Sneaky Chef’s clever strategies, recipes for kids

Sneaky Chef Make-Ahead Recipe No. 1 — Purple Puree: If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if the package says “prewashed.” Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen blueberries, quickly rinse them under cold water to thaw a little, and then drain.

Fill the bowl of your food processor with the blueberries and cooked spinach (or collards), along with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water, and puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push top contents to bottom. If necessary, use a second tablespoon of water to make a fairly smooth puree.

This amount of spinach and blueberries makes only about 1 cup of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of the puree. It will store in the refrigerator up to 2 days, or you can freeze  1/4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

To make burgers: In a large bowl, mix egg, Purple Puree, ketchup, salt and bread crumbs. Then add the ground beef, mixing with hands until well combined. If too sticky, add a few more bread crumbs.

Using damp hands, shape mixture into 8 to 10 patties that are fairly thin. At this point, the burgers may be prepared a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. If you are not freezing for future use, proceed to next steps.

Spray a large skillet or grill pan with nonstick cooking spray and set over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook the burgers for 3 minutes on each side, then flip and add cheese (optional) to melt over patties for another 3 minutes.

Serve on fresh, soft burger buns or English muffins, along with ketchup and pickles.

Sneaky Chef Make-Ahead Recipe No. 2 — Orange Puree: In a medium pot, cover carrots and potatoes with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes until yams, and especially carrots, are very tender. If the carrots aren’t thoroughly cooked, they’ll leave telltale little nuggets of vegetable, which will reveal their presence (a gigantic no-no for the sneaky chef).

Drain the potatoes and carrots and put them in the food processor with two tablespoons of water. Puree on high until smooth; no pieces of carrots or potatoes should remain. Stop occasionally to push the contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the third tablespoon of water to make a smooth puree, but the less water the better.

This makes about 2 cups of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of puree. Store in refrigerator up to three days, or freeze 1/4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

Sneaky Chef Make-Ahead Recipe No. 4 — White Puree: Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.

While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.

Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

For macaroni: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions, until firm and slightly undercooked. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk with the White Puree and salt. (If using eggs, whisk them in with the milk mixture.) Put half of the macaroni into the baking pan and top with half the Cheddar (or Colby) cheese. Next, layer with the rest of the macaroni, and then pour the milk mixture over the top, finishing with the last of the cheese on top.

Mix together Flour Blend, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. (To store for instant cocoa pancake mix in the future, triple the dry ingredients and keep in a sealed, labeled plastic bag.) In another bowl, whisk together the vanilla, milk, egg, Purple Puree, honey (or maple syrup) and optional blueberries, if using. (If using frozen berries, don’t thaw them before adding; this will prevent bleeding.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones until just blended. (Don’t overmix.) Add a little milk if batter is too thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix lightly.

Butter or spray a large skillet over medium heat. Test the pan to see if it’s hot enough by tossing a few drops of water in — it should sizzle. The skillet will grow hotter over time, so turn it down if it starts to smoke. Drop tablespoons or small ladles of batter onto the skillet in batches. Try to get chocolate chips with each pancake. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the skillet-side of the pancake is golden (peek under), gently flip them over. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until pancakes are set.

Serve stacked high, dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with warm maple syrup, or, for an extra boost of fruit, homemade berry syrup.