Interesting recipes for a balanced diet

It is an ordeal to watch your little one pluck out one piece of vegetable after another from his ‘nutritious’ porridge. Don’t even start trying to feed the boy any kind of gourd, as it will go straight in the bin. But hey, don’t lose heart! To ensure your children eat a healthy balanced diet, just follow these exciting recipes and watch them gobble up their meals in seconds!

Eggplant fritters

While eggplants can be made into delicious curries and ‘bhartas’ in the adult world, kids will turn up their noses and run out of sight at the slightest mention. Here’s how to make delicious finger food with these major ingredients!

Eggplant fritters

Ingredients

• 4-5 eggplants
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Coriander as desired

Method

1. Cut the raw bananas or egg plants, (both taste great) into 1/2 a centimeter thick slices.

2. Sprinkle salt, chilli powder, turmeric, and finely chopped coriander and mix thoroughly and set aside for 15 minutes.

3. Now make a batter by combing gram flour (besan) with equal parts of water.

4. Dip your slices in the batter and fry till they are a crispy golden brown!’

Tip: You could also try this recipe by replacing eggplants with raw bananas.

Palak pesto pasta

They love Popeye, but they do not come anywhere near spinach? We hear you. Time for some pesto magic!

Palak Pesto sauce

Ingredients

• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Blanch a bunch of spinach with a little bit of salt.

2. Cream the spinach in a blender.

3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the finely chopped garlic. Add your creamed spinach and bring to boil.

4. Take it off heat and mix in a cup of heavy cream for amazing pesto sauce!

Tip: This sauce can be used as base for a healthy restaurant style pasta or as marinade for some crispy fried green chicken too!

Click on continue reading for more fun recipes!

Stuffed bitter gourd boats

Well, bitter gourd is a touchy topic, especially for kids. This one can be a tricky vegetable to tackle, but once you master this art there is no going back!

Stuffed Bittergourd boats

Ingredients

• 4 bittergourd
• 1 cup minced chicken
• 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• Egg (optional)

Method

1. Cut the bittergourds vertically into halves and scoop out the seeds thoroughly.

2. Blunt the spiky skin by running a knife across it. Then immerse them in a tub of salt water. This helps alleviate the bitter taste.

3. For the filling, add a cup of minced chicken, ginger-garlic paste, chill powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix this thoroughly.

4. Add an egg to it, though it is optional.

5. Fill this stuffing into your boats and shallow fry till the skin is crackling crisp!

Inspired from: Khanakhazana.com

Soya paneer tikkas

For a dose of protein, soya paneer can prove to be a life saver!

Soya Paneer Tikka

Ingredients

• 200 gms soya paneer
• 1 cup curd
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/2 cumin powder
• 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp giner-garlic paste
• 1/2 turmeric
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Marinade chunks of soya paneer in a cup of curd, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric and salt.

2. Keep it aside for twenty minutes.

3. Now skewer these tikkas and grill, bake or fry!

4. Serve whole skewers on the plate with a slice of lemon for company.

Zucchini cheese wedges

Just replace starchy potatoes with zucchini or sweet potato wedges. The great part about wedges is that they need very little time and even lesser ingredients to make.

Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

• 250 zucchini
• Sea salt as per taste
• 10-12 crushed peppercorns
• Thyme/ Rosemary/ Mint as desired
• Cheddar cheese (as much as you like)

Method

1. Place sliced zucchini on a baking tray line with a baking sheet.

2. Sprinkle coarse sea salt, crushed pepper, chilli flakes, and a generous sprinkling of herbs.

3. Now grill this in your oven till the zucchini turns brown. You can sprinkle grated cheese on it and let it melt for that yummilicious effect.

Tip: You could also try this recipe on the good old sweet potato.

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