What if your favorite comfort foods quietly delivered a boost of veggies without the struggle at the table? We dive into Heidi Herman’s Hidden Vegetable Cookbook and share a hands-on review from a busy, family kitchen: what wowed us, what needed tweaks, and how the color-coded system of core prep techniques turns big ideas into simple steps. From roasting and pureeing to freezing and juicing, we break down how to stock your fridge with ready-to-use vegetable building blocks.
You’ll hear how spinach buns won over skeptical kids even after we overdid the greens, why beet-packed beef bourguignon became a stealth-nutrition favorite, and how a clever Salisbury steak flips the script by hiding spinach in the gravy instead of the meat. We also talk through a pumpkin pull-apart loaf adapted for a nut allergy and the cozy charm of butternut squash molasses cookies that bake up soft and cakey with a swipe of cream cheese icing. Along the way, we highlight the nutrition notes contributed by a registered dietitian and explain how those insights help you choose the right vegetable for the right job.
This is a slow-cooking, cozy-living kind of cookbook—perfect for Sundays, batch prep, and anyone who loves building flavor over time. If weeknights are hectic, we share practical ways to make it work: roast and puree on the weekend, freeze portions, and drop them into weeknight sauces, breads, and desserts without changing the taste. By the end, you’ll have a playbook of ideas to fold spinach into gravy, beets into stews, and squash into cookies, raising the nutrient floor of your meals while keeping every bite comforting and familiar.
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