Both Jessica Seinfeld and Missy Chase Lapine have broken the law of parental ómerta by divulging the secret of hiding vegetables in macaroni and cheese. And they've both broken the law of nature that prohibits spinach from touching chocolate. The controversial similarities between the two books are ultimately for lawyers to worry about; what interests us is, whose recipes taste better?

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It's hard to screw up breakfast, but my family wasn't crazy about Lapine's Popeye's Eggs (with "green" purée) and found her butternut French toast lacking. Seinfeld's toast was also squash-laden, but twice as eggy and a perfect autumn treat (and with the optional flax meal, a nutritional powerhouse). Seinfeld's fluffy scrambled eggs with cauliflower purée were also pretty great. But Lapine's "Extra-Sneaky Breakfast Ice Cream," which folds avocado into a mixture of frozen berries and yogurt, was so good that even I had trouble remembering how healthy it was, and I made it. Seinfeld's take paled in comparison.

DIY pizza is popular around here, so it was no surprise that Seinfeld's Pita Pizzas, with a secret layer of spinach purée under bottled tomato sauce and cheese, went over well at lunch. But Lapine's Packed Pizza Bagels were even better: homemade tomato sauce with bean and vegetable purées that left us reconsidering our own recipe. On the other hand, Lapine's quesadillas were boring, while Seinfeld's had beans and chicken tucked inside with the cheese and veggie goop. If only Seinfeld's guacamole hadn't been so lame: Lapine's was so good we made more. Later on we tried a couple desserts, but concluded that as spinach should never touch chocolate, chocolate chip cookies should never involve beans.

Who wins? Seinfeld's book has a visual edge, while Lapine's is more informative. But even though the two books share more than a nutritional philosophy, the quality of the recipes in both is awfully  inconsistent. A die-hard food-hider would be hard-pressed to choose. — Patti Nichols