Nutritious Almond-Walnut Cookies
Almond walnut cookies
Nutritious Almond-Walnut Cookies
Kids love cookies. But getting healthy, nutritious cookies for them, is a challenge. This is my all time favorite cookie recipe. You can substitute any nut for almonds and walnuts. But I like this combination. So I’m sharing this recipe with you. Hope you like it too.
Ingredients:
For Almond-Walnut cookies [Approx. 24 cookies]
All purpose flour (maida) -1 cup
Almonds -1 cup [chopped in food processor]
Walnuts -1 cup [chopped in food processor]
Melted butter – 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar [golden] – 1 cup
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Milk – ¼ cup
Salt – ½ tsp
Method
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees (F).
- Chop almonds and walnuts in the food processor and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, add all the above ingredients. Mix well with a spatula.
- Take a cup of raw almonds and slice them in half. Keep aside.
- Make marble sized balls of the mixture and press it lightly with the thumb. Now place the halved slices of almonds on each cookie.
- On a lightly greased baking tray, place the cookies gently.
- Put the baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes approximately.
- Cookies are done if they are golden brown and crispy.
- Take the tray out and place the cookies on the cooling rack.
- Transfer all the cookies in an air tight container when cookies are completely cool.
Enjoy cookies with a cup of tea/coffee or warm milk any time of the day.
Healthy vegetable Idli [Veggie Rice cakes]
Healthy vegetable Idli (Veggie Rice cakes)
Idli is one of the healthiest southern Indian breakfasts. Plain Idli is great but with vegetables it is awesome. It can be served as a breakfast, evening snack or as a meal with sambhar and chutney. Idli is soft and easy to eat so kids love it too.
Ingredients:
For Vegetable Idli (4 servings)
Idli batter – 4 cups
Vegetables – Carrot, cabbage, green beans [shredded] -1.5 cups
Tomato- 1 thinly sliced [Round]
Cashews – ½ cups
Cilantro leaves – ½ cup leaves
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2
Curry leaves – 5-6
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
- Prepare Idli batter as usual or buy it from any Indian grocery store.
- In a pan, heat cooking oil and add mustard seeds. When it starts splattering, add green chilies, curry leaves and vegetables. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not cook the vegetables completely as they will be cooked later with the idli batter.
- Add salt to the vegetables and cool it for few minutes.
- Add the vegetables to the Idli batter and mix well.
- For making Idlies, grease the Idli molds and arrange tomato slices in some of the molds, or cilantro leaves or cashews. Now pour the idli batter in each mold and steam it.
- Once the Idlies are cooked, keep the molds aside for few minutes to cool down and then gently take the idlies off the mold and flip them. Arrange the vegetable side up in the serving plate.
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy warm Idlies with green cilantro chutney or coconut chutney and sambhar.
Bread Rolls [Stuffed bread, Indian style]
Bread Rolls
Bread roll is one of the most common snacks we had as a kid. It is great with a cup of tea or coffee. Usually it is stuffed with potato based stuffing but you can add any vegetable or nuts for kids. Kids love this easy to eat snack in their lunchbox too. So try this yummy snack anytime of the day.
Ingredients:
For Bread Rolls [8 rolls]
White or brown bread -8 slices
Potatoes – 3 medium
Onion- ½ chopped
Green chilies – 2 [finely chopped]
Cilantro – 2 tbsp [finely chopped]
vegetable oil- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Cooking oil for deep frying
Dry Ingredients:
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Amchur(Dried mango powder) -1.5 tsp
Garam masala -1 tsp
Roasted Cumin seeds – 1 tsp (powdered)
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Method:
To make stuffing:
1. Boil and peel potatoes. Mash them coarsely and keep aside.
2. In a bowl, combine boiled potatoes and all dry ingredients and mix well.
3. In a pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add cumin seeds and let it crackle. Add chopped onions and green chilies to it. Fry it, till onions become translucent.
