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! :-)

Veg Pulao (No Onion-Garlic)

Navratri or the nine nights festivity comes twice a year, once before the onset of summers and then again just before winters. During the nine nights of navratri, the nine forms of mother goddess Durga are worshiped.

Many people in North and west India fast during the nine days of navratri. It is considered to be an auspicious time to start new ventures, plans and it is a time to get spiritual and worship and pray to Goddess Durga and purify the mind, body and soul of all the impurities and negativity.

Nine days of fasting include avoiding non-vegetarian and onion, garlic among a whole list of foods. For people who are fasting, the food is consumed only once or twice a day. Mostly fruits, milk or other dairy products, potatoes and selected veggies, and some forms of flour like kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour), singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour), swaang ka atta (barnyard millet flour), swaang ke chawal (barnyard millet rice), sabudana (tapioca pearls), among others are consumed.

We oblige happily as this fasting time is more of a feast as a variety of dishes such as puri, pakoras, halwa, aloo tikki and stuffed flat bread are prepared at home using the flour specified above. Swaang ke chawal are used to make pulao (rice stirfry), dalia (porridge) and kheer (rice pudding). The vrat food or the food consumed when fasting is a whole different form of cuisine altogether.

Even for people who are not fasting, it is required to go vegetarian and onion-garlic free for the entire navratri period. We abstain from the same and here I am sharing Vegetable Pulao, stir fry rice made with freshly chopped veggies that contain no onion and no garlic at all.

Pulao is one-pot Indian dish, which can be made quickly and consists of rice and veggies. Pulao is either served as a side dish with a curry or eaten as it is with yoghurt when you have no time to cook anything else. :-)

This Veg Pulao is simple and quick and is full of goodness of veggies. Since it doesn't have any garlic or spices, the original taste of vegetables is retained in the dish. One can very well taste the natural sweet taste of the corn, peas and carrot.

I do not have pictures to complement the procedure as I made these rice in the morning in a hurry. But I will try and explain the process step by step and it is very simple and easy to follow.

Difficulty Level: Easy
Prepping time: 10 min
Cooking time: 15-20 min

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice (washed and soaked in water for at least 15 min)
1 small potato, cubed
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup sweet corn
1 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp red chili powder
salt, to taste

Method:

1) In a wok, heat ghee and add cumin seeds. Let them flutter and golden and then add finely chopped green chili and tomato.
2) When tomatoes have a paste-like consistency and once the ghee has separated, add chopped carrots, potatoes, peas and sweet corn. Stir. Add a pinch of salt.
3) Add 1/4 cup water and close the lid and on low flame let the veggies soften in steam.
4) Open the lid and check if carrots, potatoes and peas are soft but not mushy. If the veggies are stiff, cover and cook for 2-4 min more.
5) When the veggies seem soft, add red chili powder, salt to taste and 2 cups water. Bring to boil and add rice. Bring it to boil again and cover and let the rice cook on low flame for 10 min.
6) Turn off the flame. Leave the wok covered for 5-10 min and then serve hot with pickle or yoghurt.

It is a surely a delicious lunch recipe and can be eaten with aam aur hari mirch ka achaar (raw mango and green chili pickle) or can be even had with any raita (yoghurt-based side dish generally made with boondi or chopped veggies like cucumber, onion etc) of your choice.

This colourful Veg Pulao made it into the lunch boxes for the husband and Little M. I would recommend everyone to try this pulao.

Wishing a happy Navratri to all the celebrating fellow Indians!

Please note that this recipe is apt for people who are not observing the fast but this is not a vrat food and cannot be eaten by those fasting.

Thanks for reading! :-)

Pancakes

Now show me someone who doesn't love a warm, mildly sweet and fluffy pancake! Don't we all love pancakes and especially those of us who have a sweet tooth? :-)

This is an American version of pancake, a round and fluffy cake made instantly on a non-stick griddle by spreading a batter made with eggs, flour, sugar, and some raising agent. The British crepe is a slightly thinner version of pancakes.

In India we make pancakes that aren't sweet such as the South India Dosa and Uttapam, the Punjabi besan ka puda. The sweet varieties are malpua and meetha puda. The sweet pancakes in India are mostly sweetened by gud or jaggery whereas the salty or spicy pancakes are made from either rice flour or chickpea flour.

At times when I am running late or not in a mood to chop veggies, these pancakes come to my rescue and wiped off by husband and Little M within minutes. These pancakes are mildly sweet and can be put on the table within 15 minutes. These are excellent to pack for the school or office and the batter can be made the night before and stored in the fridge for finishing up the early morning dabba packing in under 5 minutes.

You can also add fruits like blueberries, bananas by chopping or mashing it into the batter. Many varieties are available on the internet. This recipe that I share here is inspired by this one with a few tweaks here and there.

