Rice with Fried Potato

Kids need a bundle of energy as they are always on their heels.  I present another great meal for your child especially for the fussy eaters. Rice and Potato are a great source of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate would fuel them up. You may serve this with a single serving of any vegetable soup. The presentation and taste would encourage them to keep asking for more. The same can be given in the tiffin. Lets see how this dish is ready in minutes.

Ingredients -

Steamed Rice - 1 small bowl
Butter - 2-3 tblspns
Parsley - a bit chopped
Potatoes - 1 large
Olive oil - 3-4 tblspn
salt - to taste

Method -

Prepare steam rice as usual.
Mix butter and place it in a bowl.
Press the rice with the back of spoon.
Invert the rice carefully on the serving plate.

Parboil the potato.
Peel and cut roundels.
On a non stick pan drizzle olive oil and place the potato slices.
Cook till reddish and done.
Sprinkle salt and arrange on the serving plate as shown in the pic.
Garnish with chopped parsley.

Note- Ensure the steamed rice has salt added to it.

Chicken-Egg-Veggie Sandwich for kids

Tiffin Time, Tea Time Snack or Breakfast - a great option to serve the kids is this sandwich full of protein made from chicken eggs and vegetables served with potato fries would give them enough energy to be on their heels. Packed with nutrients is this easy to assemble sandwich.

Ingredients -

Sandwich bread - 2 slices

Red ripe tomatoes - 1 large

Egg hard boiled - 1

Iceberg Lettuce - 8-10 leaves

Chicken Breast boneless - 1

Butter - as required

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Potato Fries - one portion

Method -

Pressure cook chicken breast with little salt and 1/2 cup water.

After one whistle lower the flame and let it cook for 5-8 minutes.

Wash lettuce well and dip it in ice-cold water.

Cut tomatoes into roundels

Cut egg into thin slice.

Cut chicken breast into thin slice.

Drain the lettuce leaves.

Butter all the bread slices from both sides.

Layer the first bread with lettuce

Top it with chicken slice.

Sprinkle little salt and pepper.

Top it with egg slice.

Sprinkle little salt and pepper.

Arrange a bread slice on it.

Again top it with lettuce.

Top it with tomato slice.

Sprinkle salt.

Finally top it with a bread slice.

Grill the sandwich till the grill mark appears on the bread.

Insert a toothpick to keep things into place.

Serve hot with potato fries.

Rice and Oats Cutlets

Surprise your guests by turning these left overs into tasty tea-time bites. Left over rice can be used to prepare cutlets. Combined with roasted oats it's a healthy combination. One can have it for evening snack or kids can take this in the tiffin. Let's see how it's made.

INGREDIENTS-

Left over boiled rice - 1 cup.

Dry roasted rolled oats - 1/2 cup

Roasted crushed peanuts - 1 tblspn

Chopped onion - 1 medium

Chopped coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Roasted coriander cumin powder - 1 tspn

Red Chilly powder - 1 tspn

Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - 1/2 tspn

Finely chopped ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Green chillies chopped - 2 (or as your choice)

Dry roasted til - 1/2 tspn

Oil - to deep fry

Salt - to taste

Onion Rings - for garnish

Tomato ketchup - to serve

METHOD -

1. In a bowl put the boiled rice.
2. Add to it the oats.
3. Add peanuts.
4. Add chopped onions and coriander leaves.
5. Add carom seeds and sesame seeds.
6. Add all the dry powders.
7. Add ginger and green chillies.
8. Add salt.
9. Mix well.
10. Heat oil.
11. Prepare oblong shaped cutlets.
12. Deep fry the cutlets, drain.
13. Garnish with tomato ketchup and onion rings. Serve hot.

Independence Day Special - Part II (The recipes)

So starting with my first recipe, ready in ten minutes time and absolutely easy, healthy, Zero Oil, Zero Cholestrol recipe. Here it is -


"The Tri-Coloured Healthy Salad"

Servings – 2
Preparation Time – 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS-

Carrots Grated Lengthwise - 2 Large
Bean Sprouts - Steamed - 100 gms.

Dressing -

Lime Juice - 1 tblspn
Black Pepper - 1/2 tspn
Salt - a pinch
Lettuce - 2 nos.

METHOD -

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients under "Dressing" and shake vigorously.
2. Combine grated carrots and steamed bean sprouts.
3. Mix in the dressing.
4. Mix with a very light hand.
5. Transfer in to a serving bowl.
6. Keep in the fridge till serving time.
7. Garnish with two lettuce leaves.

The Second recipe is very simple and super fast recipe. Try it out.

"The Tiranga Finger Salad with Cheesy dip"

Serves – 2
Preparation Time – 10 mins.

