Deceptively delicious?

Maybe it's because I involved my four-year-old too much in the process of cooking these recipes. Maybe it's a texture thing. . . Whatever the reason[s] Emma has not liked anything from this cookbook accept the Chocolate Pudding and Chocolate Cupcakes. (Which are rather tasty. Who would have guessed Avocado would be the ticket to amazing chocolate desserts?!)

The scrabbled eggs with cauliflower were a flop. The oatmeal with sweet potato was too much. I could not for the life of me get the mozzarella sticks to stay in tack during the cooking process. The picture in the book of the pancakes with beet did NOT look like the ones I made. Emma hated them. The rice balls went over okay with the 2 little ones, but again Emma was not a fan.

Oh well. It was worth a try. I did however, really like the meatball soup. Emma didn't like the texture of the meatballs themselves, but I think I could easily fix that.

So, there's a little report on that cookbook. Any of you had any luck with recipes from this book?

Deceptively Delicious Brownies

I recently purchased the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld, and have been pureeing up a storm and trying out new recipes that are healthy and pretty good, too!

Here is a recipe for brownies that I tried and served at a little party that actually have spinach and carrot puree in them!!! Wow!!! I know! They really are pretty good. I do have to admit that I had to mentally talk myself into liking them. I mean, I had to try to force myself to not think about the spinach in them. . . and I love spinach!! But really, under icecream, I could not at all tell there was spinach in there. They have a pretty nice texture to them and great chocolate taste. Just don't eat them warm; it isn't until they have completely cooled that the spinach taste goes away completely. The kids at the party ate them up and loved them!

As is mostly the case, I am realizing, I change the recipe based on what I have on hand. I have put off to the side in red the changes I made when I baked these. Keep in mind this makes just an 8x8 pan, so double if you want a 9x13.

Here goes:

Brownies
(recipe from Deceptively Delicious)

Nonstick cooking spray

3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup carrot puree*

1/2 cup spinach puree**

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread (I used butter, didn't have margarine)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I learned from Cook's Illustrated that few people can taste the difference between pure and imitation, so I always use imitation)

2 large egg whites (I used one whole egg- I hate wasting the yolks- maybe my cholesterol shows that!)

3/4 cup oat flour, or all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame.
3. In a larg bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes.
4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.
   
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.
   

The note below the recipe in the book says this:

These brownies are low in calories (only 133 per brownie) and saturated fat. They're also packed with 3 grams of fiber (which is just crazy for a brownie!), while spinach and carrots provide two powerful antioxidants that help your kids' eyes stay healthy.

* Preparing the carrot puree: Peel, trim the ends and cut into 3-inch chunks. Steam for 10-12 minutes. In a food processor or blender puree for about 2 minutes, with a few teaspoons of water if needed for a smooth texture.

**Preparing the spinach puree: No prep at all for baby spinach. For mature spinach, fold leaves in half lengthwise with the stem outside, then strip the stem off the leaf. Steam for 30-40 seconds, or cook in a skillet with 1 Tablespoon of water for about 90 seconds, or until just wilted. Puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.