Makes 16 to 18 large cookies

2 cups whole grain cereal flakes (such as Wheaties or Total)
¾ cup Flour Blend (¼ cup white flour, ¼ cup whole wheat flour, and ¼ cup wheat germ)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾  cup low-fat ricotta cheese
Cinnamon sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or spray with oil).

Using a rolling pin, gently crush the cereal (in a sealed plastic bag) into coarsely crushed flakes. Alternatively, you can quickly pulse the cereal in a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together Flour Blend, crushed cereal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, oil, vanilla, and ricotta cheese. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Drop single tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch between cookies. Flatten cookies with the back of a fork and then sprinkle tops generously with cinnamon sugar (or just sugar if your kids don’t like the cinnamon flavor). Bake about 18 to 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and crispy around the edges.
 

*Sneaky Chef’s Make Ahead Recipe -- White Bean Puree:

1 15-ounce can white beans (great northern, navy, butter or cannellini)
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Rinse and drain the beans and put in the bowl of your food processor. Pulsing in on/off turns, puree the drained beans with just 1 tablespoon of water in processor until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. The goal is a smooth, but not wet, puree. (You are aiming for the consistency of peanut butter.) If necessary, thin with a little more water by one teaspoonful at a time until there are no flecks of whole beans visible.

Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze ¼ cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers. Makes about 1 cup of puree.

Double this recipe if you want to store another cup of puree.

*Sneaky Chef’s Make-Ahead Recipe -- White Puree:

2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary

Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.

While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.

Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze ¼ cup portions in sealed plastic bags or the small plastic containers.

© Missy Chase Lapine, all rights reserved.

A Must-have for Parents! April 4, 2007 "Wow! I bought this book and tried out a couple of recipes right away... my kids wolfed down the spaghetti (with hidden sweet potatoes) and later the mac and cheese (with hidden cauliflower). Couldn't be simpler! This book is an absolute god-send for parents. I'd recommend it for anyone who has finicky kids (or even for adults -- I can't wait to try the Brainy Brownies.)" - Maugham Fan "Guin"

"In my world, ingredients and presentation are everything. In Missy's world - where she's helping kids to eat healthier - the same rules actually apply, but it's trickier because kids have their own idiosyncratic ideas about what looks and tastes good. I am very impressed with the way she has artfully disguised the best ingredients inside interesting recipes that children will enjoy eating. I think The Sneaky Chef is a brilliant and timely concept, yet one that is not easy to execute. Missy, however, is the one person who can turn it into a household name. Her creative genius and knowledge base are the two things that will make this book, in my opinion, an outstanding success." - World-renowned chef, DANIEL BOULUD

"As parents and doctors, we are always seeking real life solutions to the problem of getting our kids to eat healthier. We attended a cooking workshop with Missy Chase Lapine and the results were absolutely amazing. This woman has mastered the art of sneaking foods into meals that the kids normally wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Not only that, she made it incredibly easy to incorporate these methods into our busy lives. She has changed mealtime for our family. We've been referring our friends to her workshops, and now we will enthusiastically recommend this book to them and to our patients. We honestly believe that this book is indispensable for any parent who cares about their kid's health." - ANASTASSIOS KOUMBOURLIS, M.D., M.P.H., Chief, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Schneider Children's Hospital, and PETRA KAUFMANN, M.D., M. SC., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Columbia University