Baked meatballs

1 lb ground meat*
1 apple, cored and diced
1 small calabaza squash, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 lightly beaten egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried sage
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

1. Spray a baking sheet with Pam.
   
2. Whisk stock cube into egg. (Otherwise, you may end up with salty clumps of stock.)
3. Mix all the ingredients together.
4. Shape into small balls, about a tbsp each, and place on tray
   
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the temperature at the center of the biggest meatball is 160 degrees.
   

*I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, run through the food processor.

Sloppy Joe sauce

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small onion
1 14.5 oz can peas or peas and carrots, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 can low sodium V8 vegetable juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Over medium heat, cook the tomatoes, carrots and onions for about 10 minutes, until the carrots begin to yield to pressure.
2. Pour the tomato mixture and the remaining canned vegetables into a blender and purée.
3. Brown the ground meat in the olive oil. You can use the same pan.
4. Add the puréed veggies, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and sugar to the meat mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Add vegetable juice during the simmer to achieve a nice "sloppy" consistency.

Serve over whole wheat hamburger buns or pasta.

Hidden veggie pasta sauce

1/3 cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 calabaza or zucchini squash, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can of tomato paste
1 can V8 juice
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
(optional) 1 bag frozen meatballs

1. Steam cauliflower until tender, about 5 mins.
2. Puree cauliflower in a food processor or blender. (By the way, pureed cauliflower can be hidden in all sorts of foods, including pancakes and mac and cheese. Don't tell my kids!)
3. Cook onions, garlic and squash in olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
4. Puree squash mixture in a food processor or blender.
5. Bake meatballs according to package instructions. (I cut 5 minutes off the bake time, since the meatballs will continue to heat in the sauce.)
6. Mix all the ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil, and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

This is the veggie-est sneaky vegetable dish in my repertoire. Paired with the popular pasta shape of the day, my kids have no idea how much good stuff they're eating.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp raw sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 tbsp molasses
1 egg
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp vinegar

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, molasses, egg, oil and vinegar.*
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir lightly.
4. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat and reduce heat to medium.
5. Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each pancake. Spread the batter out so that each pancake is 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
6. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

*Buttermilk can be used in place of the milk and vinegar. I just never have any!

Serve with maple syrup. I'm always in search of healthy ways to sneak vegetables into my family's diet. My toddlers gobble these pancakes up! The whole wheat flour adds to the heartiness of this dish.