All Things Homely

Snack recipes for picky eaters

My son is a beige eater and has been since he was around 15 months old. He will eat the usual forms of carbohydrate – pasta, bread, rice, noodles, some limited fruits and most things sweet – but the very idea of vegetables sends him into a cold sweat. We have tried speaking with professionals and following the advice for picky eaters; no pressure, consistently serving vegetables, modelling eating said vegetables, making meal times fun. So far, nothing has worked.

So, I have resorted to clandestine measures.

Here are my tried and tested hidden veggies recipes, loved by both my kids (and my husband)!

Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls

This is a really quick and easy recipe, perfect for taking out and about. I often take some with me when picking the kids up from school as my son always comes out hungry.

I use tahini here because my children go to a nut free school, but you can always swap out for a nut butter of your choice.

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Approx. 130g Medjool dates
• 80g rolled oats processed to flour
• 1-2 tbsp Tahini
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 80g dark chocolate chips

1. Process the rolled oats until they resemble flour (about 3 minutes) in a food processor or blender. Pour into a large bowl and set aside
2. To the processor, add chickpeas, dates (softened in hot water for 10 minutes if needed), tahini, maple syrup, cocoa, salt and vanilla extract. You can use a high-speed blender but it will be difficult to get it as smooth.
3. Process for 5 – 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides with a spatula. When the consistency is nice and smooth, move to a large bowl and let the mixture cool.
4. Once cool, add the chocolate chips and mix. Roll into evenly sized balls (makes around 22 – 24 balls) and keep refrigerated.

Black Bean Brownies

• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 80g Medjool dates
• 80g rolled oats, blended to flour
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 85g (1/4 cup) maple syrup
• 55g (1/4 cup) coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 80g (1/2 cup) chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C and line a 8×8 square pan with baking parchment (you can also bake as little individual brownie log cakes or muffins, which are great for school lunchboxes – I have linked the silicone moulds I use at the bottom of the page).
2. Blend the oats until they resemble flour and pour into a large bowl.
3. Blend the dates, black beans, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
4. Add to the bowl with the oat flour, add the chocolate chips and mix.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes (if baking individual brownies, reduce cooking time to approximately 12-14 minutes). Insert a toothpick to check if it comes out clean.

You can refrigerate these for 3 to 5 days, or pop them in the freezer as a quick snack to add to lunchboxes.

Chocolate Fudge Lollipops

• 1 Ripe Avocado
• 2 Very Ripe Bananas
• 30g (1/4 cup packed) cocoa powder
• 120g (1/2 cup) milk of choice
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Blend the avocado and bananas with the cocoa powder, milk, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth.
2. Pour into lollipop moulds and freeze. It’s as easy as that!

The mix is so thick and creamy that it’s also wonderful simply eaten as a chocolate mousse. That’s what I do if I have any mixture left over.

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These Rectangle silicone moulds can be used to bake individual brownies. They are great because you don’t need to grease or line them before baking. And these lollipop moulds are similar to the ones I use.

There will be a part two (maybe more!) of this post, with more hidden veggie snack recipes, so keep an eye out. Happy snacking!