This morning I had an urge to eat something sweet. I wanted to keep it quick, healthy and ofcourse “YUMMY”  to satisfy my cravings.First thought that popped in my mind was kheer. Since calorie amount can be a bit scary in rice kheer, I decided to use suji instead of rice and 1% milk instead of whole milk.If you are not familiar with Suji (semolina), it is a nutritious Indian wheat granulated but not pulverized. It has a lot of health benefits but the one I remember is that my mother used to give me suji halwa with warm milk to cure sore throat and cold. Also, in India it is very commonly prepared for toddlers and little children as it is very nutritious and easy to digest.  Here is a quick recipe.

You need:

½ tsp  ghee
1 tbsp spoon suji (semolina)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp  brown sugar (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat a frying  pan on low heat
2. Put ghee in it and wait till it spreads around
3. Add Suji and roast it for a few minutes or until it changes colour
4. Next add milk and boil it for 2 minutes
5. Add sugar and stir well
6. Garnish with almonds, cashews, raisins and walnuts
7. Serve hot or cold.

Suji Kheer is a post from: Chef

Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich

You need:

2 slices of bread, I used white bread
1 tbsp Basil Pesto
1/2 medium tomato
1/2 tbsp butter (I used I can’t believe its not Butter spread)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Spread Pesto on one slice and butter on the other.
2. Slice the tomato and arrange it on bread with Pesto
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste
4. Cover and cut the sandwich diagonally

Serve with a side like a cup of fruit or small garden salad.

Basil Pesto and Tomato Sandwich is a post from: Chef

Creamy Pesto Macaroni

You need:

1/2 cup elbow macaroni
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Butter
1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cube (about 1 tbsp) Basil Pesto (I froze the Pesto I made in an ice cube tray!)
1/4 cup cream
1 cup milk
1 cup water (reserved after boiling pasta)
3-4 florets broccoli (optional)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil pasta as per package instructions. Drain and reserve about 1 cup water. (I added the broccoli florets along with pasta so they get really tender by the time the pasta gets cooked. This is a good trick when you want to sneak in some vegetables)
2. Heat butter in a medium sauce pan, add flour and stir briskly using a wire whisk.
3. Add garlic and saute for few seconds.
4. Add cream and Parmesan cheese and blend well until creamy.
5. Add milk, water and salt and bring it to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in Pesto Sauce, and then macaroni and cook for another couple of minutes. (Before adding in pasta, I mashed the broccoli with a fork and as you can see in the picture it blended nicely with the slightly green sauce)
7. Cook few more minutes if you want to thicken the sauce more, however it does thicken a bit as it cools down anyways.
8. Serve hot and garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese. Sprinkle some black pepper to add a little kick.
Black pepper can be mixed in when cooking the sauce as well but to keep the recipe ‘toddler friendly’ I preferred adding it while serving it for adults!

Enjoy! And yes, my son did enjoy his dinner very much so I am happily tagging this recipe is ‘Toddler Friendly’.

Creamy Pesto Macaroni

Tip: Stir in grilled chicken towards the end of the cooking to make it ‘Creamy Pesto Chicken pasta!’. Serve as is to the little ones and with a side of garden salad and sour dough bread for yourself.

Creamy Pesto Macaroni is a post from: Chef

Savoury Hurry Up Muffins

These are quick and easy muffins, with a delicious filling in the centre. I find that these muffins are also a good way of using up those little bits of left-overs that are too little to use for another meal, but too much to just throw away. I like using these little bits in crafty ways – even my boys enjoy their veggie muffins.

Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup oil
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon BBQ salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling:1 onion
3 rashers bacon
½ – 1 sweet pepper

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400’F.

Filling:
Chop the bacon, onion and sweet pepper. Fry in a little oil till golden brown. Drain well.

1. Beat the egg and milk well, and add the other ingredients, and mix well. The dough has a very runny consistency.
Fill the bottom third of the well greased muffin pan with the dough.

Add filling

3. Cover with the remaining dough.

Bake in your hot oven for 10 – 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan once slightly cooled. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or once cooled down.

Ideas for fillings:

For 12 muffins you will need ½ – 1 cup filling. Here are a couple more ideas for variations.

Savoury Hurry-up Muffins is a post from: Chef

Toddler Approved Spaghetti with Collard Greens and Broccoli

You need:

1 cup boiled thin Spaghetti, I cut the Spaghetti into smaller pieces before boiling
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Collard greens, chopped (or any other leafy vegetable like Spinach or Mustard)
3-4 Broccoli florets, chopped
salt to taste
pinch of turmeric to make it look yellow!

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onions and saute for few minutes until onions are tender.
2. Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt and cook on high for another 5 minutes.
3. Add Collard greens and Broccoli florets and cook for couple of minutes.
4. Add about three fourth cup water and bring it to boil. Simmer until vegetables are tender and a medium thick sauce is made. Adjust water if needed. Add the boiled Spaghetti and mix well.

Serve warm to the little one! My son enjoyed the colorful pasta with a very mild taste so I am happily tagging it as ‘Toddler Friendly’.

Toddler Approved Spaghetti with Collard Greens and Broccoli is a post from: Chef

Tortellini with Roasted Vegetables

Here is a great example of under 500 calorie dinner. Very easy to prepare and great on taste buds. 500 calorie dinners are part of Fitness magazine’s popular diet plan when combined with moderate exercise helps you lose weight in a healthy manner.

