Please Don't Tell My Kids...

If you happen to bump into me in Wegman’s Market and my kids are with me, I beg of you, please don’t mention to them that they had yams for a snack. The look on their sweet little faces would give away the truth of the matter… that they had no idea they did, in fact, have yams for a snack.

You see, my three-year-old is probably the pickiest eater on the planet. He figured out, at a very early age, that green foods don’t necessarily taste as good as other foods. He won’t even try kiwi because it’s green! So, nary a green veggie… nary a veggie at all… has passed his lips in a long time. That is, unless I sneak it in there.

Butternut squash bread, pasta with chopped up wilted spinach, broccoli chopped up into molecular-level sized pieces in a quiche, I’ve even gone with V8 Splash juice… any way I can get some veggies into his tummy.

Sure, some of these aren’t as ideal as others… since something like butternut squash bread still has sugar in it. But a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. I figure a piece of slightly sweet bread that also has squash in it has to be better than a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast for breakfast. Right?

Hence, today’s recipe. A way to get some yams into him. Yes, even delicious yams are on his no-no list. This is a gluten free sweet potato muffin (ok, ok… yam muffin) with a walnut crumble on top.

For the yam, I just microwaved it. Take your lovely yam, wash and dry it. Prick all sides of it with a fork and place it on a paper towel lined, microwave safe plate. Nuke that little guy for 2 ½ minutes. Flip it upside down and nuke it again for another 2 ½ minutes. In the end you should have yourself a nicely cooked, vitamin packed yam. Let it cool, then peel and smash it. Now you’re ready to make your muffins!

So, we have a deal? You won’t tell my kids they had yams for a snack and, if you try this recipe on your own kids (or picky husband!), I won’t tell them, either.

Let the veggie sneaking…er, snacking… begin!

Sweet Potato Muffins (aka Yam Muffins) with Walnut Crumble

Crumble:

¼ cup GF Bisquick

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

2 Tbsp butter, cold

Batter:

1 ½ cups GF Bisquick

2 eggs

½ cup cooked, mashed yams

4 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with 12 paper liners.

Crumble: In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and Bisquick. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Place in fridge until ready to use.

Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, yams, brown sugar, butter, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add Bisquick until incorporated. Divide batter into paper liners. Spoon tablespoons of crumble over each muffin until all crumble is dispersed.

Bake for 20-24 minutes until set.