Veggie Smuggling - Chicken Sausage Rolls

I have been veggie smuggling my butt off this last week trying to convince our four year old that veggies are indeed a nice thing to eat.  I will be posting my successes in the hope that it helps other parents feed their veggie-denying offspring:) 

Thanks to the website Vegie Smugglers I have found a great deal of clever recipes on how to smuggle veggies. I must say I was completely dubious about the whole process. If my four year old even gets a whiff/eye boggle/hint of any vegetable on her plate, she will refuse to carry on with dinner.  At times she will even dry reach *sigh*  BUT these recipes work. I can't believe it.  I think the secret to it is wazzing it in a food processor.  If you don't have a food processor use a grater.  The other thing I found with these recipes is that they are not as time consuming as I first thought, seeing as you can cut veggies into lumps and throw them in the food processor - usually together.

The following is the 4 year old's favourite recipe based on the Vegiesmuggles recipe of Sausage Rolls.  The other thing I have found is that the adults also like these recipes. Very tasty:)

CHICKEN SAUSAGE ROLLS

5 sheets frozen puff pastry

500g chicken mince

1 carrot, peeled, wazzed in the food processor

1 zucchini,  wazzed in the food processor 

1 onion,  wazzed in the food processor 

400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained

1 egg

2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil and chives are good)

Salt & black pepper

1 egg, whisked, for glazing

Preheat oven to 200C. Lay out your pastry sheets on a bench. Cut each in half to make 2 rectangles.

Mix together all the remaining ingredients until combined

.

Spread the mixture lengthwise along the middle of the rectangles. Ease pastry over from one edge, brush egg along top side then roll other edge over to seal.

If cooking immediately, cut each stick into 4 pieces, place on an oven tray lined with baking paper, brush with egg and cook in middle of the oven for 25 minutes until golden and cooked through.

I froze most of these. I kept the sticks whole, wrapped them immediately in plastic wrap and froze immediately.  To thaw, put in fridge 24 hours ahead of cooking.  This is important!! I accidentally took them straight from the freezer and put them in the oven and they turned into a sloppy mess:(  Once thawed, cut into four pieces, brush with egg and cook as per normal.

MAKES 10 STICKS (40 PIECES)