Deceptively Delicious

My friend introduced me to Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife). She developed a lot of recipes that are kid friendly and include purees of healthy food in them. I thought it sounded interesting so we checked it out from the library and tried a few of the recipes. We really liked the ice cream sandwiches, which are basically lemon frozen yogurt in graham crackers, we HATED the hamburgers which had carrot puree in them, and we loved the two recipes below. I thought it was a good cookbook overall. One day I hope to buy it.

Applesauce Muffins

Topping

2/3 c old fashioned oats

1/4 c firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, melted

Batter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup butternut squash or carrot puree

1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups

To make the topping, stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the margarine

To make the batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl or ziploc bag and stir or shake to mix. In a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil, and egg with a wooden spoon. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just moistened. Do not overmix-the batter is supposed to be lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins, 18-20 min. Turn muffins out onto a rack and serve warm or cool.

Macaroni and Cheese 2

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat elbow macaroni

1 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup canned navy beans or chickpeas or white beans rinsed, drained, and pureed

Nonstick cooking spray

1 12/ cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add macaroni, cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander

While macaroni is cooking, combine milk and beans in a food processor and process until pureed

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. Add bean mixture to the pan and cook, stirring until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add cheese and cook until melted and creamy, 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Stir in macaroni and serve warm.