Beetroot Almond Chapati

It is very difficult to make toddlers eat vegetables that are healthy. I always trick my son into eating healthy vegetables by making it as a puree in chapati. He loves coloured chapatis very much and finds it very interesting. He fondly calls this "Red" Chapati. This is healthy and colourful all at the same time and we parents can happily make it without any guilt. Kids find it very attractive and colourful and hence finish it in no time.

Recently I had come across few online products where they market readymade multigrains wheat flour for toddlers at sky rocketing price. Why buy it at such high price when making this at home is very easy and cost effective. Nothing like making healthy and yummy food for your kid all by yourself.

This contains goodness of beetroot and almond. Vegetable pureed chapatis are generally very soft and hence, kids enjoy it very much.

My son loves this recipe and I will share this fool proof recipe. I have used Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Atta and find it really good. The chapatis turn out very soft and fluffy. I have used kashmiri red chili powder as they aren't very spicy. This gives nice colour to the chapati without adding spice.

Serves: 14-15 chapatis

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat Flour - 1.5 cups
2. Almond Flour (Blanched/Unblanched) - 1/2 cup
3. Beetroot - 1 small or 1/2 of large
4. Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
5. Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
6. Salt - 2 tsp
7. Needed water for kneading the dough
8. Oil - 2 tsp for coating the dough
9. Ghee for final garnish

Method

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together - Flour, salt,cumin and red chili powder well.

2. Peel the beetroot, slice it and pressure cook for 3 whistles with 1 cup of water. After the beetroot cools down, puree the beetroot. Reserve the cooked water for kneading if required. You can even drink it as it is very healthy.

                                      

3. Add the puree to the dough and knead well. Add water depending on the consistency. It should be a smooth pliable dough. Knead well for solid 5 mins. Coat the dough with 2 tsp of oil and cover it with moist cloth.

                                    

4. After 30 mins, roll them into round chapatis and toss it on tawa.

5. You can either directly cook on tawa using ghee or try the phulka method as shown here.

6. Soft Beetroot Almond Chapati is ready. I roll it with honey and give it to my son. He loves having it that way. Elders can have it with any accompaniment of your choice and it tastes great with just a plain curd :)

Lehsuni Green Moong Tadka

Another healthy and protein packed side dish that goes well with both rice and Rotis. This is very simple and easy to make at one shot in a cooker. I prepare this quite often when am bored with the traditional yellow toor dhal. This also appeases your hunger and makes u feel full for long time. This in turn helps you from over eating and restricting you to eat healthy and in correct quantity.

This is a tadka dish, where spicy garlic and red chili sauteed in Ghee is tempered for the final presentation and taste. You can skip this step if in case you want a less spicy dish in order to make it kids friendly.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1. Whole Green Gram - 3/4 cup
2. Water - 1.5 cups
3. Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
4. Onions - 1 big (chopped)
5. Cumin - 1 tsp
6. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
7. Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
9. Jeera - 1 tsp
10. Oil - 2 tsp
11. Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
12. Crushed Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp
13. Needed Salt

Tadka Tempering

1. Ghee - 1 tbsp
2. Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
4. Garlic Pods - 6 (chopped as shown in pic)
5. Red Chili - 2

Method

1. Soak Green gram in water for minimum of 4 hours. After soaking, drain the water.

2. Take a pressure pan, add oil and cumin. Once the cumin splutters, add onion and saute well until onion turns transparent.

3. Now add tomatoes and give it a nice mix until it gets mushy. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a min.

4. Add the soaked and drained green gram, water, salt and all the powders.

5. Pressure cook the contents for 4 whistles on a low medium flame and then switch off .

6. Open the pressure cooker, add crushed kasuri methi and give a nice mix to the well cooked green gram.

7. In a frying pan, heat ghee.Add some chili powder and garam masala.Add chopped garlic, red chili and fry until garlic turns light golden brown.

8. Now add the tadka tempering to the the cooked dal.

9. Serve hot with chapati or Steamed Rice, Pulao anything of your choice.

Vegetable Moong Dal Fry

One of the easiest and healthiest side dish that can be made in a jiffy. This can also be given to kids if you reduce the amount of spice being added as this is full of proteins.

