Junior Chef: Deceptively Delicious!

Have a picky eater in your house? Struggle to get your kids to eat their fruits and vegetables? Why not disguise them with these yummy recipes from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious. 

momstown Central Alberta's Junior Chef event created these wholesome treats full of pureed fruits and veggies. And no one complained about the cauliflower.

We suggest trying these at home!

Banana Bread with Cauliflower

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 cups banana puree

1/2 cup cauliflower puree

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or 2 mini pans, with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl or a zipper-lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the large loaf, 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

Applesauce Muffins

Topping:
 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats or instant oats

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter, melted

Batter:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour

1 cup old-fashioned oats or instant oats

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup squash or carrot puree (we used carrot)

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use muffin baking cups.

2. To make the topping stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in butter. Set aside.

3. To make batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir. 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 moistened. The batter should be lumpy. Do not over mix.

4. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups and sprinkle with streusle topping. Bake until topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. About 18-20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container (if they last that long).

These make great snacks for lunches, after school snacks and for moms and dads too. 

While we waiting for our masterpieces to bake, we had some park play time!