INGREDIENTS-

Cucumber – 2 Large
Carrots – 2 Large
Radish – 2 Medium
Cheese Spread – 2/3 tblspns.
Mixed herbs – ½ tspns
Cold Water – 2 cups

Garnish –

Raspberry – 1
Mint Leaf – 1

METHOD

1. Wash and peel all the vegetables.
2. Cut all veggies lengthwise.
3. Immerse them in cold water and keep it aside.
4. Mix mixed herbs in ready made cheese dip.
5. Drain the veggies well.
6. Arrange in the serving plate with the cheesy dip.
7. Garnish cheesy dip with a mint leaf and raspberry.
8. Serve.

Also Try healthy-orange-cups from my previous posts.

Tori ke Bachke (Ridge gourd Fritters)

Monsoon reminds me of Garma Garam Pakode पकोड़े (Hot Fritters) . It had been raining continuously and I thought the best thing to serve the family is hot fritters made up of तोरी Tori (Ridge Gourd). My children who feel "yuck" just by the sight of Ridge gourd had these bites without fuss, lovingly demanding for more and deep in my heart I was pretty happy to see my kids having a green veggie with no fuss. I made the Bihari version of the Pakode (Fritter) which is known as बचका "Bachka" . Favourite Vegetable is coated in gramflour batter and deep fried. My mother-in-law's advise is - बचका can be made कुरकुरा (Crispy) by adding चावल का आठा (Rice Flour).Kids would love to carry it in their tiffins.  Here is the recipe.

Serves - 2
Preparation Time - 7 mins
Cooking Time - 10 mins

INGREDIENT

Tori (Ridge Gourd) - 4
Besan (Gram Flour) - 2 cups
Chopped Ginger - 1/4th cup
Carrom Seeds - 2 tsp
Roasted (Sesame Seeds) Til - 1 tsp
Flaxseeds - 1 tsp
Coriander Chopped - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1/4th cup
Salt - to taste
Chopped Green Chillies - 4-5
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Water - as required (a little less than 1 cup)
Chat Masala - to taste
Oil - to deep fry

METHOD

1. Cut Tori into Roundels.
2. Take a bowl and place the tori in it.
3. Add gram flour and rice flour.
4. Throw in the carom seeds and flax seeds.
5. Add to it chopped ginger and coriander.
6. Mix in chopped chillies.
7. Add red chilly powder and salt.
8. Add water and mix well.
9. Prepare a batter as to well coat the vegetables (Tori).
10. Heat oil in a deep pan (kadhai)
11. Drop in pieces of tori and deep fry till reddish in colour.
12. Place on a kitchen napkin for excess oil to evaporate.
13. Sprinkle Chat Masala.
14. Serve hot with ketchup and garnished with green chillies (see pic)

Tips - People staying in States or Canada and other countries where Tori is not found can replace Tori with Zucchini.
Tori is known as Turai तुरई in many states of India.
The Green chillies can be increased/decreased as per liking or totally omitted if so desired.

Laddoo Joker

Are you organising a birthday party? Thinking hard to have a different menu from the rest. Well here's the solution, Try and prepare these jokers made out of Laddoo, the traditional Indian sweet available in every sweet shop of India. I've used ready made laddoos from the market, if you desire you can make laddoos at home too. I've used ready made ice-cream cones to prepare the base and the cap of the jokers. Cadbury Gems to make the eyes. You can make your imagination run wild and use other decorations for decorating the cap . Put your creativity to its best and get going to organise a real cool birthday party for your adorable sweetie pie. Kids would love the new version of laddoos.

INGREDIENTS

Boondi Laddoo - 10

Ice cream cones - 10

Cadbury Gems - 20

Icing Sugar to paste the gems.

METHOD -

Cut the ice-cream cones for the base and the cap.

Arrange the base in the serving tray.

Keep each laddoo on each base.

Glue gems for eyes with the help of icing sugar.

Place the second half of the cone as caps.

Ready to be served.

NOTE- For the mouth I've used the laddoo garnish (Pista) which was already placed on the laddoo. If u're using plain laddoo u can glue a piece of pista for mouth.

Chokua Tori (Quick Ridge Gourd)

It's blistering hot here in Northern part of India and one feels like having really cool things. Abating the spicy vegetable one likes to have vegetables prepared in a simple way. Ridge gourd known as Tori or Turai has an excellent cooling property and is very nutritional vegetable. Very light for summers and very low in fat. As a child I always used to run away from this humble vegetable. When I grew up I came to know that Ridge Gourd is very nutritional, low in saturated fat and cholesterol. One important point to note is that this vegetable requires very little oil so it's really good for heart patients or diabetics too and also a very good vegetable for weight watchers as it helps to maintain a healthy weight. This is a recipe from Bihar where one finds Ridge gourd or Tori in most of the kitchen garden. This forms a side dish with the main meal especially for lunch. The dominating flavour is from the "Paanchforan"* which means a mixture of five equal amount of spices which includes the onion seeds known as Kalaonji , Fenugreek Seeds means the methi dana, Fennel Seeds means the Saunf, Carom Seeds or Ajwain and Cumin Seeds or jeera. Added flavours comes from Garlic and chopped Green Chillies. Select the fresh ridge gourd with out spots and enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS-

Fresh Bottle Gourd - 500 gms chopped
Paanchforan - 1 1/2 tspn *
Oil - 1 tspn
Garlic -1-2 pod chopped
Chillies - 3-4 chopped finely
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn
Salt - to taste
Coriander - chopped 1/2 tspn.