You can have this for both rice as well as Roti/Chapati and Naan. This is OPOS - One pot one shot cooking and hence it is really easy and convenient for me to make this after I return from office. This has goodness of all vegetables as well:) I often make this at home when I am in loss of time or feel extremely bored.

Let's quickly jump into the recipe.

                               

Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients

1. Moong Dal - 1.5 cups
2. Water - 3 cups
3. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
4. Green Chili - 1
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
6. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
7. Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
8. Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
9. Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
10. Ghee/Oil - 1 tbsp
11. Bay Leaf - 1
12. Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp
13. Coriander leaves for garnishing

Vegetables - Anything of your choice

• Cauliflower florets - 5
• Carrot - 1 (chopped)
• Capsicum - 1/2 (Chopped)
• Baby corn - 4 (round)
• Tomato - 2 Big (chopped)
• Onion - 1 Big

Method

1. Take a cooker, add ghee and jeera. Once the cumin seeds splutter, add onions, chili and Bay leaf. Saute well until onions turns translucent.

                               

2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for about a min.

3. Add all other veggies along with all the "powders".

                               

4. Add moong dal and water along with salt.

                                   

5. Stir the contents well and pressure cook for about 4 whistles.

6. Let the pressure settle on its own. Open the cooker. Add some crushed kasuri methi leaves.

7. Give a Nice mix. If required, adjust water and salt according to the consistency needed.

                               

8. Serve hot garnished with coriander and tasty Veg Dal Fry is ready in a jiffy. :)

Vegan Banana Bread

I have been googling a lot to find some healthy snack options for my kid which I can pack for him and send it to school. That is when I bumped on to this recipe. I am an amateur baker and still learning. I have had my bad day at baking where my cake has been either burnt or got hard or never raised. I am still figuring out the various reasons and nuances of baking and trying to fine tune the art of baking. This is a recipe picked from Veg Recipes of India and you can refer the recipe here.

I don't have an OTG and am using a normal convection mode Panasonic microwave oven. The cakes baked from OTG definitely looks more professional in terms of texture and color compared to convection oven cooking. Still, you can achieve a close enough texture and softness from convection oven by following proper tips, understanding your oven and setting the right temperature.

Baking to me has always been like a chemistry lab experiment, you add the right ingredients in right amount and there you have the final output :P:P I generally haven't had the courage to play around with ingredients due to the fear of they not turning out properly. In the picture, I have used granulated white sugar. But I suggest you to use unrefined brown sugar or cane sugar instead to make it a healthy option for kids.

This recipe turned out really well for me and my kid also loved it. I will share certain tips that I followed to prevent major mishaps while baking in order to get a smooth soft cake. Follow the exact steps and ingredient amounts to get it perfect. :)

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat flour - 3/4 cup
2. All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
3. 4 medium sized over ripe bananas
4. Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
5. Unrefined sugar/cane sugar - 3/4 cup
6. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
7. Cinnamon Powder - 3/4 tsp
8. Baking Powder - 1.5 tsp
9. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Take a bowl and mash the banana and sugar together into a puree using hand blender or even mixer. I have used White sugar here, but pls substitute with unrefined brown/cane sugar for kids as its healthy.

                           

2. Add  cinnamon powder and Vanilla extract to the puree for flavour enhancement.

3. Add olive oil. This provides the extra softness to the cake as this an eggless cake.

4. Sieve the flour (Maida+Whole Wheat Atta) and add it to the above wet ingredients.

5. Mix the batter using (Cut and Fold Method) to ensure the wet and dry ingredients are combined evenly. Do not over do it. Stop when both wet and dry ingredients have combined in right proportion.

6. Grease and dust a bread loaf pan with flour, transfer the bread batter to the pan. Tap twice and level it.

7. Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 10 mins. After the preheat temperature is set, cook the batter for 40 mins.

Tip 1: After first 20 mins of baking, cover the top of the pan with a wet cloth or wet butter paper. This is done to allow the centre of the batter to get cooked without burning the top. The centre takes long for getting cooked. Wet the cloth/paper every now and then and place it on the top to prevent burning through the entire baking process. The browning of top varies from oven to oven. So if you feel the browning of top happens quickly, then start covering the top much earlier.

Tip 2: After 40 mins, insert a toothpick in the middle of the bread and take it out. If it comes out clean, then the bread has been cooked well and you can remove it from oven.

