Five Recipes To Cook With Kids

We are on the brink of being in the hot month of June. In the UAE this month spells heat and humid outdoors. It is the time when our neighbourhood park gets just a handful of visitors, even in the evening. It is when most of us like to stay indoors in the comfort of our air-conditioned heavens at home or in the big malls. Why not spend some quality time indoors with our kids by involving them in some simple cooking in the kitchen? I have got for you a list of Five Recipes To Cook With Kids. These are really basic recipes that I love making with my son - Little M who is four years old and has just begun his kindergarten. Read on and see how Little M helps me whip up yummy food and then enjoys eating what he made with me without any fuss. If you want to know why I ask to involve kids in the kitchen, check out the benefits of cooking with kids that I have mentioned in this post! Have you seen our mini Bread Pizzas that Little M and I made together without an oven and in less than 15 minutes?

Get kids in the kitchen and start rolling these simple recipes that I listed out for you!

1) Pancakes

Not just Little M but I too get all excited at the mention of pancakes and we love whipping these super easy delights that ca be made in under 15 minutes.

Easy to pack for school this is my go to recipe when I am in a rush or not in a mood to cook an elaborate meal with chopping and other strenuous tasks. See how Little M helps in mixing in the flour to prepare the batter, of course we have many spills! I also like to hand him the food cutters to give the pancakes his choice of shape. Pancakes are the easiest of the recipes that you can cook with your kids and make memories in the kitchen.

2) Bombay Sandwich

These sandwiches or toasts are a perfect way to feed vegetables to our little ones. I use boiled beetroots, potatoes and freshly sliced cucumber, tomatoes and onions in this one.

I keep the veggies ready and then Little M puts together his own sandwich by buttering the bread and then smearing some pudina chutney/mint dip (See here a simple recipe to make pudina chutney at home) on it and finally lining the veggies onto the bread before I put it into a toaster to make it a little crunchy! Again a perfect dabba snack we carry these on our picnics and I also pack it into the lunch boxes for Little M and his dad.

3) Guacomole

Super healthy to bits, Guacamole is Mexican dip which is made by either mashing or chopping avocado and then mixing in finely chopped onions, tomatoes. 

This snack/starter is easy to prepare and kids love it when its topped upon crispy nachos. I hand Little M a plastic knife to roughly chop the avocados and then mix it with chopped veggies which I keep ready beforehand. See how we devoured this dip by topping it on slightly warmed kuboos bread and some monaco biscuits.

4) Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Summers call for loads of smoothies, juices and milkshakes made healthy at home with fresh ingredients. These are super hydrating, nutritious and a quick snack option too when our kids comes home hungry after hours of play at the park.

Little M loves smoothies and milkshakes specially the ones that have his favourite fruits like mango, strawberry, pomegranate. He absolutely loved sticking thinly sliced strawberries on the glass walls and I also hand him the hand blender (under my close supervision) to blend together the banana and strawberries.

5) Banana Milkshake

Isn't a must for our growing toddlers and kindergartners who need loads of goodness hiding in this mug full? Packed with calcium and good for helping those tiny bones to grow strong, banana milkshake has been an old favourite with Little M and I.

Whenever I ask him if he would like a glass of banana milkshake, he knows that he will not only get to drink it but also lend his hand in making it. I like to hand him the hand blender under my watchful eye and also let him sprinkle some cinnamon powder or cocoa onto it!

Hope you have fun making these super simple recipes with your kids! I'd back with lots more simple yet healthy recipes to make with kids! Let's keep rolling in the kitchen with our little ones! :-)

What recipes do you like to involve your kids into? Please share with me I'd love to read what you think!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Cook With Kids

We have just been back from a breathtaking experience holidaying in Georgia. I have so many stories from our trip to share with you all, along with countless pictures. But first I would like to share with you all some recipes to cook/prepare with your children, especially the little ones. With this post I will begin sharing the benefits of cooking with kids with all mothers out there.

We often shun away kids from the kitchen thinking what can they do to help us. Mostly we think of all the spills and mess that might break out when they do something. Surely, it will stretch your cooking time by 10-15 minutes when you let your child help in with the tasks you do with such ease, finesse and perfection every day. But once you allow kids in the kitchen you will surprised at how better you connect with them and how out of the box kids think.

As Little M entered big school, he would often tag along with me in the kitchen whenever I am cooking, asking and sometimes pestering me to let him help. Every time he would come asking if I he can help me, I would be horrified to imagine huge spills and mess mountains in my little kitchen and tell him to go play with his toys with that thought.

Reluctant at first, I gradually handed him simple tasks to take care of such as handing me the vegetables/fruits from the fridge, washing the veggies, buttering the bread, whipping up milk shake using a hand blender (under my supervision). Let me tell you these tasks might all sound very easy to an adult but for a child to be able to do these tasks is a different ball game altogether. It fills them and you both, with pride and a sense of achievement.  Through this series I look forward to share with you all the simple recipes Little M (4 years) and I whip up together in the kitchen.  

He cannot contain his excitement whenever I ask him to come in the kitchen to help me. His giggles and happy dance that he keeps putting up in the middle of the process is my most cherished reward. Little M has now started to crack eggs and though he is not mastered the art of egg cracking without spills, he is getting better with each attempt.