What more can a mom ask for on a lazy Sunday morning? Sunday is the first working day for us here in the UAE when schools and offices resume after the weekend break. Weekend in the UAE means Friday and Saturday. :-)

Little M loves helping me stirring up the batter and cracking the egg. Of course we have many spills!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp butter, melted (optional)

1 tbsp oil

Makes: 8 pancakes

Prepping time: 5-7 min

Cooking time: 5-7 min

Method:

1) Take a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and sugar.

2) Using a kadchi or service spoon make a well in the center.

3) Pour in the milk and then the beaten egg and melted butter. Mix until smooth. There should be no lumps.

4) Heat a lightly oiled non-stick tawa or griddle. Pour the batter on it using a round-deep kadchi or service spoon, using approx. 1/4 cup for each pancake.

5) When you start seeing tiny holes on the upper side being formed turn the pancake on the other side. Brown on both sides. Serve hot and drizzle lots of honey on them for a natural sweet taste.

The teddy-face shape below can be made easily by pouring one kadchi of the batter in the middle and then two spoons on the top on each side for the ears. Use blue berries or grapes to make eyes and surprise your kids with a cute bear-shaped pancake! :-)

The heart and flower shapes were cut out by Little M using cookie cutters! 

This is how I prepare my plate of pancakes, with fresh fruits from my fridge, accompanied by dry fruits and nuts bathed in honey!

How do you like your pancakes? 

Do you prefer making the Indian pancakes such as Dosa, besan puda or malpua? If yes, the please do share your recipe with me in the comments section!

Do share your thoughts with me on this simple breakfast made yummy in a jiffy. I would love to read what you think. :-)

Thank you so much for reading!

Bombay sandwich or Pudina chutney sandwich

It is great to feel the chill in the evenings in the UAE in the month of March. We love to spend our weekends outdoors in the lap of nature. It is in the winter season that we like to ditch the malls and plan picnics, barbecue sessions at the numerous parks, beaches and in the serene deserts in the UAE.

Seems like winter has just a few more of these lovely chilly weekends in its kitty for us. And we are making the most of the pleasant weather before the harsh summers take over.

Last weekend we went to explore the many lakes in Al Qudra and indeed it was one great adventure as we drove around really close to the lake and took in all the beautiful sights, one scene at a time.

It was serene and calm as many people circled around the lakes setting up their picnic tables and lighting up the bonfire to either sing and dance around or begin their barbecues.

We took in the fresh chilly winds and strolled around the lake, taking in the beautiful views of the sunset and admiring the only music of chirping of birds, quacking of ducks, laughter of kids and the sounds of clapping and singing from a group of people circling around a bonfire at a distance.

Little M loved feeding bread to the beautiful ducks adorning the lake and later took out his sand play toys to play and mold the wet mud. His clothes were literally covered in wet sand but his eyes were shiny as he smiled brightly twisting and shaping the sand with his hands.

We went with a few chicken wraps (bought on our way) and these Bombay chutney sandwiches that Little M helped me put together. The little guy insists that I let him help me whenever I am working in the kitchen so I happily hand him simple tasks such as washing the veggies or buttering the bread. He puts in his 100 percent concentration to complete what is handed to him. That I really love!

It gets messy when he is around to lend his helping hand and takes a bit longer to get done with the task at hand but I let him do it anyway as I feel it is very important for him to learn certain simple life skills such as buttering a toast or cracking an egg.

So we go along the entire procedure singing songs and reciting rhymes, talking about the food we are prepping as Little M licks the butter and bites into a carrot.

These Bombay sandwiches are pretty easy. They require some mint dip or pudina chutney, veggies of your choice and taste yummy when toasted. (You can find the super simple recipe of the mint dip here). These simple sandwiches can be had as a snack, packed into snack box for school or office, carried along on picnics and even served as a quick breakfast.

It is healthy and nutritious and perfect to feed our little ones who shy away from eating their vegetables. Whenever there is fresh mint chutney sitting in the fridge, this is a go-to snack for me,  simple, quick and packed with the goodness of veggies.

 Let me share how we put together our Bombay sandwiches:

Ingredients:

Bread slices

Mint chutney

Butter

1 boiled potato, peeled and sliced

1 boiled beetroot, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 cucumber, sliced

salt and chat masala, if required

Method:

We started by buttering the bread and then smearing it with green pudina chutney.

Then we arrange our veggies starting with boiled potato and beetroot slices.

Next we top it with a slice of cheese and close our sandwich and toast in the toaster until crisp.

We didn't add any salt or seasoning as the salted butter and pudina chutney lent its taste and I didn't want to make it spicy as it was being prepared for Little M.

At times when I am making it for husband and myself, I like to sprinkle some salt and chat masala to give it a chat-pata, tangy flavour.

Once the toast is ready just open it a little and put in your onion and cucumber slices. I don't want them to lose their crunch which is why I add them after the toasts are done.

The Bombay sandwiches are ready in under 10 minutes.

Serve it with tomato ketchup or with a cup of kadak chai or strong tea!

How do you like to make your sandwiches?

If you try this recipe do share your pictures with me on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #DilliToDubai.

Please share your thoughts on this quick breakfast in the comments section below. I would love to read what you think. :-)


Thanks for reading!