Methi Rice with Red Bell Pepper

An unbelievably easy rice recipe for kids school tiffin box using fenugreek / methi leaves and garnished with red bell pepper. It works well with left over rice and takes less than 5 minutes to cook thus retaining all the nutrients of the greens and bell pepper. Its a great way to get kids to eat their greens.

The sweetness of the red bell pepper balances the slight bitterness of the fenugreek leaves. These leaves are rich in iron, potassium and calcium whereas bell peppers are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron. 

Methi Rice with Red Bell Pepper

Cooked Rice: 2 cups (I used red boiled rice but any variety will do)
Fenugreek / Methi leaves: 1 bunch (picked, washed and chopped)
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp chopped
Red Bell Pepper: 1 small finely diced
Canola / Vegetable Oil: 2 tsp
Cumin / Jeera: 1 tsp
Whole Dry Red Chili: 1
Turmeric Powder: a pinch
Salt: to taste
Ghee: 2 tsp

• Make sure the rice is not over cooked. If using left over, use fingers/ fork to separate the grains. 
• Heat oil in a wok / non stick pan and add the cumin seeds. When it splutters, break the dry chili into 2 and add it.
• Add all the chopped greens, salt and turmeric powder and saute for a minute. Once the greens are cooked in their own juices, add the rice.
• Combine well and check for seasoning. Pour the ghee over the rice and cook covered for a couple of minutes. Turn off heat.
• Now, add the red bell peppers, mix and keep the pan covered for a few minutes and serve. 

I served it with Chicken Kababs and Brown Beans fry. (Recipes & Pictures coming up soon)

Bottle Gourd Pancakes/ Lauki Chilla

Aaaah!! Yes I am still experimenting with the 'Bottle gourd'. Look like I am trying to conquer this big vegetable with vengeance! This recipe makes the regular chilla so exciting and nutritious. It has carbs, protein and vegetables to make it a complete meal. Its best eaten straight from the pan when still crisp on the edges.

Ovie has announced that she would like to eat this everyday!!!Its her way of saying that she really likes something.

I will post the picture of this recipe soon. Our SLR is refusing to transfer any photos. That is why there was such a long gap from my previous post.



Bottle Gourd Pancakes/ Lauki Chilla

Makes 24 mini chillas

Besan / Chickpea  flour: 1/2 cup
Rice flour: 1/2 cup
Bottle Gourd: 1/2 cup grated

Onion : 1 small finely chopped
Coriander leaves: 1-2 tbsp chopped
Green Chili: 1 slit in half (optional)
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1/2 tsp
Chili powder: 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Sesame / Vegetable Oil
Water as required

• Use a whisk and combine all the above ingredients in a bowl with sufficient water. The batter should be slightly thick of pouring consistency, similar to that of dosa batter. 
• Heat a flat non-stick pan and grease it with a tsp of oil. Turn the heat on low.
• Using a small ladle, pour the batter on to the pan to make mini pancakes. Do not make it too thick.
• Dribble some oil on the sides and cook covered until one side turns golden brown. These cook very fast, so keep a close watch.
• Turn over and cook the other side also. Repeat the same process with the rest of the batter. 
• Serve warm when still crisp with a chutney of your choice. It tastes good on its own too.

Bottle Gourd Whole Wheat Bread

This is the season for bottle gourd and there are plenty available in the market. I picked up a huge one and then struggled to finish it. I used some to make parathas (will post that recipe soon), dal, sambar and then a Bread !!  This recipe can easily be made into muffins too.

The bread was quite sticky because of the moisture content in the bottle gourd and probably because I added too much of it -1 cup of grated bottle gourd for 1 cup flour. This definitely needs to be reduced. It is not very sweet either.

I baked 3 mini loaf tins and Ovie gobbled one whole loaf in one sitting. When she knew it was made out of a green vegetable, she said "that's why it tasted yucky". But over the next two days, she finished the other loaf too. I guess that should say enough about the taste of the bread!!


