Cranberry Rice

Category: Rice Varieties
Preparation Time: 5 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Cranberry Rice

Fresh cranberries will be available during Nov to Dec and I usually used them for preparing our South Indian dishes like rasam , pickle or rice. This rice recipe is a very simple one and just like our regular tomato rice or lime rice. We can also use frozen cranberries for making this rice.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Fresh Cranberries - 1 to 2 cups (Adjust as per taste)
• Onion -  1 no sliced 
• Ginger -  1 inch piece, finely chopped
• Oil -  1/2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds -  1/2 tsp
• Channa Dhal -  1/2 tbsp
• Split Urad dhal -  1/2 tbsp
• Peanuts  -  1 to 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves -  few
• Green chillies, slitted -  2 to 4 nos (adjust as per spice level)
• Salt -  to taste

Crispy Oven roasted Broccoli with Indian Spices

Category: Baking 
Preparation Time: 5 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 -20 mins  
Servings: 2 servings

Crispy Oven roasted Broccoli

Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable and its really difficult to make the kids to consume it. So I usually make parathas, cutlets or just roasting in the oven. This is a very easy one and yields crispy broccoli florets. Fresh broccoli florets are highly recommended to get really crispy ones and we can adjust the spices as per our preference. Addition of corn starch yields the crispiness and we can serve serve them as such as an appetizer or we can have it as a side for rice.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Broccoli - 1 large head or 2 small heads
• Olive Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp
• Corn starch  - Around 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Garam Masala - about 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder  - 1/2 tsp
• Salt  - to taste

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 400 or 425 F
2. Wash the broccoli and cut into bite sized florets;Allow them to dry until there's no moisture left out or wipe out any water on it using paper towel (Moisture makes them soggy)
   

Spritz Christmas Cookies (Whole Wheat & Eggless Cookies)

Category: Baking
Preparation Time: 20 mins  
Cooking Time: 8 -12 mins
Servings: Yields around 3 dozen cookies

Spritz Christmas Cookies

Spritz cookies are crisp buttery cookies specially made during the holiday season. These cookies doesn't have any levening agents like baking soda or baking powder. I adapted this recipe from here and I tried with both normal whole wheat  flour as well as whole wheat pastry flour. With pastry flour the cookies are crispier:) If we are not having cookie press, we can make small rounds with our hands or can also use pastry bags with star nozzle but I haven't personally tried it.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Pastry flour - 1 cup + 3 Tbsp (I used Organic whole wheat pastry flour)*
• Butter - 1/2 cup, softened at room temperature
• Powdered sugar or Icing Sugar - 1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp (I powdered the organic unrefined cane sugar)
• Corn starch - 1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp
• Milk - 2 Tbsp (at room temperature)

Pancake Doughnuts with Peanut butter chips (Eggless and Whole wheat)

Category:  Breakfast
Preparation Time: 5 mins + 10 mins waiting time 
Cooking Time: 9 to 12 mins
Servings: yields 6 doughnuts

Pancake Doughnuts with PB chips

Pancakes are one of the most common breakfast items in US and mostly made from All purpose flour (refined flour).Since I wont use the refined flour for anything, i tried using our normal wheat flour and it turns out to be super soft and delicious. I have already posted a couple of pancake recipes.

• Whole Wheat Eggless Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Pancake Mini Muffins (with egg)

This recipe is adapted from my eggless whole wheat pancake recipe and I tried baking them in doughnut pan.These will be surely a hit among kids due to its shape and ofcourse who will tell no to such an healthy doughnuts. Also we can make varieties by adding different flavour and toppings. 

Also this can be packed for kids lunch or snack box. If we want to serve hot with syrup or honey we can reduce the sugar quantity to half. It tastes yummy on its own too:)

Perfect  for Kids Lunch Box:)

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients: 

• Whole Wheat flour/ Atta - 1/2 cup (I also tried with white whole wheat flour)
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - a pinch
• Sugar - 1 tbsp (can be reduced if serving with syrup or honey)

Quick & Easy Tomato Rice

Category: Rice Varieties
Preparation Time: 5 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Quick & Easy Tomato Rice

This tomato rice recipe is very easy and quick and a perfect lunch box recipe. There is no grinding part or any addition of masala powders. But it tastes great :) Small onions are the best for this rice and if we are not having it, we can use red onion.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Ripe Tomatoes - 3 to 4 nos, sliced or chopped
• Small Onion -  1 cup or  1 red onion sliced (Small onion tastes the best)
• Garlic -  around 10 cloves, halved
• Oil -  1/2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds -  1/2 tsp
• Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp
• Split Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves -  few
• Green chillies, slitted -  2 to 4 nos (adjust as per spice level)
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt -  to taste
• Coriander leaves - to garnish (Optional)

Coconut Macaroons (Eggless Version)

Category:  Baking / Dessert
Preparation Time: 10  mins
Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mins
Servings: yields around 2 dozen macaroons