Here are some of the advantages (in order to encourage all parents) for inviting their kids in the kitchen:

• Perfect bonding time.
• Make fond memories for your children to look back at.
• Learning by doing.
• Sense of achievement, builds self-confidence that they helped put together a meal or they contributed in the family work.
• Learn the importance of cooking fresh and healthy food.
• More likely to eat what they helped cook or put together.
• Allows them to take their own decisions. For example, choosing and deciding if they want carrots or cucumber for the salad or both.
• Learning to cook is a life skill that kids will benefit from for the rest of their lives.
• Kids are less likely to sit in front of TV or ask for Ipad if they are happily engaged in the kitchen with you.

I guess these reasons were more than enough to convince me to let Little M into the kitchen often. However, I would advise to keep a few things in mind always when cooking with kids, especially the little ones:

• Start with basic recipes, especially with smaller children. Such as a sandwich, fruit salad, milkshakes or smoothies.

• Don't allow kids near the burner. I haven't yet allowed Little M to step near the gas or do something on it.
• Don't hand them knives and other sharp equipment they might get hurt with. Even if they want to do some chopping hand them a plastic knife and give soft foods to work with. For example, avocado, banana or tomato.

• If in case you're handing them hand blender or a toaster or a mixer, NEVER leave their side and keep a close watch.

I would urge all parents to let kids in the kitchen and begin making memories along with some delicious food.

Stay tuned for some simple recipe ideas to start cooking with kids!

Thanks for reading!

Veg Penne Pasta

Hello foodies!

You know what I do when I am bored of making the usual daal-sabzi-chapatti combo? I make pasta!

And when Little M comes into the kitchen and sees me prepping it up he jumps up with excitement which, for me means no more haggling with him over finishing the food on his plate. When I make pasta I know his plate will be wiped off without any fuss.

This pasta recipe is not a usual sight in our Indian kitchens. I have come up with this recipe after referring to and trying quite a few recipes on the internet. This is one dish I am very happy and confident about as I have cooked it time and again over the last 2-3 years. :-)

Its not a quick recipe and takes a bit over an hour to prep it up as there is a lot of chopping of veggies involved and the pasta needs to be boiled and cooled separately. But isn't that good news to the ears of mommies like me as we will be feeding so many veggies to our kids who make a face at and much fuss over finishing their sabzi?

I normally use wholewheat pasta or semolina pasta and love to incorporate many colourful veggies to give my pasta a colourful look. Eating lots of colourful fruits and veggies is healthy and nutritious too.

I have used onions, spring onion, yellow and orange bell pepper, carrots and baby corn. You can go on and add other veggies like sweet corn kernels, peas, beans, green capsicum, mushroom. I have tried using these veggies before and they taste as good as the vegetables used in this recipe.

Let's begin? Cook with me as I take you through each and every step with countless pictures! :-)

Prepping time: 30min

Cooking time: 30min

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

3 cups penne pasta

3-4 tbsp butter
1 tsp cooking oil

2-3 garlic cloves

1-2 spring onion, chopped vertically

1-2 green chilies, chopped vertically

1 onion, quartered into small

1 small yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 small orange bell pepper, chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

4-5 baby corn, chopped

1 small tomato, finely chopped

2 tbsp pasta sauce or tomato ketchup

Spring onion greens, finely chopped for garnish

1tsp black pepper

salt to taste

Keep your veggies ready and then begin with boiling the pasta.

1) Boil pasta in a large container with enough water and a tsp of salt, until it looks cooked but not mushy. Turn off the gas and drain the water using a colander. Keep aside.

Tip: To avoid your pasta to not stick to each other, after you drain the boiling water in a colander, run your pasta under cold or tap water in the same colander to stop it from cooking any further. Do this carefully so that you don't break the pasta and do until your pasta is cold. Now take a tbsp of cooking oil in your hands and lightly coat your pasta with it. Your pasta will be non-sticky and so good looking. :-)

2) After boiling and keeping the pasta aside, take a huge non-stick wok/pan and melt butter in it.

Tip: Whenever I am using butter to cook, I always put a tsp of cooking oil as it keeps the butter from getting burnt.

3) Add chopped garlic. Stir but don't let it brown.

4) Add spring onion. Stir.

 

5) Add onions. Stir fry for 2min.

6) Put the vegetable that will take the longest to cook first. Yes! Toss in the chopped carrots.

7) Add the baby corn. Stir.

8) Now is the time for our colourful bell peppers to go in!

9) Put in tomatoes and stir fry until the vegetables are cooked but not brown or mushy. They should still be crisp and for that you need to constantly stir on medium to high flame. :-)

Add salt and black pepper now!

10) Add in the pasta sauce (I use American Garden) and the boiled pasta.

11) Turn the flame a bit low and toss well to mix it properly without breaking the pasta.

11) Turn off the gas. Garnish with spring onion.

 

12) Serve hot, preferably with cheese. :-)

How do you like to make your pasta?

Is red sauce pasta your family's favourite too?

Or do you prefer creamy white sauce pasta?

Do try this colourful and nutritious recipe and let me know thoughts on it. I would love to read what you think!

 Thanks for reading! :-)