4. Add the potato mixture in the pan and mix well for couple of minutes. The stuffing is ready.
To make bread rolls:
1. Take 1 cup of water in a shallow bowl and keep aside.
2. Cut the brown edges of all the bread slices. Now take one slice of bread on your palm and sprinkle some water from the bowl kept aside. Make both the sides wet but not soggy. Press it gently to remove excess water.
3. Now put 1 tbsp of stuffing on the wet bread. And very gently roll the sides of the bread to cover the stuffing. The stuffing should be completely covered. And try to make the seam even.
4. Once the bread roll is even on all the sides, place it on a dry plate. Repeat the process with rest of the bread slices.
5. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying the rolls. Oil should be medium-hot.
6. Carefully fry the bread rolls in the oil. Keep turning after couple minutes, till done. They should be brown and crispy. Drain the bread rolls on the kitchen towel.
Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.
Aloo-Palak Paratha [Stuffed Indian Bread]
Aloo-Palak Paratha (Stuffed Indian bread)
Aloo – palak paratha is great for brunch, breakfast or anytime meal. Instead of aloo-palak, only palak can be stuffed for different taste. Leftover aloo palak subzi can be used for stuffing. This paratha is a hit for lunch box meal too.
Ingredients:
For Aloo-palak Paratha [8 parathas]
Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
Spinach – 1 bunch fresh or 1 packet frozen
Potatoes – 2 medium sizes
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder – 1/ 2 tbsp
Garlic -1/2 tbsp finely chopped
Green chilies- ½ tbsp finely chopped [OPTIONAL]
Asafoetida powder – ¼ tsp
Ajwain – 1 tsp
Water (enough to make dough)
Salt as per taste
Method:
- Combine whole wheat flour, half cumin seeds, ajwain seeds and 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
- Mix together well and add water slowly to make soft dough. Knead well to make it even.
- Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Peel and cut potatoes in small cubes and keep aside. Clean and cut fresh spinach finely or thaw frozen spinach.
- To prepare stuffing, in a pan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add remaining cumin seeds to it. Let it crackle. Add asafetida powder, garlic, green chilies to it. Cook for a minute. Add cut potatoes and spinach. Mix, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
- Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder to it. When potatoes are fully done, cook it uncovered for 7 more minutes. Take off the flame and let the stuffing cool down. Mash the stuffing and divide it into 8 equal parts.
- Divide the dough into 8 parts.
- Take one part and make a ball of it. And then with the help of rolling pin, roll it and stuff the golf ball size stuffing into the dough. Roll the parathas lightly into 6-7” diameter.
- On the hot griddle, fry parathas one at a time till it becomes golden brown on both the sides. . Repeat the process with the remaining 7 parts of dough.
Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy with fresh yogurt and your favorite pickle anytime of the day.
Onion-Green Chilli Uttapam [Southern Indian Pancakes]
Onion-Green Chilli Uttapam
Uttapam is one of the great tasting South Indian snack or breakfast. It has many different versions but Onion-Green Chili is one of my all time favorite. Instead of onion-chili, you can add any fresh vegetable of your choice .
Ingredients:
For Onion-Green Chili Uttapam [6 uttapams approx.]
Idli / Dosa Batter – 2 cups [ Ihave used Idli batter ]
Sweet Onions – 1 cup finely chopped
Green Chilies - 3-4 chopped
Cilantro -1/3 cup chopped
Cooking oil for shallow frying
Salt as per taste
Method:
1. Heat griddle or tawa. Take one ladle of Idli batter and pour in the middle of the griddle.
2. Spread the batter as pancake and add one teaspoon of oil along the edges.
3. On the top spread chopped onions, green chillies and chopped cilantro evenly. Let it cook on the medium flame for a minute and then cover the uttapam with a lid. Cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and add few drops of oil on top of onion and chillies.
5. Gently flip the uttapam to the other side and cook for couple of minutes.
6. Uttapam is ready when it is golden brown in color.
Serve hot with green/coconut chutney and sambhar.