Wet Ingredients
Egg: 1 large
Canola/ vegetable oil: 1/4 cup
Jaggery / Honey: 1/3 cup
Sugar: 1/3 cup
Vanilla Extract: 1/2 tsp

Dry Ingredients

Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
Salt: a pinch
Baking powder: 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder: 1 tsp

Grated Bottle Gourd: 3/4 to 1 cup
Chocolate chips: 1/2 cup
Chopped nuts: 1/2 cup

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degree Celsius. 
• Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a bowl.
• In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
• Add the dry to the wet mixture and mix it very gently. 
• Squeeze out excess liquid from the grated bottle gourd and add to the mixture. Do not over mix it.
• Add the chocolate chips and nuts. 
• Pour into greased loaf tin / muffin tray. 
• Bake at 180 deg for 20-25 minutes or until cooked inside. Since I used silicon loaf tray, I reduced the baking time to 15 minutes. If using muffin tray reduce time to 15-20 minutes.
• Insert a toothpick and check. If it comes out clean then its done. 
• Let it cool on a wire rack before you de-mould it. 

Capsicum Egg Sandwich

This whole wheat sandwich is stuffed with a sumptuous filling of capsicum / green bell pepper and egg scrambled together with Indian spices. Very easy to make and ideal for your kid's school lunch box or a picnic box.

Two days ago, Ovie asks me ' why do we have to eat rice for lunch everyday...I am getting bored'. A very valid point I thought to myself. So yesterday, I gave her something different - a sandwich. My mother used to make this capsicum-egg scramble as a side dish with rice for our lunch. This was a great way to make us eat capsicum......... and the tradition continues.

Capsicum Egg Sandwich

Wholewheat Bread: 4 slices
Egg: 2
Capsicum: 2 small / 1 big
Onion: 1 small
Canola/Vegetable Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Chili powder: 1/4 tsp (optional)
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter as required
Grated cheese / cheese slices (optional)

• Butter one side of each bread slice and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add finely chopped onion and saute until it turns light brown.
• Then add capsicum that has been de-seeded and chopped fine. 
• Add all the remaining masalas and salt and cook covered for 2 minutes until capsicum is just cooked.
• Add the eggs into the pan and scramble it well and check for seasoning. Turn off heat. 
• Now spread the filling on two slices of bread on the un-buttered side. 
• Add a layer of grated cheese or cheese slice if required. Place the other two slices on top of each filling - with the buttered side up.
• Toast the bread in a toaster or on a pan until brown and crisp and the cheese has melted. 
• Serve with ketchup.

Baked Spinach Pasta

This baked whole wheat pasta dish has a unique combination of tomato,white sauce and spinach. Its full of flavor and rich in calcium, iron, minerals and vitamin C.  Kids will love it and can be savored by the entire family.

Ovie was so excited to watch the cheese bubbling in the oven and then finally turning golden brown. I added an extra layer of cheese in the center of the dish which gave it a very moist and gooey texture. The top layer of the dish also has more cheese and an addition of fresh bread crumbs. This gives it a crunch. She loved the contrast of the crunch on top and the gooey melted cheese in the center.

If you want to avoid the cheese and baking part, just mix the pasta with the sauce and enjoy it on its own. But I must admit, the gratinated cheese & bread crumbs combo is just so delicious.

Baked Spinach Pasta
Makes 1 small dish

Whole Wheat Pasta: 1 cup(any kind)

Butter: 1 tbsp
Rice Flour: 1 heaped tbsp
Milk: 150 ml
Spinach: 1/2 cup blanched & chopped (add upto 1 cup if you like)

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 1 tsp chopped
Tomato: 1 big - pureed
Italian seasoning / Dried herbs: 1-2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cheese: 1 cup grated (cheddar / mozzarella / processed / etc)
Fresh bread crumbs (wholewheat): 2 tbsp

• Boil pasta as per the instructions on the packet . Strain in cold running water and keep aside.

To prepare the white sauce with spinach:

• Heat butter in a pan and add the rice flour. Use a whisk and stir it on low heat for a couple of minutes. Do not discolor the flour.  
• Add the milk slowly whisking it continuously to remove any lumps and cook. Add a little salt. 
• When the white sauce thickens add blanched, chopped spinach and turn off heat. Keep aside.

 To prepare the tomato paste:

• Heat olive oil in a pan and add the garlic. Saute until light brown and add the onion and cook until soft.
• Add tomato puree and cook until the oil separates from the mixture. Add Italian seasoning and salt. Turn of heat.

