A few years ago, Jessica Seinfeld’s “Deceptively Delicious” was all the rage in mommy groups everywhere. Containing sneaky “additions” in seemingly unhealthy foods, the recipes were billed as a sure fire way to get your children to eat their vegetables.
I have a couple problems with this method of cooking. Number one, I don’t want to eat brownies that contain spinach. Number two, I want my kids to learn to love and enjoy their vegetables. That being said, I’m not above a little vegetable deception.
Fine. I lie. There. I admitted it. I lie to my children.
I call green peas “garden candy” and have convinced my son that green beans turn blue in his stomach if he eats them first. I call spinach “herbs” and tofu “egg”. When I chop up bell peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini to add to my sauce, I claim it’s salsa.
But my most brilliant deception ever is my sweet potato gnocchi. Which I call dumplings since Kung Fu Panda is all the rage in my house at the moment.
Made with sweet potatoes, flour, egg, and a little finely chopped spinach, these suckers are actually pretty healthy. And the kids can’t stop eating them. They have no idea that the “regular” gnocchi are heavenly bits of potato dough. Nope…my kids think they always come in an odd, lightly orange color.
I’m not going to tell them any differently.
Do you ever perform a little food switcheroo?
