The Veggie Smuggler

I am recently re-thinking my position re: vegetables.  Not the "pro" or "anti" position (as a parent, I think you're required to be "pro")...but the "upfront" versus "covert" position.  

I came into parenting with an earnest conviction that you can persuade a child to eat almost any food with a combination of early, repeated exposure and denying them more interesting alternatives.  This worked OK with #1 who has developed into a reasonably adventurous eater (and a vegetarian...oops...but more about that later).  Then #2 came along, displaying an ability to hold out against unwanted foods that would make a hunger striker proud.  #1 and #3 aren't exactly banging on the fridge demanding more raw greens either.  While sticking to the party line of healthy (or in kidspeak, "wierd") meals gives Mom & Dad some moral satisfaction, it hasn't actually done a lot of good in terms of delivering anti-oxidants and fiber.  Combine that with child #1's discovery that making meat involves killing animals, and his subsequent conversion to vegetarianism, and you have a real head-scratcher when it comes to the family dinner table.

With all this in mind, I've been debating the virtues of "hiding" vegetables in otherwise kid-acceptable foods:  zucchini in the muffins, spinach in the pesto, and so on.  Point being:  do I want my kids to LIKE vegetables, or just EAT vegetables? As we gear up for another summer, season of garden produce abundance here in North Carolina, I'm beginning to think that while I dream of "like", for now I'll settle for "eat". 

I scored a quasi-success this week with some stealth-veggie chili -- #1 and #3 ate as much as I could dish up, although #2 steadfastly refused saying "I don't like chili".  What can you do with a human being who dislikes chili on principle?  I got him back by serving bran muffins as the side item.  Distracted by his hatred for chili, he gobbled them up.

Enjoy the recipe below.  I call this "Mom's Revenge" because the evil secret -- pureeing half the mix --means that even if the kiddos eat around the parts they think they don't like, they are unknowingly sucking down the same exact parts in puree form.  Cue evil laugh. 

MOM'S REVENGE CHILI

1 can low-sodium kidney beans (drained)
1 can low-sodium black beans (drained)
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained 
1/2 medium butternut squash, seeded and cut in half-inch cubes
1 purple onion, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/4 cups water or beef bouillon

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on High 4 hours or Low 6-8 hours, until squash pieces are very tender.  Remove appoximately half of soup and puree in a blender or mini-food processer.  Return to pot and stir together.  Add salt to taste before serving.  Top with cheese, sour cream or cilantro.  Makes about 6 small or 4 large servings.