Nutrition for growing kids.....

It really matters what your kids eat because it determines not only how healthy they are today but also how they will be in the future. A healthy child is one who is active, alert, energetic and free of diseases. This can be achieved only by knowing about and paying attention to nutrition and by inculcating healthy eating habits in your child.
My forthcoming book (to be released by end of March ’07), on growing kids is an effort to help you to do so. I have tried to provide 5 collections of recipes that contain the necessary nutrients to energise your kid, help boost their immune system, ensure healthy development of bones and teeth and brain power proper functioning of the digestive system—that is, a collection of recipes that ensures the holistic health and growth of your child. All the recipes have been formulated, tried and tested by my qualified team of chefs and nutritionists.
With healthy and visually appealing recipes like Golzeme, Apricot Orange Cookies, Green Peas and Corn Bhel, Oats Pineapple Sheera and Chana Spinach Rice, I’m sure it will be easy to tempt your children to willingly consume nutrient rich ingredients!

Feed them nutritious food garnished with lots of love and watch them grow healthy and strong! Here’s a recipe, indeed a first step towards achieving this goal. Hope your little ones love this one……..do let me know


MUESLI CHOCOLATE ROCKS

Healthful muesli is combined with luscious chocolate to make these crunchy and nutritious rocks! Each rock brims with proteins and calcium making this a healthy alternative to sugar-laden candies that cause dental caries. What more can I say… this recipe rocks!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 15 minutes. Makes 16 rocks.

For the muesli
¼ cup quick rolled cooking oats
¼ cup cornflakes
2 tbsp chopped mixed nuts (cashewnuts, walnuts, almonds)
1 tsp wheat bran (konda)
2 tsp chopped raisins (kismis)
2 tsp castor sugar

For the chocolate sauce¼ cup grated milk chocolate
2 tbsp grated dark chocolate


For the muesli
1.Combine the oats, cornflakes, nuts and wheat bran in a non-stick pan and lightly roast them over a slow flame for 5 to 7 minutes.
2.Cool completely, add the raisins and sugar and mix well. Keep aside.

For the chocolate sauce
1.Combine the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a bowl.
2.Place the bowl on top of a double boiler, taking care to see that the base of the bowl is not in contact with the water in the double boiler.
3.Once the chocolate starts melting, stir continuously till the chocolate melts completely and resembles a smooth sauce.
4.Remove from the double boiler immediately and keep on stirring till it cools but not set. Keep aside.

How to proceed
1.Add the muesli to the melted chocolate and mix gently.
2.Divide it into 16 equal portions and spoon out each into grease-proof paper cups and allow to cool.
Serve immediately.

Zero Oil Cooking

Thank you for the tremendous response that I have been getting from my dear fans. This one is just for all of you……….all health freaks! I am sure you will love this too and if you really do, keep me motivated by sending your responses like you always do.
Does taste and health go hand in hand? Yes it does! This recipe is a perfect example of what I am talking about, this yummy and tasty looking recipe is more than just being delicious. Surprising as it may sound, this recipe is made without a drop of oil; yes it is a ZERO OIL RECIPE!
Let me tell you, zero oil cooking is a skill, which I mastered as I wrote these books and I am sure you too can master it through practice and patience. However, making zero oil recipes was not easy too, it’s not just about eliminating oil from your regular recipes and cooking them, in fact it involved thorough research and effort. Along with my team of chefs and nutritionists I developed an appropriate method of cooking, chose the right ingredients, used them in the correct proportions and it is after immense research and trials I could compile these books. I’m presenting you with a series of Zero Oil cookbooks, of which, “Zero Oil Dal -Chawal” is the third that is to be realised in February 2007.
Really, this collection of your favourite recipes cooked without oil is sure will change the pre-conceived notion about having to essentially add oodles of oil to make Indian cooking tasty, and to help you make your family’s meal times healthier and happier!
Just to get you stated with this new style of cooking here’s a zero oil recipe especially for all my health conscious chefs…

JALFRAZIE LAYERED BROWN RICE

Jalfraize is a combination of veggies flavoured with a sweet and sour gravy. The USP of this recipe however is the brown rice. Since it is not milled, its outer covering or bran that is rich in fibre is kept intact, making it a healthy and heart-friendly ingredient. It is good for weight-watchers too. Brown rice requires more water and takes more time to cook as compared to normal rice and so you need a little patience while preparing this recipe. Yet, believe me; every minute spent is worth it!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes. Cooking Time: 25 minutes. Serves 4.
Baking temperature: 200ºC (400ºC). Baking time: 15 minutes.

For the brown rice
1¼ cups uncooked brown rice
Salt to taste

For the jalfraize
¼ cup sliced spring onions (including greens)
¼ cup sliced capsicum
¼ cup sliced mushrooms (khumbh)
1 cup boiled mixed vegetables (sliced baby corn, sliced carrots, cauliflower florets, sweet corn etc.)
½ cup tomato slices
¼ cup tomato purée
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp cornflour mixed with ½ cup water
½ tsp sugar
A pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander-cumin seed (dhania-jeera) powder
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
2 tbsp low fat milk
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions greens for the garnish

For the brown rice
1. Mix the rice with 4 cups of hot water and salt and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
2. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid the lid. Remove and keep aside.

