Tag: food

Cooking And Kids

“When I cook with my son, I might chop vegetables and have fun with different shapes. Cooking is a way to teach kids about other things, like reading or math with all of the weights and measures. There are so many things that are part of cooking that are also very educational.”

– Emeril Lagasse

Cooking with kids is super easy and fun. These days, recipes for kids are readily available on the internet, as well as, in the How-To-Cook-With-Children books. A toddler, a school-age child or an older child – anyone can help in cooking, ranging from snacks to main meals. From creating a menu together to building an organized work station – while one cleans the veggies, another fries a potato, a third grates some cheese, a fourth sautés the veggies, a fifth cleans the utensils, a sixth serves the food on the plates, a seventh sets the table, and so on ( NO, I don’t have the Von Trapp Children in mind) –it is quite an engaging activity.

Watching MasterChef Junior, among other cooking shows, one is full of awe at kids, not even the height of one’s waist, intently cooking with dexterity. Most kids enjoy cooking. Moreover, learning to cook at an early age leads to big bonuses in the later years, when one is in college or about to settle down and start a family.

I have two young cousins who love to cook; one is a boy of six and the other a girl of 12. From dressing salads to making ice popsicles – every tiny step excites them. It sure is fun when it’s time to put the chef’s whites on.

So, here are a few easy-to-cook recipes which are an all-time hit among children:

Mac and Cheese

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients: 2 shallots (peeled), 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, 3 pieces of bacon (diced and cooked, reserving 1 tbsp bacon fat) ,2 tbsp flour, 4 cups of heavy cream, 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 pound penne pasta (cooked) , ½ cup Panko bread crumbs, 2 tbsp melted butter, 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop. In a large sauté pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. Stir in cheeses until melted, creamy and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9X13 casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, breadcrumbs, butter and parsley. Top Mac and cheese with Panko mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top (say, 20 to 25 minutes).

Brownies

Cooking Time: 22 minutes

Yield: 12 brownies

Ingredients: 1 package chocolate brownie mix (prepared to directions on box- ½ cup oil, ¼ cup water, 2 eggs), 1 cup peanut butter chips, softened butter (for greasing your baking dish), 1-2 ounce package chopped nuts, ¼ cup mini marshmallows

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. To mixed brownie batter, stir in peanut butter chips. Grease an 8 by 13-inch baking dish with softened butter and line with foil. Spread the brownie batter into an even layer. Sprinkle the brownie batter with chopped nuts and bake 20 to 22 minutes. Top with marshmallows in the last 3 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cut into 12 brownies.

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 18 bars

Ingredients: 6 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more for greasing), 4 cups miniature marshmallows, ½ cup smooth peanut butter, 6 cups puffed rice cereal, ½ cup whole roasted peanuts, 4 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate (chopped), flakes sea salt (optional)

Directions: Lightly butter a 13 by 9 inch baking dish.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low to medium=low heat until light brown specks start to form and the butter starts to smell nutty (10 to 12 minutes). Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until melted. Add the puffed rice cereal and peanuts. Stir until well coated. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Cool completely. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled crispy rice treats and sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired. Cut into 18 bars.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 26 cookies

Ingredients: ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, ¾ cup sugar, 2 large eggs, ½ cup oil, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, ¾ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp fine salt, 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks, 4 ounces dried cranberries or dried cherries

Directions: evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.) Whisk the sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk the flours, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks and dried fruit. Scoop heaping tbsp of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the pans. Bake until golden but soft in the center; about 12 to 14 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve. Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

So, what are you waiting for?

Grab your apron, cook and have fun with your kids!!

Recipe Courtesy: foodnetwork.com

Image Courtesy: momtrends.com

May 23, 2014
For Impatient Souls- Food you can cook within 20 MINUTES!!

Food. Food. Food.

Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

I grew up watching my grand moms and my mom cook food with a glint in their eye, a smile on their face. And along with the dose of MasterChef that imbedded itself in my brain (you can almost visualize an obese teenager sitting in front of the TV gawking at the delicacies being cooked, half mouth open, dazed eyes, with a hopeful future culinary dream), I gradually (not-so-gradual) fell in love with food. From Tandoori Chicken to Sweet Corn and Mushroom Pasta, from Mutton Biriyani to Risotto Primavera, from Misti Doi to Rhubard and Lemon Curd Cake, from Sweetened Kesari Lassi to Double Berry Smoothie, from Spicy Samosas to Cheese Scones – I opened my arms to all. Or, should I say stomach?

I learned to cook, as most children do at one point or the other.

I make the best Gajar ka Halwa(a Carrot sweet dish) in my family. No kidding. But that ‘hopeful future culinary dream’? Well, that’s taken a standstill.

Because, there’s a small glitch.

