Beetroot Chapati

Today I have chosen beetroot chapati, it's a wonderful way of making your fuzzy kids eat their veggies.

Beetroot has a lot of health benefits. It is high in immune boosting vitamin c, fibre, essential minerals like potassium, manganese. It is rich in folate and reduces the risk of birth defects.

Beetroot Chapati

No. of Serving : 6 - 7

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Beetroot - 1 medium

Ginger Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Water as required

Salt to taste

Preparation Method

1. Peel, chop and grind beetroot into a fine paste along with ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.

2. In a mixing bowl add whole wheat flour and salt and mix well.

3. Add oil and mix well.

4. Add the ground paste little by little and mix well, add water as required and make a thick dough.

5. Let it rest for 1/2 hr.

6. Roll out chappati and toast it in tava on both sides.

7. Serve with onion raita.

Gopi Matar Pasta / Cauliflower Peas Pasta

This time I have made pasta in the Indian style by adding Indian spices. I have also added vegetable like cauliflower and peas to give it an Indian touch. It tasted delicious, hope you too will like it.

Gopi Matar Pasta / Cauliflower Peas Pasta

No. of Serving : 4

Ingredients

Pasta - 100 gms dry

Cauliflower - 1/2 flower

Peas - 2 cups fresh

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 2 medium

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation Method

1. Wash and cut cauliflower into florets. Dip them in hot boiling salted water for 10 minutes so that if there is any worms it will die.

2. Cook pasta in salted hot water for 10 minutes. keep aside.

3. In a kadai, heat oil and add green peas and saute for 3 minutes , then add chopped onion and saute till it turns translucent.

4. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes and a nice aroma comes.

5. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt and saute till the tomato is cooked and oil separates on the top of the gravy.

6. Add cauliflower and cook till it is cooked.

7. Add cooked pasta, saute and serve hot.  

Brown Onion Almond Pesto Pasta

My version of the pesto is that I have fried onion till they turn dark brown and ground it along with almond to make it more nutritious and tasty. The phytochemicals and vitamin C present in onion helps in improving immunity. It regulates blood sugar and heals infections.

Brown Onion Almond Pesto Pasta

No. of Servings : 2

Ingredients

Pasta - 100 gms

Onion - 2 medium

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Almond - 20

Star anise - 1

Cinnamon - 1 " piece

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation Method

1. Boil water, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes or till it is al dente. Drain and keep aside.

2. In a kadai, heat oil and fry the onions till dark brown and charred. Cool and grind to paste along with blanched almonds.

3. In a kadai heat oil and add cinnamon and star anise. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.

4. Add the ground onion paste, salt and red chilli powder, cook till oil separates on the top.

5. Add cooked pasta and stir well.

6. Garnish with chopped almonds.

Snake Gourd Thokku

Snake Gourd is a water content vegetable with lots of nutrients. Apart from lots of vitamins and minerals it is low in calorie, thus suitable for diabetic patients. It is also known to lessen fever.

This can be apt for lunch box. You can wrap it inside dosai and the dosai will stay moist till lunch.

Snake Gourd Thokku

No. of Servings : 5

Ingredients

Snake gourd - 250 gms

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 2 medium

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation Method

1. Puree tomatoes, keep aside.

2. Finely chop snake gourd and pressure cook for 3 whistle, keep aside.

3. In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when the seeds bring to crackle add onion.

4. When the onion turns translucent add ginger garlic paste and sauté till a nice aroma comes.

5. Then add tomato puree, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt and cook till oil separates on top of the masala.

6. Add the cooked snake gourd. Sauté for 5 minutes.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with dosai or chapati.

Methi Chapatti

In this recipe I have added dry methi leaves / fenugreek leaves. You can add fresh methi leaves also.

Methi Chapatti

No. of Chapaties : 10 - 12

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 3 cups

Water as required

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Dry Methi leaves - 1 cup

Preparation Method

1. Soak the dry methi leaves / fenugreek leaves in water for 1 hr. Squeeze water out and keep aside.

2. Mix all the ingredients expect water and including methi leaves and make chapati dough by adding water little at a time.

3. Let it rest for 20 minutes.

4. Roll out and make chapati and toast it in hot tawa on both sides.

5. Serve with any subji , I served it with radish subji (link for reference).

Radish Millet Pancake with Dates Sauce

My new innovation for kids lunch box !!!

I have added millet flour along with regular whole wheat flour to make this pancake. You can add any vegetable of your choice, I choose radish because this is the vegetable that kids usually fuzz about eating them as poriyal or kootu.

Radish has lots of nutrients in them. It is loaded with folate, riboflavin, fibre potassium, copper, calcium, magnesium and vitamin B.

Radish Millet Pancake with Dates Sauce

No. of Pancakes : 6-7

Ingredients

For the Pancake

Millet flour - 1 cup

Wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Radish grated - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Egg - 1

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Water as required

For the Dates Sauce

Dates - 10

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp thick paste

Salt a pinch

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Preparation Method

For Pancake

1. In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except water.

2. Add water little by little as required.

3. The batter must be of the consistency of dosa / pancake batter.

4. Heat a tava and make pancakes.

5. Serve with Dates Sauce.

For homemade Dates Sauce

1. Bring water to boil add dates and turn off the flame and let it rest for 15 minutes. Cool and keep aside.

2. Add little water to jaggery and let it come to a boil. Turn off the flame, filter and keep aside.

3. Grind dates to smooth paste.

4. In a saucepan add dates paste, jaggery water, tamarind paste, cumin powder and salt and heat it over a medium flame for 5 - 10 minutes till it thickens.

5. Serve it.