Vegetables In Baked Goods

In most baked goods, such as these chocolate zucchini loaves, carrot cake, pumpkin muffins, and potato bread, the vegetables cannot really be tasted. They add moistness and maybe a little flavor and texture to the baked good, but by no means do you start to think your baked good is being taken over by vegetables. This is true for most vegetables used in baked goods, though some are stronger than others. Vegetables such as spinach, beets, cauliflower, and broccoli can be pureed and added to baked goods, but only remain unnoticeable when used in very small amounts. Other vegetables such as carrot, zucchini, and pumpkin can be used in larger quantities without the vegetable taste coming through. It is always good to use vegetables in baked goods, they add many nutrients and keep baked goods moist. There are quite a few cookbooks and recipe websites out there dedicated to concealing vegetables in baked goods. This is for a variety of different reasons: trying to make baked goods healthier, trying to get kids to eat their vegetables, saving money, adding moistness, using up foods, eating locally, etc. Most of the vegetables are added to the baked goods in pureed form, usually they are briefly par-boiled or steamed, and then pureed in a blended or with a hand-held immersion blender, maybe adding a little water to thin or lemon juice to prevent browning. Vegetable purees will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, they also freeze well in airtight containers or sealed plastic bags. For small amounts, freeze them in ice cub trays. They only need a few hours or overnight to thaw out in the refrigerator, but often they can be successfully microwaved to thaw if you need to use them immediately. Vegetables can also be grated, chopped, or shredded, but they are usually more noticeable this way, depending on the vegetable. Purees can be added to just about anything - pancakes, muffins, cookies, hamburgers, cakes, brownies, macaroni and cheese, even grilled cheese sandwiches. The trick is to use them sparingly at first, and gradually add more as you go along, to ensure it stays unnoticeable. Also, try to match the vegetable you use with the food by color and taste, choose mild tasting vegetables for light foods with not a lot of flavor, and the stronger vegetables can be used in rich foods. For example, I have seen many chocolate cake recipes with beets in them - the strong taste of chocolate masks the strong flavor of beets. You wouldn't want to add beets to pancakes though, unless you would like to make your pancakes a lovely shade of pink. Butternut squash is a good choice for stirring into macaroni and cheese, it blends in nicely with the color of the cheese. And although this does not sound like a likely combination, spinach brownies can be successful too. Don't forget about fruits, they work well in baked goods too, and still add nutrients and moistness. They are also often sweeter than vegetables, so you can use less sugar. They also tend to taste better with sweet things, so you can use them in greater quantities. We all love banana bread, and and apple cookies, and have you ever tried pineapple brownies? Often times fruits and vegetables can help cut back on the amounts of sugar and fat normally used in the recipe. Applesauce is an excellent example, as it is often used to reduce or completely replace oil in baked goods. The key to using vegetables and fruits in your baked goods is just to experiment. Don't be afraid to try something strange, you may end up with a new favorite like cauliflower cookies or spinach squares!

PHOTO CREDIT:"vegetables-581" http://free-extras.com/images/vegetables-581.htm  .Free Extras, n.d. Friday, August 10, 2012.