For the jalfraize
1. Heat a non-stick pan, add the onions and capsicum, and dry roast for 2 minutes stirring continuously.
2. Add the mushrooms, mixed vegetables and tomatoes and dry roast for 1 minute.
3.Mix together ¼ cup tomato purée, tomato ketchup, vinegar, orn flour paste, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander-cumin seed powder and salt in a bowl.
4.Add this mixture to the vegetables, mix well and simmer on a slow flame for 5 minutes till the gravy thickens and coats the vegetables.

How to proceed
1.Divide the brown rice into 2 equal portions and keep aside.
2. Put the milk at the bottom of a glass baking tray and spread one portion of the brown rice in an even layer and then spread the jalfrazie over it.
3. Spread the remaining brown rice over it an even layer.
4. Cover with an aluminium foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes or microwave for 2 minutes. Ensure you do not use aluminium foil while microwaving, as it may be cause a spark.
5. Turn upside down on a large serving plate just before serving.
Serve hot garnished with spring onions greens.

Nutritive value per serving
Energy : 293 calories
Protein : 1.5 gm
Carbohydrates : 17.8 gm
Invisible fat : 0.2 gm
Calcium : 40.6 mg
Folic acid : 21.6 mcg

Turn on your chef's cap, whip this recipe and write to me how it turned out.

Healthy Breakfast

The saying "Have Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper" is completely true. Breakfast is your start of the day and as the name suggests it is necessary to “break” the “fast” that has been going on since dinner the previous night to fuel ones’ body for the day.

BANANA APPLE PORRIDGE

A wholesome broken wheat and oat porridge served with apples and bananas.

Cooking Time : 10 mins. Preparation Time : 5 mins. Serves 4.

Ingredients
¼ cup broken wheat (bulgur wheat)
¼ cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup low fat milk
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon (dalchini) powder
1½ cups apple, diced
3 cups bananas, sliced
4 teaspoons low fat butter
For the garnish
4 cinnamon (dalchini) sticks (optional)

Method
1. Clean, wash and drain the broken wheat.
2. Heat the butter in a pressure cooker, add the broken wheat and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the oats and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the milk and 1 cup of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
5. Mix in the sugar and cinnamon powder. Cool in the refrigerator.
6. Add the apples and bananas. Mix well.
7. Serve chilled garnished with cinnamon sticks.

Recipe Source : Healthy Breakfast

FAST FOODS MADE HEALTHY

Fast foods like pizzas, burgers, french fries, bhelpuri and heavy rich curries are all foods that can lure us away from the strictest diet. An occasional indulgence in these fast foods is not harmful but getting hooked is. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could indulge in all such favourite foods and yet lose weight and remain trim. That's a dream for most of us today...GUILT FREE EATING.have selected some high calorie recipes which most of us indulge in on a regular basis and worked at making them low calorie yet keeping them as delicious as the original recipe.Making a few changes in the way you cook and substituting certain fatty ingredients with low calorie ones is all you have to do enjoy your favourite goodies without worrying about weight gain.


HEALTHY VADA PAV

This recipe replaces the refined flour bread with a whole wheat pita. I have also omitted frying the vada altogether making it guilt free. The salad and chutney add fibre, crunch and flavour to this delicious snack. Feel free to make 2 or 3 recipes of the pita bread and refrigerate, so that you can enjoy it, anytime hunger strikes.

Preparation Time : 20 mins Cooking Time : 15 mins.. Makes 8 vada pavs.

For the pita bread

1 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1 teaspoon (5 grams) fresh yeast, crumbled
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon salt
For the garlic chutney
¼ cup garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin seed (dhania-jeera) powder
salt to taste
To be mixed into a vada filling
3 cups potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 tablespoon ginger-green chilli paste
1 tablespoon chopped coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste

Other ingredients

8 tomatoes slices
1 cup lettuce, shredded
8 onion slices

For the pita bread

1.Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using enough water until it is smooth and elastic.

2.Add the oil and knead again.

3.Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and allow it prove till it doubles in volume (approx. 15 to 20 minutes).

4.Press the dough lightly to remove the air.

5.Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.

6.Roll out each portion into a circle of 125 mm. (5") diameter and 3 mm. (1/8") thickness.

7.Cook the pita breads on a hot tava (griddle) on each side for a minute or until the bread puffs up.

8.Remove and keep aside.

9.Cut each pita bread into 2 halves. Keep aside. These are called pita pockets.


For the garlic chutney

1.Blend all the ingredients in a blender with a little water to get a smooth chutney. Keep aside.

How to proceed

1.Warm the pita bread halves on a tava (griddle) and apply garlic chutney on the inside.

2.Divide the vada filling mixture into 8 equal portions.

3.Fill each pita bread half with one slice of tomato, some lettuce, one slice of onion and one portion of the vada filling mixture.

4.Repeat for the remaining pita bread halves with other ingredients to make 7 more healthy vada pavs.

5.Serve immediately.


Nutritive values per vada pav :
Calories136cal.

Fat3.2gm.

Recipe Source : Fast Foods Made Healthy
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