Avril- Ann Braganza
Long working hours leave working women with little time and opportunity to cook a well balanced nutritious meal for themselves and their families. While most working mothers today have a domestic help to aid them with the house work including their kitchen duties, there`s nothing like a care laden meal lovingly prepared by mum.
Dr. Amita Dhar, Chief Dietician of Seven Hills Hospital in Andheri (East) and Mrs. Mahek Makhija, Medical Nutritionist at B.C.J. Hospital & Asha Parekh Research Centre in Santacruz ( West ), share 10 nutritious recipes that they prepare themselves for their families and share with concerned parents whose kids refuse to eat vegetables unless disguised in some tasty apparel.
Energy drinks made with fruits and vegetables are a quick and easy- to- prepare energy booster.
Energy Booster
Ingredients-
1 /2 cup curd
1 cup milk
2 tsp oats
1 ripe banana (or any pulpy fruit)
2 tbsp honey
2 dried f igs
Method- Combine all ingredients and grind in a blender till smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Popeye Smoothie
Ingredients-
8 spinach leaves
1 ripe banana or any pulpy fruit
2 dates
2 figs
Few ice cubes
Method- Blend all ingredients till smooth (add little water if required) and pour into glasses . Serve Chilled.
A healthy alternative to instant packet soups can be equally tasty and easy to prepare.
Quick Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients-
8-10 mushrooms
1 small onion
2 tsp butter
½ cup milk
Salt, pepper, oregano for flavoring
Method- Slice onion & mushrooms. After heating a pan, add butter and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add mushroom slices. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on a low flame for five minutes. Grind the mushroom & onion into a thick paste. Put the paste in a pan and slowly add milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and add salt, pepper & oregano to taste. Serve hot.
Disguise the ever hated vegetables in delicious preparations and watch them gobbled down by your hungry kids.
Stuffed Vegetable / Chicken sandwich or rolls
Ingredients-
brown bread/ multigrain bread/ chapattis
½ onion chopped
½ carrot grated
½ beetroot grated
1 boiled potato
spinach (chopped and steamed)
A handful of boiled green peas
Grated cheese
Salt and pepper
*Boiled Chicken can be added for a non-veg Sandwich/ Roll
Method- Mix the carrot, beetroot, mashed potatoes, onions, spinach and green peas with salt and a little pepper. Place the mixture and add grated cheese between two slices of bread or chapattis. Grill it with a light coat of butter on top. Once done, take it out and cut into triangles. Ready to pack or serve with tomato sauce.
Rice noodles with stir vegetable mix
Ingredients-
2 spring onions
½ cup bean sprouts
½ cup shredded cottage cheese
½ cup cubed carrots (boiled)
¼ cup f rench beans (boiled)
salt and pepper
1 tsp oil.
*Boiled Chicken can be added for a non veg meal
Method-: B ring 2 cups of water to boil. Add rice noodles and drain once soft and set it aside. Heat a pan with 1 tsp oil and add spring onions, bean sprouts, cottage cheese and cubed carrots. Stirlightly and add rice noodles to the vegetables. Grate a little cheese and roasted peanuts to make it more nutritious. Ready to pack or serve. =
Nutritious Bhel
Ingredients-
1 onion c hopped
1 capsicum cut into strips
1 cup bean sprouts steamed
½ cup tomatoes chopped
¼ cup steamed corn
1 boiled potato cut in cubes
1 cup m urmura
Lemon juice to taste with chat masala.
Method-: Mix all the ingredients with the murmura. Add chat masala to it and mix well. If needed add green chutney/ tamarind chutney or pack or serve as it is.
Daal and vegetable wraps
Ingredients-
Wheat flour- for chapattis or leftover chapattis
1 cup daal (whatever has been made at home or leftovers)
Vegetables- available leftovers
1 tsp butter
Grated cheese
Salt and pepper
Method- Once chapattis are ready, mix vegetables and daal in a pan, sauté with 1 tsp butter and dry it up. Once the mixture is ready, spread on chapattis, grate a little cheese over it and roll it. Your h ealthy daal and vegetable wrap is ready to eat.=
Soya tikkis
Ingredients-
½ cup (boiled) soya granules
1 potato (b oiled mashed)
1/2 cup carrots (b oiled mashed)
¼ cup boiled green peas
Bread crumbs- for coating
1 tsp butter
Salt and pepper
Method- Mix all the ingredients together with salt and pepper. Shape the tikkis and keep aside. Add a little oil to a non- stick pan. Roll the ready tikkis in the bread crumbs, and fry on the pan. Once it is light brown, turn them over, till ready.
Nutritious soya tikkis are ready to be packed or served hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
Jhatpat Cutlets
Ingredients-
10 bread slices
1/2 bowl cooked daal
2 onions
1 green chilli chopped
1/2 capsicum sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup green peas
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup semolina (rava)
5 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp chilli powder
chaat masala to taste
salt to taste
Method- Grind the bread along with 3/4 of all the vegetables in a mixer. Then add the re maining chopped vegetables, the daal and all the masalas. Heat oil in a pan and shape the mixture into oval cutlets. Dust it with suji and fry on medium flame. Serve hot with ketchup.
Stuffed Omelette
Ingredients-
2 eggs
4-5 mushrooms diced
¼ cup chopped capsicum
¼ cup blanched & chopped spinach
1 onion finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
dash of grated cheese
dash of pepper
salt to taste
Method- Preheat the frying pan on medium heat for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Break the eggs into a bowl and whip briskly with a fork. Add other ingredients, stir quickly and pour into preheated pan. Tilt the pan, if necessary, to distribute the batter evenly. On a slow flame cook for about one and half minute or until the bottom of the omelette is firm and lightly browned. Turn the omelette over and cook again for about one and half minute.
Serve hot with toast.
Source: Zee News