METHOD -

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan/kadhai.
2. Add paanchforan and wait till it splutters.
3. Add the Ridge gourd/Turai.
4. Mix and add salt and turmeric.
5. Mix well. Cover and cook till almost done.
6. Sprinkle garlic and chillies.
7. Cook for 2 minutes.
8. Serve garnished with chopped coriander.

Muesli with fresh cucumber juice

This breakfast is for summers and especially for working women who do not have the time to prepare the elaborate meal but want to give a healthy, nutritious and filling breakfast which would keep you fuelled. The presentation is what matters, one must present the breakfast in such a way that the person would feel to dig in for a yummy bite without loosing a second. This breakfast offers you the goodness of the yoghurt (curd), fresh fruits, the cooling agent Cucumber keeps you cool and of course the almonds a must to kick start the day. I'm using muesli for this recipe, for those who don't know what muesli is ,'muesli' means mixture, it's a readymade cereal comprising of toasted whole oats, wheat flakes, a lot of nuts, fruits, berries etc. High in dietary fibre, good source of Protein and Iron having zero cholestrol and zero trans fatty acids.

INGREDIENTS -

Muesli - 150 gms

Natural Plain Yoghurt (home made curd )- 400 gms Chilled

Grated Jaggery (Gur) - 1/2 spn

Almonds - Slivered - 8-10

Apple - 1 chopped

Cucumber - 2 large

METHOD -

1. 
   
   Reserve a little muesli for the garnish
2. 
   
   Mix muesli and yoghurt in a bowl.
3. 
   
   Mix the grated jaggery.
4. 
   
   Transfer into a serving bowl.
5. 
   
   Garnish with the muesli on the sides. (As shown in the picture)
6. 
   
   Top with chopped apples.
7. 
   
   Garnish with almond slivers.
8. 
   
   Serve immediately with freshly squeezed cucumber juice.
9. 
   
   Use the food processor to yield a glass of juice.

NOTE - Keep the cucumber refrigerated for atleast 1 1/2 hour before use

Fish Fingers

Whenever it's time to feed my fussy kids my thinking skills, my imaginations start multiplying. I want to give them the best food with high nutritional value, which they would have without fuss. My younger one is very fond of fish but he does not like anything spicy so this one is one of his favourites, ready in minutes. A healthy option as a snack or in lunch or can be even served for dinner.

Ingredients -

Sole Fish fillet - 125 gms
Egg - 1
Brown bread - 2 slices
Oil - to deep fry

Seasoning -

Salt and pepper - to taste

Method -

1. Cut fish fillets into fingers.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 small spoon salt and a pinch of pepper on it.
3. In another small bowl whisk the egg.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste in the egg mix.
5. Grind the brown bread to get crumbs, keep it aside on a plate.
6. Heat cooking oil.
7. Dip the fish finger in the egg mix.
8. Next dip it in the bread crumbs to coat the entire fish finger.
9. Deep fry in hot oil till reddish.
10. Place the fried fish finger on a napkin to absorb excess oil.
11. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Quick Tasty Omelette with Grilled Tomato

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is said, “Have Breakfast like a king". Breakfast is considered to be the most important meal of the day because you are breaking your fasting of 7-8 hours from your dinner time means the body goes in to the starvation mode after you are finished with your dinner and the body needs adequate fuel to start the day energetically and being the first meal of the day has to be healthy and filling. Today I’m presenting this dish mainly for the bachelors or hostellers who have limited cooking options. Having the omelette with grilled tomato and soaked almonds makes it healthier.  My personal preference is to have the dish without the salt, if you desire you can sprinkle salt.

INGREDIENTS-

Egg whites – 4
Olive Oil – 1 ½ tblspn
Pepper – ½ tspn
Chilly Flakes – a generous sprinkling
Oregano – to taste
Tomato – 1 Large
Toasted Bread Slices – 2
Soaked Almonds – a handful


METHOD-

Beat Egg whites until frothy.
Heat Olive oil in a non-stick pan.
Pour the egg white mixture in the pan and let it cook.
Sprinkle Oregano and Chilly Flakes.
See picture.



When done turn the side and let it brown.

Transfer into a plate.
In the same hot pan heat 5-6 drops olive oil.
Add sliced tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Turn sides and heat it for a minute.
Arrange these near the omelette.
Sprinkle pepper on top of the tomatoes.
Serve hot with soaked almonds and bread slices.