Food for thought

With the exams here, your children need all the nourishment they can get. Try these recipes and put together a healthy and tasty meal for your kidsu00a0

Garden Vegetables and Almond Soup

Ingredients
1 medium carrot,u00a0
1/2 u00a0inch cubesu00a0u00a02 spring onions, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0
3 garlic cloves, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0
1/4 cup corn kernelsu00a0u00a0u00a0
5-6 fresh button mushrooms, choppedu00a0
1 small tomato, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0
1/4 small broccoli, cut into small floretsu00a020-25 almondsu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tbsp oilu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
4 cups vegetable stocku00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tsp soy sauceu00a0
Salt to tasteu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 lemonu00a0
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Method

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add carrot, spring onions and garlic and sautu00c3u00a9 for a minute. Add corn kernels, vegetable stock and mushrooms, mix well and bring it to a boil.

Add tomato, soy sauce and mix well. Add broccoli and continue to cook for two minutes.

Add salt and almonds and mix well. Halve the lemon, squeeze the juice into the soup and add the remaining lemon too.u00a0u00a0u00a0

Mix well and remove the lemon skin and serve hot.

Note: To thicken the soup you can add cornflour to the soup and bring it to boil and then serve.

Grilled Spinach Sandwich

Ingredients

8 brown bread slicesu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
4 tbsp roasted sesame seedsu00a0u00a0
1/2 medium bundle fresh spinach leaves, finely choppedu00a0u00a0
2 tbsps olive oilu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
2 medium onions, finely choppedu00a0u00a0Salt to tasteu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tsp green chilli pasteu00a0u00a0u00a0
4 medium potatoes, boiled and mashedu00a08 tbsp green chutneyu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 cup grated cheeseu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 medium red capsicum, seeded and cut into thin strips
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Method

Preheat the oven to the maximum temperature.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan, add onions and sautu00c3u00a9 till lightly browned. Add spinach and salt and stir. Add green chilli paste and continue to sautu00c3u00a9.

Add mashed potatoes and mix well.u00a0

Arrange brown bread slices on the work top. Spread green chutney on all of them.u00a0

Spread the potato mixture over the chutney evenly. Sprinkle grated cheese and roasted sesame seeds. Finally place red capsicum strips decoratively on the top.

Place the bread slices on the grill rack in the preheated oven and grill till the bread slices turn crisp.
Serve hot.

Akhrot Murgh

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched, peeled and powdered walnutsu00a0
400 gm boneless chicken, u00c2u00bd inch piecesu00a0
1 tbsp ginger pasteu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tbsp garlic pasteu00a0u00a0u00a0
Salt to tasteu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tsp cumin powderu00a0u00a0u00a0
1/4 cup yogurtu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tbsp oilu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 medium onion, gratedu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 large tomato, pureedu00a0u00a0u00a0
4 green chillies, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tsp coriander powderu00a0u00a0u00a0
2 tbsp fresh creamu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
1/4 tsp garam masala powderu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

Method

Place chicken in a bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, half tsp cumin powder and yogurt and mix well.

Marinate the chicken for half an hour.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add onion and sautu00c3u00a9 till lightly browned. Add tomato puree, mix well and continue to sautu00c3u00a9 till oil separates.

Add green chillies and continue to cook for two minutes. Add coriander powder, remaining cumin powder, mix well and cook for one more minute.

Add the marinated chicken, mix well, cover and cook till done.

Add walnuts, simmer for two to three minutes. Add fresh cream and garam masala powder and mix well and simmer for two more minutes.

Serve hot.

Mixed Fruit Chaat

Ingredientsu00a0

1/4 small pineapple, peeledu00a0u00a0u00a0
1/4small watermelon, peeledu00a0u00a0
2 medium pearsu00a0u00a0u00a0
2 medium applesu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a01 medium green apple (optional)u00a0
1/4 small musk melonu00a0u00a0u00a04-5 strawberries, halvedu00a0u00a0
1 large star fruit (optional)u00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tsp cumin seedsu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0Black salt to tasteu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
3 fresh red chillies, choppedu00a0u00a0
2 green chillies, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leavesu00a0
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leavesu00a0u00a0
1 tbsp lemon juiceu00a0u00a0u00a0
1 tbsp lime juiceu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
2 tsp chaat masalau00a0
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Method

Cut pineapple, watermelon, pears, apples, green apple, melon into one inch sized pieces. Halve the star fruit and then slice thinly.

Place all the cut fruits in a big bowl.

Roast cumin seeds nicely. Grind the roasted cumin seeds coarsely with black salt in a mortar with a pestle.u00a0

Remove into a bowl.

Grind together fresh red chilies, green chillies, coriander leaves and mint leaves in the mortar with a pestle.
Add lemon juice, lime juice and grind again. Add the black salt and roasted cumin seed powder and mix well.
Add this mixture to the fruit bowl. Add chaat masala.

Mix well and serve.

Shopping list for next week

AMBE DALu00a0
2 medium raw mangoes, 300 gm split Bengal gram, 1 1/2 fresh coconut, 1 packet dry red chillies

BHARLI MIRCHI
8 large Bhavnagri green chillies, 25 gm fennel seeds

VADYA CHA KALVANu00a0
15 gm poppy seeds, 1 large bunch fresh coriander leaves, 1 packet star anise, 1 packet mace, 1 packet tamarind, 1 packet garam masala powder, 1/2 dried coconutu00a0
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MANGO SHRIKHANDu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
400 ml thick yogurt, 100 ml mango pulp, 5 gm charoli/chironji (optional, 1 tin condensed milk, 1 bottle mango essence