One long and frustrating day a year or so ago it hit me: if dip
is going to be a staple in my children’s diets, why don’t I use it as part of
my “Stealth Health” mission? (Stealth
Health defined: Actively seeking ways to counteract the
way-too-often chicken nugget and French fry consumption in an effort to be the
next “Mama of the Year”) Lucky for 99.9% of us mamas, we
didn’t pop out mini food connoisseurs. When it comes to ketchup, as long as it’s
red, tomatoey and squirts out of a ketchup-looking bottle, our kids are happy.
Same with ranch dressing. And that’s how Sweet Leigh Mama’s Super Secret Veggielicious
Faux-Ketchup was born. Here is the recipe – share it, Pin it, love it, live it!
And feel good knowing that at least those French fries are being dipped in the
most veggielicious dip possible : ) And Check back soon for another Stealth
Health recipe: Sweet Leigh Mama’s Super-Secret Protein-Fabulous Faux-Ranch
Sweet Leigh Mama’s Super-Secret
Veggielicious Faux-Ketchup
Note: Because this
faux-ketchup contains no extra preservatives, you may not get through the
bottle before it needs to be replaced. I remake the faux-ketchup every two
weeks, discarding the leftovers from the previous batch. We eat a lot of
ketchup, so we do come close to finishing a batch : )
- 1 can (15 oz) of sliced beets, drained (sub fresh beets if you are a super mama). Keep the beet juice to add later on.
- 1 can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes (just the plain, no salt added, no flavoring kind – and definitely not Rotel unless you’re trying to burn your kids tongue off)
- 1 can (15 oz) of sliced carrots, drained (sub fresh carrots if you are a super mama)
- A splash of apple cider vinegar
- Onion powder, salt & pepper to taste
- A blender
Put all ingredients into blender and puree until it is 100%
smooth. No lumps or bumps. Add the beet juice as needed to thin out your
faux-ketchup and make it as close to the consistency of real ketchup as
possible. Sprinkle onion powder, salt & pepper to taste. Carefully transfer
faux-ketchup into the ketchup container (I use a funnel with a large opening).