I don’t have much patience. I love food. I really do. But after the first half hour of cooking time, all my patience is lost. This usually ends in two ways: either I’ll leave the kitchen(an utter mess by now) heart wretched and defeated, be awfully thankful for my SuperMom who’ll clean up and finish cooking the meal in a jiffy, OR I’ll be irritated as hell, yet seize the damned crockery and continue cooking- the end result being a half burnt cake or inedible chicken curry or under seasoned fish or… oh, you get the drift.

And as usual, SuperMom to the rescue – a couple of weeks later, a couple of recipes (short ones) down, I was ready to take on the world.

WOO-HOO!

So, for similar souls like me, here are a couple of under-20-minutes recipes to try out and impress your family, friends and more.

(My YUM-shake)

Chocolaty Banana Milkshake

Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients: 2 ripe bananas, 2 tbsp honey, half a bar of good quality chocolate (I used one whole DairyMilk. I love that chocolaty gooiness), 450 ml of milk, vanilla ice cream

Directions: Put bananas, honey, chocolate, milk and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a blender. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour it in a glass. Put 2 more scoops of vanilla ice cream on top. Serve chilled.

(A sick-day savior)

Cauliflower Soup

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 1 chopped onion, ½ thinly sliced leek, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 roughly chopped cauliflower, 750 ml of milk, 50g grated Parmesan, chives, butter to cook

Directions: Cook onion, leek and crushed garlic cloves in a knob of butter until soft. Add chopped cauliflower and the milk. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.

Place everything into a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in grated Parmesan, ladle into bowls and finish with a few snipped chives scattered on top.

(A filling snack)

Egg and Raisin Sandwiches

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 3 eggs, 1-2 tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tbsp raisin, white bread, butter

Directions: Hard boil the eggs. Let cool before peeling and finely chopping. Mix with mayonnaise, raisin and some seasoning. Spread 2-3 slices of white bread with 2 tbsp softened butter, top with the egg mix and sandwich with 2-3 more slices of bread. Cut into mini triangles and Serve.

(Something I can eat a dozen of)

Apple Muffins

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: 200 ml buttermilk, 1 large egg, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 200 g flour, 100g caster sugar,1 tspn baking powder, 1 tspn bicarbonate of soda, 2 small apples

Directions: Heat oven to 170C and line 8 holes of a muffin tin with muffin cases. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, oil and vanilla extract. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Quickly fold the wet ingredients and apple into the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes in the tin before moving to a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

(A twist to the ever-popular omelette)

Omelette

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: ½ chopped onion, 1 diced red pepper, 1 diced tomato, 50 g chopped mushrooms, 1 finely diced potato, 4 eggs, a pinch of oregano, oil and butter to cook

Directions: Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add potato, mushrooms, onion, tomato and red pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes to soften, and then tip out the veg. Lightly beat the eggs. Sizzle a small knob of butter in the pan, add the eggs, allow to set and then spoon the vegetables over the egg. Cover with lid. After 2 minutes, open the lid and sprinkle a pinch of oregano. Serve hot.

(And my personal all-time favourite)

Pancakes

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 300g flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 2 eggs, maple syrup, 300 ml of milk, butter to cook and a pinch of salt to taste

Directions: Mix flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl. Crack in the eggs and whisk until smooth. Add 1 tbsp maple syrup and the milk while whisking. Heat a splash of oil and a small knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan until sizzling, Add spoonfuls of batter to make the pancakes. Cook until bubbles start to form on the surface, then flip and cook the other side. Keep the pancakes warm in a low oven while you cook another batch. Serve them drizzled with extra maple syrup.

Image Courtesy-www,gizmag.com

May 23, 2014
Every Plate of Food has a Story to Tell

Everyone knows that there are two types of people in the world when it comes to food – those who eat to live and those who live to eat. If you’re the type that lives to eat, then you would know that nothing in the world sounds better than the “ping” announcing that your food is ready. That ping can be the ping of your oven or the ping at a fast food joint, it doesn’t matter. You would know that those clichés where people say that their favorite thing to do is to curl up in the bed with some chocolate pudding and a book or a movie are all true. You would know that if there’s one thing in this world that has the power to make you smile, it’s food.

The biggest dilemma in the life of a foodie who knows to how cook is whether to go out to eat or to stay at home and cook. I’m a foodie. I love cooking. I made my first chapatis when I was six and I woke up in the middle of the night with my stomach rumbling. I didn’t want to wake my mother up so I went into the kitchen and found some left overs, but there were no chapatis. So my six year old self decided that she really wanted to have warm, soft, chapatis and she made them. Of course they were hard and crisp and slightly burnt but that was when I realized that cooking was exciting. After that, I often used to wait for my mother to go take her afternoon nap so that I could go into the kitchen and cook something for myself. I thought one day I would surprise my mother by cooking a meal for her all by myself. That never happened because the first time I cut my finger, I ran to her crying. Nonetheless, almost everyone who is passionate about food and about cooking remembers the first time they made something and how amazing and excited they felt.

