  Really good!

Note:  Ours didn’t turn green (we had them on St. Patrick’s Day, so it was kind of a bummer), but then we added the least amount of juice suggested.

Paul, Jackie, and Brooke drank.

(spinach juice)