Most mothers face the problem of feeding children healthy food. Spinach and greens are the hardest nuts to crack. Here are two delicious recipes.
1. Soup Noodles: Serve Four
Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 4
Bottle gourd – half a small
Carrots: two. small and cute
Spinach – 8 leaves (remove stems)
onion – one
Garlic: half a cane (8-10 cloves)
Nail -2
Salt and pepper to taste.
Whole cumin seeds. (jeera) – a table spoon
Noodles*: 400 g (instant or other)
Addresses:
• Peel the onion, garlic, pumpkin and carrots.
• Wash spinach well.
• Wash all other vegetables, including tomatoes.
• Cut vegetables into small pieces, about one to two inches.
• Put all the vegetables and cloves in a pressure cooker.
• Add 250 ml of water.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and when it starts to whistle, turn the gas fire to a minimum.
• Keep it for ten minutes.
• Meanwhile cook noodles or boil noodles according to directions.
• For instant noodles, it’s only two minutes; while other noodles may take longer and require water drainage.
• Add flavorings and spices as provided with instant noodles.
• For other noodles, drain the water after boiling and add salt, red chili sauce and vinegar to taste.
• Once the noodles are done, set them aside.
• Turn off gas, wait for steam to dissipate.
• Open the lid of the pressure cooker carefully.
• In case of using a steel blender, mix the hot vegetables well; in case of using a plastic mixer, grinder or blender, wait for the vegetables to cool down, then mix well.
• Take a large strainer and strain these blended vegetables through it.
• Use a spatula to mash and push the vegetables through the strainer.
• Take a large saucepan and combine the noodles and blended (and strained) vegetables in that saucepan.
• Toast the cumin seeds in the hot strip (tawa).
• Grind these roasted seeds into a powder. (I put these in chakla and roll the roller i.e. belan over these).
• Add this powder to the noodle and soup mix.
• Add salt and black pepper to the brothy noodles.
• A very nutritious and absolutely non-fattening food is ready for winter evenings.
#While serving in the bowls, this soup can be garnished with boiled eggs.
*In place of noodles, pasta/macaroni can be used.
2. Taco for tiffins: Two tacos
Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour: 100 gms
Warm water: 200ml
salt: a pinch
Ajwain*: a pinch
Purified butter/ghee: one tablespoon
To fill:
Potato – one boiled
Cheese – 50 g grated
Green peas – 50 g boiled
Green fenugreek leaves (Methi) – two sprigs, (washed and very finely chopped)
Salt and pepper to season
Oregano – a pinch
Sandwich cream – optional
Addresses:
Add the flour, salt, ajwain and purified butter in a wide plate/pan.
Slowly add warm water to knead and make a smooth dough.
Make 2 balls with this dough.
Put an iron girdle on the fire.
Roll out the balls of dough into wide circular pancakes. (size of a quarter plate)
Cook these pancakes on the hot strip one at a time, turning, when one side is done.
Mash together the potato, cheese, peas and fenugreek leaves.
Add salt, pepper and oregano.
Spread a thin sandwich layer over the pancakes, one at a time. (optional)
Spread the vegetable and cheese puree over the pancake/taco as well.
Roll up the taco and use a toothpick on the ends to keep it closed.
Grill these rolled tacos on the waffle iron rack.
Serve hot with chutney or salsa verde.
# Any dry cooked vegetables can be used for the stuffing, eg cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, etc. or scrambled eggs can be used.
*Ajwain is also called carambola, Carum copticum/Trachyspermum copticum/Trachyspermum ammi, or bishop’s herb.