If Oprah likes it, it must be good.

So remember all that talk of work and school and the hubby - well kind of the reason why I haven't blogged much lately. Sorry about that. I'll try to sleep less.

Anywho - I couldn't sleep again on Saturday night. Surprise surprise. (I know, I should have been blogging, but I was in bed and my laptop was all the way downstairs. So there.) So as Mr. Johnson lay in a dead sleep next to me, I flipped between Jon Bon Jovi hosting SNL (I know, right?), and a replay of Oprah (I know, right?). Oprah won.

So what could tear me away from the acting genius that is Bon Jovi? Believe it or not, it was a cook book, Deceptively Delicious, on how to "sneak" vegetables into meals, specifically targeted towards kids.

I know this might seem like an odd intrigue for someone without kids, and well, a vegetarian (a lot her recipes include meat). But it was her main solution to sneak in the veggies that sucked me in: purees. And not only purees, but pre-packaged wonderful little colored bags of goodness. I'm known to prewash, cut and bag my veggies, so seeing this was like heaven! I think I may have to buy it for the spinach brownies alone. Oh wait, she posted the recipe on Oprah's site!

Brownies (with Carrot and Spinach)
Created by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, that Seinfeld),
From the book Deceptively Delicious
Makes 12 brownies

Brownies (with Carrot and Spinach) These brownies fool everyone! You won't believe how scrumptious they are (or how good they are for you) until you make them yourself. Just don't serve them warm—it's not until they're completely cool that the spinach flavor totally disappears.

INGREDIENTS

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
* 1/2 cup carrot puree
* 1/2 cup spinach puree
* 1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2 Tbsp. trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
* 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
* 2 large egg whites
* 3/4 cup oat flour or all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.


2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or over a very low flame.


3. In a large bowl, combine the melted chocolate, vegetable purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.


4. Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.


5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars.

Oprah couldn't stop eating these - although I don't know if that is a testament to the brownies or not.

I was also pleasantly surprised when I went to the book's website. Super super cute!