Food brings happiness to us in many ways. It’s not just the eating part that makes people happy; it’s also the cooking part. Having a chocolate cake that you baked yourself sure feels amazing. But it feels even better when you’re eating it with a bunch of people who love it and they tell you so.

So when you know how to cook amazing food, which isn’t a difficult thing to do, and you enjoy it, why would you want to go out and eat? I’ll tell you. When you go out and you order something new and you eat it, it gives you a rush because you can’t wait to get home and try making it. Often, you might fail to reproduce that dish. After a point, you even give up. So you go out and back to that place to eat the same thing again and again because that place makes that one particular dish perfectly. And this way, over time, you label places with particular dishes that they make and if someone wants to eat that thing, you know the perfect place to take them to.

A foodie knows that there should be no discrimination between a roadside vendor and fancy restaurant. A nice little dhaba tucked away in some corner has the potential to serve as good food as that fancy place near the fancy mall. The only thing that should matter is hygiene. Not all dhabas are unhygienic and not all restaurants are hygienic. Also, if you’re a student and you keep dining at pricey places, your parents will soon realize that the extra pocket money you’re asking for, is not for ”research material” and that, my friend, is not a good thing. It’s not difficult to get addicted to good food so you need to keep in mind that those pricey places with the orgasmic food are a luxury. They should be treated like the occasional cigarette. You plan on ahead and save up for weeks to eat there. Or you spend the money you were given to buy shoes to eat there and walk around with your toes poking out of your shoes as a punishment. (If, in case, that does happen, you have my sympathies.)

Another golden rule when it comes to food – never waste food. You have a little too much food and none of it can go in the fridge? There are plenty of men, women and children out there who need it. Take a walk after your meal, a healthy habit too, and give it to someone who needs it. Can’t find someone? Put it out with a bowl of milk and the Dog Fairy will make sure it vanishes by the time morning rolls around.

Food, books, pets – to each, their own. Or some people prefer to have a combination of any two or even all three in their lives to be able to call it a perfect and happy life. Whatever the combination be, you need food in there to be happy – or even to simply survive. If you eat to live, slow down once and think about the taste of the food you’re eating, think about the texture, the feel of it and think about the story behind that plate of food because be it the burnt chapatis I made when I was six or be it the chef’s signature dish at a restaurant every plate of food has a story to tell.

May 23, 2014
Anybody can Cook – Your one step Guide to become a Good Cook

World cuisine is a term that has always been fantasized by all the foodies out there. Many of us are even well aware of the history, developments and latest trends in each of those cuisines. Well, this article is not going to talk about anything of that sort. On a general basis, many of us reading this article would agree if I say that ‘Masterchef Australia’ shows which aired on Star World channel had a major part in teaching culinary lessons and also about world cuisine! Being an Indian and watching ‘Masterchef Australia’, there were days when we used to go out on a hunt for the so-called ‘Australian’ cooking ingredients, which had all been in vain. While watching these shows, there was a moment of realization and understanding about how simple many of these cuisines were, and how the life and culture of a region affected the development of its cuisine. Personally, Italian cuisine had a major impact on my cooking style which turns out to be a combined version of Indian and Italian – may be termed as Indo-Italian! Well, the point here is that, it is always good to have one’s own theories and inspirations about cooking.

One important lesson that these shows taught most of its audiences was the presentation of a dish – an area which was not explored much by many of us, especially housewives. And that helped in changing the perspective of cooking among many of them. Most of the Indian housewives consider cooking as a part of their ‘duty’ as a housewife, rather than a passion. Though they give uttermost care during the process of making a dish, presentation was not among their primary concerns. But after the advent of such shows, there seems to be a slight change in attitude. Such cooking shows aired on television do a great deal in evoking that spirit of cooking within the most unlikeliest of people, including myself. Though the start-off dishes were the Australian and Italian dishes – mostly by name and not by its taste – the Indian ones were pulled off easily later on, after acquiring the basic understanding about cooking as an art. Cookery shows like ‘Masterchef Australia’, rather than being a mere competition, also teach a lot of culinary skills. Well, I can proudly say that I learnt to cook the perfect mashed potato after watching the former season of Masterchef Australia.

Another side to this is the remade and dubbed versions of the original ones. It is very rare to find such remade versions growing to become a success in their respective languages. In many of those versions, the spirit of cooking is rather overshadowed by an emotional drama among the contestants, turning a competition into a mega serial show. Cooking when seen as an art and passion, and not just a mere daily routine, can give a lot of self-satisfaction and joy of creating something of your own. And to see such a growing passion in children at such a young age is more than just heartening. In this age of video games and advancements in the Internet technology, amongst kids who have simply lost the spirit of outdoor games and traditions, it is a good sign to see a bunch of young kids out there showing a great deal of interest in developing culinary skills. Kudos to all those Masterchef shows, and kudos, without any doubt, to all the parents who support them!!

