Whiteley Creek Homestead

The Sneaky Chef Simple Strategies For Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' (and adults) Favorite Meals copyright 2007 by Missy Chase Lapine. You need this book. Now. Packed to the brim with brilliant strategies to increase a meal's nutrient density, the former publisher of Eating Well Magazine uses homemade purees and juices of varying colors… purple, orange, green, white, and red in her recipes. I chose to prepare her "Maxed Out Meatloaf" which uses Green Puree made of spinach or collard greens, broccoli, and green peas. 

O.K., so the green flecks in the baked meatloaf may not escape the most scrutinizing skeptics. BUT, I tossed in the entire 2 cups of green puree instead of 1/4 cup as the recipe states which created the increased visiblity. My rationale is that Dick would not balk at an abundance of greens and balancing the veggie:meat ratio would be a good thing. Using a Barefoot Contessa meatloaf recipe, I made minor adjustments to accommodate the puree. This demonstrates that once the sneaky chef strategies are learned, they can be easily applied to your own recipes.      

Green Puree Meatloaf

½ cup chicken stock, broth, or water   

green puree – 2 cups raw baby spinach leaves or coarsely chopped collard greens (I used 1 cup spinach + 1 cup kale.), 2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets, and 1 cup frozen sweet green peas (I subbed edamame cuz I had no peas.)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp dried thyme

scant 1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I used Bragg Liquid Aminos.)

1 tbsp tomato paste (I used mild salsa.)

1 lb ground chuck (I used grass-fed ground beef.)

¼ cup dry bread crumbs (I used small chunks of wholegrain bread.)

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup ketchup (For spreading atop loaf.)

Preheat oven to 325°. In a pan with the ½ cup liquid, simmer the spinach, kale or collard greens, and broccoli for about 10 minutes adding peas the final minute or two. Sauté onions and garlic in oil, then add thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire or Bragg, tomato paste (or salsa). Mix well. Using food processor, puree onion mixture and cooked veggies along with their cooking water. Combine 1/4 cup pureed mixture with ground meat, bread crumbs, and egg. (I used the entire 2 cups pureed mixture.) Lightly press into a 4 ½ x 8 ½ loaf pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, until the internal temperature is 160°F and the meatloaf is cooked through.  (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meatloaf, will keep the top from cracking.)