Deceptively Delicious - Jessica Seinfeld [31]
TOPPINGS
½ pound cherry tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
½ cup canned or frozen corn kernels
½ cup lowfat sour cream
3 large leaves Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced crosswise
½ small avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1 small red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely sliced
1. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Brown for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, vegetable puree, and seasoning mix. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is no longer pink and the mixture begins to thicken, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
3. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Fill the taco shells with the meat mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Stand the shells in a baking dish and bake until the cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Add your favorite toppings.
Turkey Chili
(WITH RED PEPPER AND CARROT)
If your children freak out when they see beans, puree them before adding them to the chili. You can also finely chop raw carrot and pepper in the food processor to save time.
Prep: 15 minutes • Total: 35 minutes • Serves 8
Nonstick cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped red onion
1 pound ground lean turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (26-ounce) carton reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup red pepper puree
½ cup carrot puree
¼ cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, red pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.
Sascha: Ew, beans are gross.
Jessica: Next time I’ll puree them.
Couscous
(WITH YELLOW SQUASH AND CARROT)
Yellow squash is the same color as the couscous…
Prep: 6 minutes • Total: 13 minutes • Serves 8 • Packable
½ cup reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup regular or whole-wheat couscous
½ cup yellow squash puree
¼ cup carrot puree
2 tablespoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, squash puree, carrot puree, margarine, Parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and let stand for 6 to 7 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is soft.
Joy: This is a super low-calorie side dish (only 40 calories and less than 1 gram total fat per ½m -cup serving) thanks to the vegetable purees—each adds volume, lowering the overall calories in an otherwise typically starchy side dish. Carrots add beta carotene—good for kids’ eyes!
Mealtime Tips
As a mother who is concerned and curious about the issues surrounding food and children, I have had lengthy conversations with Patricia Schimm and Jean Mandelbaum, my parenting “gurus.” They explained to me that the more pressure and control we try to exert on our children, the more we are setting ourselves up not only for an unpleasant mealtime, but for our children having potential food issues later on. In fact, both experts agree that kids will eat almost anything if there is no power struggle involved. Pat Schimm even goes so far as to say that if you talk about topics other than food at the table, you are likely to have better