I am not much of a baker as I lack patience. But once in a while I do like to whip up some goodies for my little boy. This easy oats cookies recipe caught my fancy and I perked up the health quotient by adding some sunflower seeds to it. The original recipe also called for dried cranberries but I substituted that with some raisins. It can be a good option for kiddie tiffin box too. Trust me your kid will not be able to resist the aroma of this freshly baked cookies!
Ingredients:
Sunflower seeds - 4 tbsp.
Olive oil - 2 tbsp.
Butter - 50 gms - I used Amul butter
Castor sugar - 1 cup
Egg - 1
Wholewheat flour - half a cup
Oats - 1 cup - I used the regular rolled oats that we use for breakfast
Raisins - a handful
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a baking tray.
Dry roast the sunflower seeds and grind into a fine paste adding 2 tbsp olive oil.
Mix together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the egg, the mix in the wheat flour and the oats. Mix in the sunflower seeds paste, then stir in the vanilla essence and the raisins.
Place heaped tbsp full of the mixture on the baking tray, spacing them well apart.
Bake in the oven for 10 mins until golden. Leave on baking tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm or store for later use.
Notes:
- You could substitute raisins with any nut of your choice.
- Keep an eye while baking the cooking as they take very little time.
- Sunflower seeds could be substituted with flax seeds too.
Blinis have a Russian origin. They are thin pancakes prepared from batter and cooked on hot frying pan topped with dollops of butter. It has an ancient history of being made for hungry travellers made from oats jelly. But with time blinis have undergone changes and are now also being made with wheat,rye,buckwheat or even barley. In my quest for healthy nutritious recipes for kids and grown ups alike I stumbled upon this dish. I was very happy to see such a great alternative to traditional pancakes that kids across the globe love. So I made some Ragi Blinis - thin pancakes made of finger millet flour. Now Ragi is being considered as a wonder grain. It is rich in calcium and protein and is low on unsaturated fats. It is now easily available across stores in the city and can be used to make varieties of crepes, dosas, adai and similar things.
Now coming back to my blinis. I loaded it up with some grated cheddar cheese to make it kid friendly and it tasted very good. You could also add finely chopped veggies to the batter if your child likes it that way. Serve it up with a side of simple sprouts salad .
Ingredients:
Ragi Flour - 1 cup
Wholewheat flour - 2 tbsp.
Egg - 1 no - lightly beaten
Milk - half a cup - approx.
Salt - to taste
Black pepper powder - to taste
Cheddar cheese - half cup - grated
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Butter - for greasing the pan
Method:
In a bowl mix together the ragi flour,wholewheat flour and the baking powder.
Add the egg and milk and mix well to form a pancake batter. Not to thick or thin just like a dosa batter. Add the grated cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and keep aside for 10 mins.
In the mean time heat a non stick flat pan. Grease with a little butter . Cook the blinis in batches. Drop dessertspoon ful of batter into the frying pan,spacing them well apart.
Cook the blinis for 2 mins until the top is bubbling and the underside is golden. Turn them over and cook until the other side is browned.
Wrap the cooked blinis in a clean napkin to keep warm. Coook the rest of the blinis in the same way, brushing the pan with extra oil as needed.
Serve the blinis warm, topped with a little butter or all time favourite ketchup and accompanied by the salad.
Notes:
- The blinis can be made into a sweet version too. Just add sugar to the batter instead of salt and cheese and drizzle with honey and whipped cream or any sauce of your choice.
- Blinis can also be used as base for appetizers in dinner parties too. Load up the blini base with grated cheese or a piece of salami and serve as starters.
- Addition of oatmeal instead of whole wheat is also an option.
As my primary role of a being a mom to a growing 7 yr old my biggest challenge lies in feeding my kid healty, nutritious food. And it doesn't help if the child is a bit fussy when it comes to eating veggies and nuts. So I am constantly on the look out for recipes that are innovative and helps me make my child eat without complaining. Ever since I started this blog I realised that I have mostly shared recipes that suit that adult taste apart from the occasional muffins and quiches.Meal times are well handled as my kid likes to eat rice with fish curry or a chicken curry but its the snack time that gives me jitters. I get completely lost as to what to serve to take care of the 4 pm hunger pangs. So I have consciously decided to dig out and share recipes that are kid friendly and doesn't compromise on the health quotient. And why only kids we adults too do not consciously take care of what we eat and end up binging many times.
The very first recipe coming your way is super easy -peasy Veggie Dunkers with a Nutty Yogurt Dip - packed with the goodness of fresh winter veggies and nuts. Serve it on play dates and see them polish of the dip in no time. Apart from the dip this dish only needs some assembling.
Ingredients:
Assorted vegetables - cucumber ,carrots, beet root and tomatoes - cut length wise
For the dip :
Yogurt - 1 bowl - use the thick ones - I used Amul
Cashewnuts - a handful
Almonds - a handful
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Honey - 1 tbsp
Paprika /Chilli flakes - for garnish - optional
Method:
Cut all the vegetables lengthwise and dip in cold salted water till served.
For the dip:
Dry roast the cashewnuts and almond in a pan.
Ground it into a fine powder and keep aside.
Whisk the yogurt till smooth. Season with salt and honey.
Next add the powdered nuts and mix well. Add a little olive oil too.
Garnish with chilli flakes /few roasted nuts and a drizzle of olive oil.
This dip can even be served as a party starter along with some nachos,tortilla chips, chicken nuggets, just about anything.
Notes :
- Use any fresh veggie that you would want or whatever your child likes. Some sautéed mushrooms would also go well.Or maybe some grilled paneer sticks.
- You could also use hung curd instead of yogurt.