Eggless Coconut Macaroons

This is an eggless version of coconut macaroons and those who love coconut will surely enjoy them:) Also this is an easy version with minimal ingredients, yeah we just need three ingredients in total! Isn't it awesome? Here I used sweetened coconut flakes since that what I had in my hand. So the macaroons were on the sweeter side, if we need less sweeter version, we can replace it with unsweetened flakes. Ok let's start baking macaroons:)

Ingredients:

• Coconut flakes - Around 2 to 3 cups (I used sweetened flakes)
• Condensed milk  - Around 1/2 to 3/4 cup (Sweetened condensed milk)
• Vanilla essence  - few drops

Note: The actual quantity of coconut flakes and condensed milk may vary; adjust as per requirement until we get the right consistency

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F for 10 to 15 mins and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. If the coconut flakes are little big, we can use as such or we can grind it to small flakes and use them instead. It purely depends on our preference

Whole Wheat Pancake Mini Muffins

Category:  Breakfast
Preparation Time: 5 mins + 10 mins waiting time 
Cooking Time: 9-12 mins
Servings: yields around 24 mini muffins + 5 small muffins

WholeWheat Pancake Muffins

I have already posted an eggless whole wheat pancake recipe here and this one uses egg. During weekend mornings, it will be bit tired (or lazy :)) to stand before stove while making pancakes. To make it easier i tried baking them in mini muffin tins and it came out really well. I already tried an eggless version which I used to prefer on days when I wont eat eggs but didnt take pictures; so havent posted yet:)

These will be surely a hit among kids due to its size and ofcourse who will tell no to such an yummy mini bites and also made from whole wheat flour. Also we can make varieties by adding different flavour and toppings.

Yummy!!!!

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients: 

• Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Briyani Masala Powder

Category: Home made Powder
Preparation Time: 5 mins  
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Servings: yields around 1/2 cup

Home made powders are always special. Briyani made with home made masala are flavourful and tastes great. This recipe suits our taste so nowadays am using this. Make sure to roast the ingredients one by one in low flame or else certain spices will get burnt fast which affects the flavor of the podi. If we are having, kalpasi, we can add a couple of it. I usually add 1 to 1.5 tsp of this powder per 1 cup of Rice.

Briyani Masala Powder

Ingredients: 

• Coriander seeds- 1/4 cup
• Shahi Jeera/ Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tbsp
• Bay leaf - 1 no
• Star anise - 2 nos

Eggless Whole Wheat Chocolate Waffles

Category:  Breakfast

Preparation Time: 5 mins  
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings

These chocolate waffles are made from whole wheat flour and are eggless. This will be a sure hit among the chocolate lovers:) 

These can also be sent in kids lunch box and also can be freezed. I tried this recipe from here.

Eggless Whole Wheat Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients: 

• Whole Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
• Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1/4 cup (I used Organic demerara sugar)
• Baking powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp

Gulab Jamun (From Instant Mix)

Category: Indian Sweet
Preparation Time: 10 mins + 30 mins waiting time
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Servings: yields about 25 to 30 medium sized Jamuns

Gulab Jamun from MTR Instant Mix

Ingredients:

• Gulab Jamun Mix 200g pack (I used MTR Mix) - 1 no
• Milk (at room temp) -  around 1/2 cup (adjust as required) 
• Sugar - 3 cups 
• Water - 3 cups
• Rose essence/ Cardamom powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 
• Oil - for Deep frying
• Pistachios or any nuts for garnishing (Optional)

French Toast for Kids Lunch Box

Category: Toast  
Preparation Time: 5 mins       
Cooking Time: 10 mins      
Servings: 1 serving

French Toast Sticks

For French toast,  2 or 3 day old thick bread slices are highly recommended but here I used the normal wheat sandwich bread since that what I all had in  my hand. If we are serving hot for breakfast, we can have with honey or maple syrup.

Yummy Sticks!!!

While packing for kids lunch box, make sure to cool it down completely before placing in the lunch box so that it wont turn soggy. I prefer slicing the toast into sticks while packing for lunch so that kids would feel very easy to pick and eat. Also I sprinkle powdered sugar over them. 