If not, bake for another 10 more mins and repeat the toothpick step.

8. Allow the bread to cool down on its own completely and remove it from the loaf pan by inverting it.

9. You can store this cake in fridge in an airtight container for about 5 days. Warm the cake  before serving :):)

Sprouted Green Moong and Vegetable salad

A healthy, protein rich nutritious salad that has all the flavours balanced perfectly. This can make a great evening snack or a satisfying breakfast. My mother often makes this and pack it for my lunch. Just love the way she prepares this. 

This also has goodness of all raw vegetables thereby increasing the fiber content. A delectable tasty salad that is absolutely sin free and satiates your hunger instantly keeping you full for long time. I have described in details about how to sprout green gram here. This is an ideal salad for weight loss and people who are trying to build muscles.

Serves:4 small bowls

Ingredients

1. Sprouted green gram-2 cups
2. Onions - 1 medium sized
3. Banglore Tomatoes - 1 big/medium sized
4. Carrot- 1 small/medium sized
5. Capsicum - 1/4 cup (chopped)
6. Cucumber - 1/2 cup (chopped)
7. Baby corn - 4 (sliced round round)
8. Green Chili - 1 finely chopped (optional)
9. Pomegranate pearls - 3 tbsp
10. Red chili powder-1/4 tsp
11. Chat Masala Powder - 1 tsp
12. Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
13. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
14. Salt as needed
15. Black salt as needed
16. Coriander for garnishing

                                 

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients mentioned under ingredient list in a mixing bowl,

2. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and serve fresh.

Kabuli Channa Salad (Black Channa Salad)

Black channa is definitely a healthy option when compared to white channa due to presence of high fiber in it. Presence of high fibre helps you keep satiated for long hours. Also, helps in bowel movement and indirectly in weight reduction. Low in carb, absolutely vegan,no fat and high protein and fibre makes this an ideal snack for weight loss. A complete sin-free and tasty indulgence.

Serves:2

Ingredients

1. Uncooked Black chana/chickpeas - 1 cup
2. Onions - 1 small/medium sized
3. Banglore Tomatoes - 1 big/medium sized
4. Carrot- 1/4 cup chopped
5. Capsicum - 1/4 cup (chopped)
6. Cucumber - 1/4 cup (chopped)
7. Raw mango - 1/4 cup (chopped)
8. Red chili powder-1/2 tsp
9. Chat Masala Powder - 1 tsp
10. Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
11. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
12. Crushed Mint leaves - few
13. Salt as needed
14. Black salt as needed

Method

1. Soak the channa overnight for about 8-9 hours.

2. Pressure cook channa with 2 tsp salt and enough water for 7 whistles.

3. Drain the cooked chickpeas/channa.

4. Mix all the ingredients mentioned along with black channa. Crushed pudhina leaves add nice aroma and flavour to this salad.

5. Enjoy snacking this healthy salad.

Dal Methi Soup - Vendhayakeerai Soup

This is a very healthy and nutritious soup that can be given to lactating mothers and toddlers as well. Fenugreek leaves are known to boost milk production for breastfeeding mothers. This is absolutely kids friendly. I gave this to my son and he simply loved this soup.

Due to the inherent bitter taste that it posses, it is highly good for Diabetic patients. It also lowers cholesterol, increases blood circulation thereby giving a good skin. The advantages are numerous and goes on...:)

Methi/Fenugreek leaves can be used in different forms like for paratha, gravy, Pulao etc. I will soon post more recipes on Methi/Fenugreek.

Ingredients

Serves:3 bowls

Ingredients

1. Fenugreek leaves - 1 cup tightly packed
2. Butter/Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp
3. Yellow Moong Dal - 3 tbsp
4. Tomato- 1 Big (chopped)
5. Onion - 1 medium size (chopped)
6. Garlic Pods - 3
7. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
8. Salt as per taste

Method

1. Rinse the fenugreek leaves well and strain them.

2. Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add onions and garlic and saute well until it becomes transparent.

3. Add fenugreek leaves, moong dal and tomatoes and saute for about 2 mins on low flame.

4. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

5. Let the pressure release, allow the contents to cool down and then grind the contents in a mixer. Adjust adding water depending on the consistency required.