• Now, to the tomato sauce, add the spinach-white sauce mixture and combine well.
• Toss in the drained pasta and mix. Check for seasoning & salt but keep in mind that you will be adding cheese too. 
• Take a baking dish and slightly grease it. Fill it up with half the pasta. Add a layer of grated cheese. 
• Fill in the remaining mixture in to the dish and top it up with a generous layer of cheese. 
• Sprinkle fresh bread crumbs. 
• Dribble olive oil on top and place in a pre-heated oven.
• Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 20-25 mins or until the cheese has a golden brown colour. 
• Serve warm with garlic bread.  

Wholewheat Ragi Pancakes with Applesauce

Quick and easy pancakes using oats, whole wheat & ragi / millet flours combined with creamy applesauce ideal for a very healthy breakfast for kids.

We have a rule at home for Ovie that she has to eat at least 3 different fruits every day....and surprisingly we  have a 95% success rate. But off late she is on a 'banana only' phase. She refuses to eat any other fruit. So I have been sneaking other fruits into her meal. I had 2 apples left in the fridge for over a week now and out of the blue got the idea to make apple pancakes. I made them this morning and was quite surprised by how quickly they disappeared. I added some oats and ragi flour to increase its fibre content, but they can be made with just whole wheat flour.


Whole Wheat Ragi Pancakes with Applesauce
Makes 6 mini pancakes

Whole Wheat flour: 1 heaped tbsp
Ragi / Finger Millet flour: 1 heaped tbsp
Quick cooking Oats: 1 heaped tbsp
Egg: 1
Milk: 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup
Applesauce: 2 tbsp
Melted Jaggery: 2 tbsp
Cinnamon Powder: 1/2 - 1 tsp

• To make applesauce, peel, core and dice 1 apple and steam it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then puree in a blender with 2 teaspoons of the steam water.
• Whisk all the wet ingredients in a bowl. Use only 1/4 cup milk at first. Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on how sweet the apple is.
• Add all the dry ingredients and whisk well into a smooth thick batter. Add more milk if required. The batter should be of pouring consistency but not too watery. 
• Heat a non-stick flat pan and grease is lightly with butter or ghee. Pour a ladle of batter and make small thin circles (or use a stencil if you have any)and cook on both sides until golden. Press the pancake with a spatula to make sure they cook from the inside. 
• Serve it with jam or honey or whipped cream. Ovie loves it absolutely plain.....just as it is.

Baked Chicken Nuggets a la Indian

These chicken nuggets are crisp, delicious and full of Indian flavors. . I love chicken nuggets but often find them very bland and they lack in flavor.Addition of a few spices and aromatics like coriander, cumin, ginger and garlic, take nuggets to a whole new level.

Chicken nuggets are so easily available outside, at every other fast food joint or on kids menus at restaurants. No child would say 'no' to crisp fried nuggets; but I often worry about the quality of oil and the seasonings & additives used to make them so irresistible.

Making the nuggets at home is so much more healthier and it gives me the satisfaction that I am aware of every ingredient that goes into it.


Baked Chicken Nuggets a la Indian

Boneless Chicken cubes: 350 grams
Egg: 1
Whole Wheat Bread: 3-4 slices
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp
Olive Oil

Marinade:
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp
Paprika powder: 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice: 2 tsp
Ginger - Garlic paste:  1 tsp

• Wash chicken and mix it with all the marinade ingredients. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
• In a food processor blend bread and coriander leaves together to make green crumbs. Remove and keep on a plate.
• Lightly beat the egg with a little salt in another bowl.
• Now dip a piece of chicken in the egg and then place them on the plate of bread crumbs and coat well. Shake off the excess  crumbs. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. 
• Place them on a greased baking tray / sheet and dribble lightly with olive oil.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 degree Celsius for 25-30 mins until golden brown and crisp and chicken is cooked(the time will vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces). Turn the tray around and turn over the nuggets half way through the baking time to ensure even cooking. 
•  Serve straight out of the oven with tomato ketchup or mayonnaise.

Tip: Use one hand to dip the chicken in egg and the other and to coat with bread crumbs. This way, you will not end up with a messy clump.