Favorite Chef Series: Missy Chase Lapine

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As I have mentioned previously I love to cook my family delicious, healthy food and today I am going to introduce you to the super-star of Sneaky Chef. Missy Chase Lapine has found a way to make things like brownies (my weakness) have a healthy alter-ego! She gets me excited when she covertly healthifies Mac  and Cheese. I get blown away when I make a quick and easy banana bread loaded with whole grains, fruits, veggies, and flax seed and my kids gobble it down!
Her recipes and concepts are life saving for me. I use them in everyday cooking. Missy knows her food. She was the former editor of Eating Well magazine and is also on the Culinary Arts faculty of The New School in New York City.

Basically the mission is to sneak healthy foods into our family members meals without them detecting it. For instance, she laces brownies with whole wheat, blueberries, SPINACH, and flax seed! I love these brownies, and I know brownies. It blows my mind every time I see the ingredients go in and then I take a bite of the finished product and think - "Wow! How can that combination taste so good?"

So what kind of healthy stuff are we sneaking, you ask? Only the best stuff. Things that are nutrient rich; you want to get the most bang for your buck here. So she uses purees and separates them into color because you wouldn't want your family finding out all your secrets because you used a green purée in pancakes, or you changes the texture or flavor of a dish. By making different color purees it allows you to add health to a variety of meals. She has recipes from breakfast to snack time to dinner to dessert. She also encourages that you gradually increas the amount of sneakiness each time you make a recipe so your family slowly becomes accustomed. She has five cookbooks out: The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals; The Sneaky Chef to the Rescue: 101 All-New Recipes and Sneaky Tricks for Creating Healthy Meals your Kids will Love; The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on your Man (in the Kitchen); Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof ways to Slip Fitness into your Child's Everyday Life; and The Speedy Sneaky Chef. I own two of those cookbooks and have looked through them all. They are wonderful! Go check one out from the library right now. It will change the entire way you think about cooking.

My youngest doesn't really eat meat so I divviesed a plan to purée chicken and put it in pasta sauce (which he typically loves). He doesn't see it, smell it, or taste it but eats the pasta sauce all the same and I am one happy momma!

Here are my top two favorite recipes from her cookbooks:


Brainy Brownies by Missy Chase Lapine from The Sneaky Chef: Simple strategies for hiding healthy foods in kids' favorite meals.
Nutrition Highlights: Whole Grains, Fruit, Vegetables, Rich in Vitamines A, C, E and K, potassium, manganese, folate, iron, fiber, antioxidants, and flavonoids.

Makes about 30 Kid-Sized Brownies

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Purple Puree (see recipe below)
2 Tablespoons all purpose, unbleached white flour
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons wheat germ, unsweetened
1/4 cup rolled oats, ground in a food processor
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Butter or non-stick cooking spray
Optional extra boost: 1 cup chopped nuts


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter or spray only the bottom, not the sides, of a 13-by- 9-inch or 9-inch square baking pan.
Melt Butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave (checking every 15 seconds to prevent burning). Allow mixture to cool a bit. Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, and Purple Puree. Combine this purple egg mixture with the cooled chocolate mixture.
In a mixing bowl, stir together flours, wheat germ, cocoa powder, oats, and salt. Add this to the chocolate mixture and blend thoroughly. Mix in the chipped nuts, if using, then pour the entire mixture into the baking pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting the brownies and use a plastic or butter knife. Dust with powdered sugar or sprinkles, if desired.
Keeps for a week in the refrigerator, covered tightly or in the freezer wrapped tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil for 3 months.

Purple Puree:
Makes about 1 cup puree.
3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 1 cup frozen chopped spinach)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no syrup or sugar added)
1-2 tablespoons water

Raw baby spinach should be rinsed well, even if the package says "prewashed." If you're using frozen blueberries, give them a quick rinse under cold water to thaw a little, and then drain.
Place the spinach in the food processor first and pulse a few times. This will reduce the spinach significantly. Next add the blueberries and 1 tablespoon of water; puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push the contents to the bottom. If necessary, use another tablespoon of water to create a smooth puree.
Will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or you can freeze 1/4-cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.


Grab 'n' Go Crispy Granola Bars by Missy Chase Lapine  from The Sneaky Chef: Simple strategies for hiding healthy foods in kids' favorite meals.
Nutrition Highlights: Calcium, whole grains and nuts (optional), Rich in vitamins B2 (riboflavin), D, and E, iron, potassium, maganese, selenium, folic acid, tryptophan, calcium, protein, and fiber

Makes about 18 bars

2/3 cup rolled oats, ground in a food processor to about 1/2 cup (you can also leave these whole if you kids don't mind the look and texture of oats - in that case, just add 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds, ground in a food processor to about 1/3 cup (omit if allergic, and add another 1/3 cup of ground oats instead)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup crispy brown rice cereal (or Rice Krispies)
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional - in my opinion ESSENTIAL!)
Optional extra boost: 1/4 cup raisins, craisins, or dried blueberries


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9-inch square or 13-by- 9-inch baking pan completely with foil and butter the foil (or spray with oil).
In a medium bowl, combine oats, almonds (if using), wheat germ, cereal, dry milk, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the canola oil, honey, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips (and/or dried fruit, optional). Mix well, then pour into the prepared baking pan. Press down with palm of hand, evenly distributing the mixture into the corners of the dish and bake for 15-18 minutes. Check occasionally to prevent burning.
Remove from the oven and using the foil to help you, lift the giant bar out of the pan. Place on a flat surface and while still warm, cut into small bars.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze in plastic bags.