French Toast

Ingredients:

• Bread slices -3 nos (I used Wheat Sandwich Bead)
• Egg  - 1 no
• Milk  - 2 tbsp (At Room temperature)
• Sugar  - 1 to 1.5 tsp (adjust as per sweetness)
• Vanilla extract  - 1/2 tsp

Puliodharai / Tamarind Rice (using Pulikachal)

Category: Rice Varieties
Preparation Time: 5 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 2-3 servings

Puliodharai

This Puliodharai is just mixing the pulikachal paste with cooked rice. You can find the Pulikachal recipe here. The amount of paste required depends on our taste and spice level, so adjust accordingly. Usually Puliodharai tastes best after one or two hours of preparation, by then rice gets well blended with the spices.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Pulikachal - Around 1/3 cup (Adjust as per requirement)
• Sesame Oil - As needed (Optional and I didnt used here)
• Curry leaves - Optional

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Category: Sandwich    
Preparation Time: 2 mins       
Cooking Time: 3 to 5 mins      
Servings: 1 serving

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a quick and easy recipe for Kids lunch box.
While packing for lunch, make sure to pack it once it gets completely cool down or else it might become soggy by the lunch time.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Bread slices -2 nos (I used Wheat Sandwich Bead)
• Cheese - 1 slice
• Butter - for toasting 

Guacamole Grilled Sandwich

Category: Sandwich    
Preparation Time: 5 mins       
Cooking Time: 10 mins      
Servings: yields 4 sandwiches

Guacamole Grilled Sandwich

Sandwich using Guacamole as the filling: Guacamole is a dip made from ripe avocados and is originally from Mexico. I have already posted the recipe here.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• Bread slices - 8 nos
• Guacamole - Around 1 cup / from 1 Avocado
• Butter for toasting (Optional and I didnt used here)

Method: 

1. Prepare Guacamole as per the recipe
   
2. Here I didnt used butter, if using we can spread it on one side of the bread slices as we normally do for sandwiches
3. Spread the guacamole over one of the bread slice 
   
4. Cover it up with another slice and repeat the same for the remaining slices
   
5. Grill or toast it using griller or pan until it becomes crispy and golden colour
   
6. Once done, Remove it from the pan 
   
7. Transfer to the serving plate
   
8.  Cut in half and Serve hot!
   

Guacamole (Avocado Dip)

Category: Dip / Salad   
Preparation Time: 10 mins            
Servings: 2 Servings

Guacamole is a dip made from ripe avocados and is originally from Mexico. There are so many variations for this recipe. Basically it contains Ripe avocado, salt and lime juice. 

Guacamole

Guacamole can be used to make sandwich, as a dip with tortilla chips and quessadilla, we can also have it with stuffed parathas:) We used to have it alongside with the cheesy parathas.

Ingredients:

• Avocado, ripen - 1 no
• Lime juice - 1tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Red Onion or small onion, finely chopped - 1/4 cup
• Tomato (without pulp & seeds), finely chopped  - 1/4 cup
• Green chilly, deseeded and finely chopped - 1 no (can be avoided if making for kids)
• Pepper powder - a generous pinch
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped  - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method: 

1. For making Guacamole, Avocado should be ripe
   
2. By holding ripe avocado in one hand, With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Twist it around and then open it up
   
3. Remove the seed
   
4. Using a spoon, scoop out the pulp into a bowl and mash it using a fork. If we prefer we can leave some small chunky pieces for a good texture
   
5. Add in the lime juice, chopped onion, chilly and salt; mix well
   
6. Add the pepper powder and coriander leaves, mix it up
   
7. Finally add in the chopped tomato pieces and gently mix up
   
8. Guacamole is ready to be served or can be refrigerated for some time for blending of the flavours
   
9. Serve as a dip or used for sandwich

Notes: 

Few of the variations are given below:

• For Indian flavour, we can add a pinch of Garam masala or Chat Masala
• Fruits like pomegranate can also be added
• If we dont like, we can omit tomato
• Onion and chillies are also optional

PB & J Sandwich

Category: Sandwich    
Preparation Time: 5 mins         
Servings: 1 serving

Peanut Butter & Jam/ Jelly Sandwich, commonly known as PB & J is a very popular lunch box recipe in US. Here I used home made Strawberry Jam and home made Chocolate Peanut Butter. 

PB & J Sandwich

There are many variations of this recipe and I had given the details in the notes below. Since I don't want the sandwich to become soggy by lunch time, I used 3 slices of bread and spread the Jam & PB on separate slices.

Ingredients:

• Bread slices - 3 nos (I used Wheat Sandwich Bread)
• Peanut Butter  - Around 1 tbsp
• Strawberry Jam  - Around 1 tbsp 

Method: 

1. Trim off the crusty edges of the bread slices, If we prefer, we can also cut the bread into different shapes like star, flower using cookie cutters (This step is optional)
2. Spread the Strawberry Jam on one slice of bread
3. Spread the peanut butter on the other slice of the bread
   
4. Place the bread slice with Peanut butter over the slice with jam, with PB side facing up
   
5. Place the another bread slice (plain) over the PB side
   
6. Cut into half or into cubes and pack into lunch box
   

Notes: 

Few of the variations are given below:

• The original recipe for PB&J includes a layer of peanut butter and either jelly or jam on bread, commonly between two slices of bread, but sometimes eaten open-faced or with one slice folded over
• We can toast the bread slices with butter and then make sandwich
• We can roll them up to form PB&J Rolls
• French toast can also be used to make sandwich