6. Heat the ground mixture in a pan with needed salt and pepper.

7. Dal Methi Soup is ready to be consumed hot.

Sauteing

Pressure cook

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. I have not ground the the contents in a mixer. Instead, I have just smashed the contents after pressure cook and added water to adjust the consistency.

2. If you are giving it for kids,  grind the contents in a mixer and then give.

Cauliflower Soup With Caramelized Onions and Roasted Walnuts

Did you know that a boiled and smashed cauliflower can be a very good vegan substitute to a cheese?? Oh yes, I once tried this cauliflower soup and gave it to my sister and immediately she asked me have you added cheese to it?? it looks so cheesy and creamy..:) Now doesn't that sound interesting. Highly healthy and a low carb vegetable can easily be made to replace a cheese. This soup is again another dish to my low-carb series. This is extremely creamy, tastes great and also low in calories. Satiates your hunger and keeps you full in just 2 bowls. What more do you need for an ideal weight loss. Go ahead and try the soup right away which is so simple, comforting and tasty. This is also kid's friendly and can be given to toddlers above 1 year.

serves:2

Ingredients

1. cauliflower florets - 1 cup
2. Onion-1 (thinly sliced)
3. sugar - 1 tsp
4. salt - 1 tsp
5. Walnuts - 1 tbsp
6. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
7. Garlic pods - 4
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Water - 2 cups + 1 cup

Sauteing of cauliflower and garlic in Olive Oil

                           

Caramelised Onions and Roasted Walnuts

Method

1. soak cauliflower in water for 2 mins. If there are any worms, it would come out. Wash the cauliflower once again.

2. Saute the florets with garlic pods in olive oil for 2 mins in a pan or cooker.

3. Pressure cook for 3 whistles with 2 cups of water. Allow the contents to cool down.

4. Strain the contents and blend them at high speed in a mixer.

5. Transfer the puree to a pan. Add 1 cup of water if required depending on the consistency required for a creamy texture.

6. Add the required amount of salt and pepper and simmer the soup for 5 mins.

Seasoning

• Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and walnuts and roast them on low flame. Add a tsp of sugar and tsp of salt.
• Keep stirring occasionally until the onions shrink and turn in golden brown color as shown in the picture.

Serving suggestion

Add the soup to a bowl, top it with some caramelized onions and walnuts. Serve hot with toasted breads and it tastes just yummmmm. :)

Roasted Red Pumpkin Soup

Red pumpkin is not all that common ingredient in our kitchen. I have not been used t eating this as neither my mom nor my MIL cook red pumpkins. I happened to see the roasted pumpkin soup on TASTY and decided to try it. Luckily, my SIL had bought some fresh organic home grown red pumpkin from her hometown which prompted me to try it right away.

This a very comforting soup especially in winters. It is kids friendly and can be easily given to toddlers above 12 months. This has a mild sweet taste very similar to carrots. Filled with Carotenoid and antioxidants, this a great power booster with high fiber and low calories. Now, doesn't that sound too interesting!!!!

Some of the summarized advantages of Red Pumpkin Soup

• High Fiber and hence satiates appetite quickly and for long hours keeping you full
• Extremely low in calories, hence a sin free indulgence and aids very good weight loss
• Rich in antioxidants and carotenoid
• Overall a power packed,comforting,easy to make and a tasty soup.

Ingredients

1. Red Pumpkin - 2 cups (chopped into cubes as shown in pic)
2. Water - 2 cups + 1 cup
3. Garlic pods - 4
4. Olive oil - 2 tbsp
5. Mixed Italian herbs seasoning - 2 tsp
6. Salt and Pepper as required

Method

1. Saute Red pumpkin and garlic in olive oil for 2 mins under medium low flame for the raw flavor of pumpkin to go off.

2. Pressure cook with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.

3. Open after the pressure subsides and allow the contents to cool.

4. Grind the contents to smooth puree in a blender.

5. Transfer the puree to a pan, add 1 more cup of water and adjust water content if required depending on the consistency of the soup required. Do not add too much water that it becomes watery.

6. Add needed salt and pepper as per taste.

7. sprinkle some mixed Italian herbs and serve hot with toasted bread slices.