And to end it all, many among us feel that cooking is an art and great sense of taste does not just to come to anyone. Well, here is good news: ‘Anybody can cook’; people who watched the movie Ratatouille would know that!! It’s just a passion that can be developed by anyone. But once that is done, and then you are sure to find yourself in an eternal relationship with food!!

May 16, 2014
SNACK WITHOUT GUILT
Until recently the common wisdom on snacking was that it was bad; something you must be guilty about. Don’t eat between meals, you were told. It will ruin your teeth, make you gain weight and spoil your appetite. Far from true! “The word snack has a negative connotation, but it can be a good thing.” Dieticians, nutrition and fitness experts now say the best way to keep healthy is by eating small frequent meals. It keeps you from overeating at mealtimes and fires your metabolism.

Why we need to snack

Intake of food and breakdown of it during metabolism releases glucose-the simplest form of sugar. This glucose is taken up by insulin and used to regulate the body’s energy levels. All this takes place in the spleen. Twice a day a healthy person’s blood sugar dips when the glucosein the blood gets used up. This brings on lethargy. This is when snacks come in handy. It is essential to get it right.

The right time, right pace

It is generally two hours after breakfast and a couple of hours after lunch that you need to pump your blood sugar, these are the high activity zones of our day when maximum energy is consumed either at work or while doing chores at home. A feeling of lethargy, lack of concentration, compulsive eagerness to get over with work and head over coffee machine indicates tumbling sugar level but very often we confuse the need for a break with the need to snack. We end up munching out of boredom.

What to eat, what to drop

Look for foods with complex carbohydrates (wholegrain breads or fiber-filled vegetables). Combine them with protein rich stuff like low fat cheese. High protein snacks keep you full longer and may reduce the amount you eat next time. The ideal break up for a person should be:

carbohydrates: 10 to 12 grams

Proteins: 5 to 6 grams

Fats and oils: 3 to 5 grams

You could get this from:

A cup of tea with whole wheat bread, sandwich (skip the mayonnaise), try low-fat cheese or a glass of sweet lassi with a bowl of upma or poha or fresh juice with medium sized sprouts.

Snack smart

DO’S
- Balancing snacks with meals is a clever idea. If you had a carbohydrate rich breakfast and no protein, at snack time pick up low cal flavored yogurt.
- Eat a variety of foods with different food groups and tastes to fill up on nutrition deficit.
- If you are self confused sweet lover, try to replace a few sugary snacks with more healthy ones. It may not be very difficult.
DON’Ts
- Snacks by definition are quickies but that does not mean you stuff them in a speed. Eat your food slowly. The brain transmits the message of food satiation when you chew leisurely.
- Do not couple foods of the same food group together. To get maximum value from nutrients, select food from different groups.
- When ordering out, remember that you needn’t eat the entire portion. Go for pooled snacks share them with friends.
The right drinks

Avoid coffee, tea and colas. Packaged juices have high sugar level but the added vitamins and minerals make them preferable to drink. Stick to calorie free drinks such as iced tea or club soda with a twist of lime. But remember nothing beats a glass of cool freshly squeezed fruit juice.

Snacking strategies

We never plan for snacks simply because the idea of impending lunch or dinner is too overwhelming both for cooking and eating. Being a smart snacker is not that tough it only needs you too understand the logic of healthy snacking planning and buying groceries wisely.

At home
- Go for steamed veggies or cut salads accompanied by a yogurt or mint dip.
- Toast small pieces of whole wheat bread. Dip them in olive oil, flavored with some oregano and chili flakes.
- A bowl of cut fruits is great idea. Different fruits for breakfast and snack time should be your mantra
- Satisfy cravings in a healthier ways. Get a chilled milkshake, stirred with drinking chocolate.
At work
- Dip into a cup of yogurt. There is a huge variety in the market. Carry them along with you if you don’t get them in the office canteen.
- Pack some light snacks. Sprouts, cut vegetables, fruits or idlis. Prepare them the previous evening and store them in the fridge for office next day.
- Simply nibbling on a cucumber works!
When out shopping
- Identify juice and salad bars. Ask for fruit and vegetable juices. They are nutritious and filling.
- Stop over cafes and takeaways that give you a break from oily stuff.
- Go for a yogurt smoothie and gelato.
- Carry a pack of roasted grams and nuts in your bag. They give you an instant energy boost.
- Avoid steamed corn (they are frozen and packaged). Always look out for a freshly roasted corn.
Pacing your snacks with your meals is all important and required for a healthy living. Many of us watch what we eat through the day-only to lose control at the end of the day if we have been starving. If you catch yourself eating in large quantities, grabbing chips and digging into ice creams, watch out!!
January 4, 2014