Tortellini pasta is anyways filling and addition of roasted vegetables adds a lot of flavor and bulk without adding too many calories.

You need:

1/2 cup boiled tortellini pasta (I used 3 cheese filling)
1/2 cup pasta sauce (about 90 calories )
3/4 cup roasted vegetables
1 tsp grated parmesan cheese
dash of Tobasco or red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Boil pasta as per package instructions
2. Add pasta sauce and heat through
3. Add roasted vegetables
4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and red peppers flakes (if using)

You can also substitute any other pasta for cheese tortellini. If you have roasted vegetables on hand and are using store bought pasta sauce, this certainly qualifies for a quick meal.

Tortellini with roasted vegetables is a post from: Chef

Turkey Meatballs

It is always great to have some meatballs on hand when you are in hurry and need to put together a quick and delicious meal. You can make sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, serve with pasta and even throw in soups. I usually make lean turkey meatballs instead of fatty beef ones and make more than I need so I can freeze some for quick meals (as a full time working mom I am usually short of time!). This is very basic recipe and is great for little ones since the meatballs do not have any kind of strong flavor. Even better, all it needs is just 10 minutes of prep time. I made a batch last weekend and made some meat sauce for my 2 year old.

You need:

1 lb ground Turkey meat (lean)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp garlic spread seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 egg

Turkey Meatballs-Mixed ingredients

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well

Turkey Meatballs-shaped

For the meat sauce: Cut up few pieces, simmer for few minutes in your favorite pasta sauce. Serve with pasta or rice. Since my son enjoyed the meat sauce – 2 days in a row, I am happily tagging this recipe as ‘Toddler Friendly’. They also make healthy snacks for adults and great finger food for the little ones – just cut them in small pieces and serve with ketchup.

More to follow as I put together more meals with these Turkey meatballs. Although I must say, for my ‘Indian taste buds’ I will certainly work on this recipe and add more spices. Will surely post the ‘Indian’ version soon!

Easy Turkey Meatballs is a post from: Chef

Baby Spinach Salad with carrot and cucumber spinach ribbons

You need:

For Salad-

3 cups chopped baby spinach
1/2 cup yellow corn (I used canned)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots
2 cucumbers
topping of your choice – I prefer some crushed baked pita chips (Stacy’s)

Garlic Buttermilk Dressing-

1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic spread and seasoning
few dashes of Frank’s hot sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well before serving.

Directions:

1. Put the chopped baby spinach leaves in a large salad bowl.
2. Using a potato peeler, peel the carrots and cucumber into thin ribbons. Cut them with shears, if needed
3. Microwave the corn for couple of minutes ( put in a bowl with some water) anddrain. Add to salad.
4. Add the peppers and dressing and toss. Do not pour all dressing at once, increase quantity as you prefer.
5. Optional – add a topping of your choice – handful of croutons /baked pita chips

Serve with a side of soup and/or bread. Serves 3-4.

Fitness tip: Depending on your portion size you can create your custom 300/400/500 calorie menu. A large salad plate with 2- 2.5 tbsp dressing should not exceed 200 calories

Baby spinach salad with carrot and cucumber ribbons is a post from: Chef

Chipotle Chicken Kababs

1 lb boneless Chicken pieces – medium sized (I used thigh meat)
1/2 can Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce (about 3.5 oz – I did use more than this originally!)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp oil (I used Canola)
2 tsp cumin powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 medium onion, cut in large pieces
1 medium green pepper, cut in large pieces
1 medium red pepper, cut in large pieces

1. Combine everything and make a smooth marinade using in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet)

2. Make deep cuts in the meat.

3. Rub the marinade on the chicken pieces and marinate for about 1 day (I think even 3-4 hours should be sufficient, but I marinated for a day for a more intense flavor). Cover the chicken with remaining marinade – if any left

4. Set your oven to Broil mode. If using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for few minutes.

Chipotle Chicken Kababs-skewers

6. Broil for about 7 minutes, flip skewers and broil the other side for another 6-7 minutes

7. Serve hot on a bed of lettuce salad with salsa and sour cream

This chicken also tastes great with Mexican rice, pita bread or in a sandwich – I will post recipes as I try!

Chipotle Chicken Kebabs is a post from: Chef

Lemon Rice

Carrot Raita

Lemon Rice

You need:

1 tbsp Chana Dal (split Chickpeas)

Urad, Moong and Chana Dal

1. Wash the Chana, Urad and Moong dal and soak in water for about 10 minutes.

2.Heat oil in a wide pot/wok/karahi. Add Asafoetida (hing) powder and after couple of seconds add mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add whole red chilies, curry leaves and raw peanuts.

Lemon Rice-Roast Dal and Peanuts

Lemon Rice-stir in rice

1. Add onions after seeds/dal is roasted. Cook until browned and continue with rest of the recipe
2. Add cubed boiled potatoes and peas after seeds/dal is roasted. Cook until browned and continue with rest of the recipe

Carrot Raita

You need:
1 cup yogurt
1 cup milk (low fat/2% is fine)
1/2 cup water
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp MDH Chunky Chat Masala
1 cup grated carrots
2-3 tbsp Chopped Cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp rock salt (kala namak)-optional

1. Grate carrots using medium or small side of the grater
2. Mix Yogurt, milk and water in a bowl until nicely blended.
3. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Adjust water and seasonings. I prefer it neither to thick and nor too runny.

Carrot Raita

Lemon Rice with Carrot Raita is a post from: Chef