Green Moong Dal and Oats Adai

Never knew a dish which is too good for health can even be tasty until I had this. This is an amazing low carb recipe which satiates your hunger and keeps you full for long hours. Highly rich in proteins and fiber, this aids in weight loss amazingly.There are innumerable benefits of green moong which you can check here. I generally make this for dinner as soon as I come from office. I soak them in the morning and grind them to make a tasty adai batter for dinner. Traditionally, they add some rice while grinding the batter make it more crispier. I have skipped it as this is completely low carb making it a guilt free indulgence. Let's look into the preparation of this healthy adai. This tastes best with coconut chutney,avial or even just plain butter.

Serves: 4 adai/pancakes

Ingredients

1. Green Moong Dhal - 3/4 cup
2. Oats - 2 tbsp (I used normal Quaker oats available at supermarket)
3. Green chili - 1 big
4. coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (chopped)
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Jeera - 2 tsp
7. Onion - 1 big (chopped)
8. Needed salt

Ingredients

Soaked green moong and oats

Method

1. Soak green moong and oats together with 1.25 cups of water for minimum of 4 hours.

2. Strain them after it has absorbed all water. Grind them with chili and ginger to a fine batter. Do not add any water while grinding. Let the batter be thick.

3. Add chopped onions,coriander leaves and cumin seeds and needed salt to the batter. Mix well.

4. Heat a iron girdle, once hot, take a ladle of the batter and pour it on the girdle. Spread them gently into small thick round shapes. Allow them to cook on a low flame for 5 mins. Drizzle some Olive or Coconut oil on the sides.

5. After 5 mins, flip the adai gently on to next side and cook again until the batter is cooked well.

6. Hot tasty adai is ready to served with your favorite accompaniment.

Batter ready!!!!!

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. You can also grind the coriander leaves along with batter if you do not want to add it separately.
2. Cooking of adai takes a long time than dosa as it is a thick batter. For better results, cover them with a lid to speeden up the cooking process.
3. I have paired it with oats, but trust me, you can add any accompaniment of your choice like kollu(horsegram), quinoa,chickpea,millet etc. Soak whatever you like along with green moong and grind them together.

Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera, is probably one of the most healthiest version of Pasta.There is no separate sauce required for making this pasta.It is a combination of fresh vegetables sauteed with minced garlic and Olive Oil.It is very simple and easy to make.Traditionally, Parmesan cheese is added to it as a final topping. I have skipped adding cheese as I wanted to keep it vegan and healthy. Also, I have added balsamic vinegar for additional flavor and taste. 

The taste and flavor to this pasta comes from the fusion of fresh roasted vegetables in herbed olive oil and garlic with balsamic vinegar .

Indulge in this sin free healthilicious Italian Treat.

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

1. Extra Virgin Olive Oil/ normal edible Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
2. Durum Wheat Pasta - 1.5 cups  
3. Balsamic Vinegar - 1 tbsp 
4. Mixed Italian seasoning - 2 tsp or more depending on taste
5. Garlic - 4 pods (minced finely)
6. Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetables

• Broccoli - 6-7 florets
• Red Bell Pepper - 1 small (cut into julienne)
• Yellow Bell Pepper - 1 small (cut into julienne)
• Baby corn - 4 (slit length wise)
• Onion - 1 small (cut lengthwise)
• Tomato - 1 large or 2 small (chopped finely)
• American sweet corn- 2 tbsp

Method

1. Boil broccoli and baby corn for about 2 mins with tsp of salt. Strain them and keep it aside. Cook Pasta till Al Dente and keep aside.

2. Take a pan, add olive oil. Add some minced garlic and onion and saute till nice aroma and onions turn translucent on a medium flame.

3. Add all the veggies (other than broccoli and baby corn) and saute for 2 mins with some salt, pepper and mixed herb seasoning. Ensure the flame low-medium and not high.

4. Now add broccoli and baby corn and cook for 5 more mins. Ensure that all the veggies are nicely cooked and covered in herb flavored Olive oil and garlic.

5. Now add the cooked pasta and saute well. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and toss well so that the pasta is covered uniformly blended well with the aromatic flavored vegetables.

6. Drizzle some more olive oil and serve it piping hot with slice of bread or Soups.

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. You can add any veggies of your choice and any number of vegetables. Absolutely left to your convenience.
2. You can add some grated Parmesan or any other cheese on top before serving.