Kids Healthy Mixed Lentils

Ingredients 

Black Eyed Peas: 1/2 Cup
Split Redgram:1/2 Cup
Split Bengalgram:1/2 Cup
Red Kidney Beans:1/2 Cup
White Kidney Beans: 1/2 Cup
Whole Blackgram: 1/2 Cup
Split Peas:1/2 Cup
Onions: 2
Tomatoes: 2
Cumin Seeds: 1Teaspoon
Coriander Powder: 1 Teaspoon
Garam Masala: 1 Teaspoon
Ginger: 1/2 Teaspoon
Garlic:1/2 Teaspoon
Green Chillies: 2
Red chili Powder: 1/2 Teaspoon
Water to boil
Salt to taste
Sugar: 1/8th Teaspoon
Coriander Leaves: 1-2 Teaspoons 

Method

• Put all the lentils in a pressure cooker and pour water and boil until soft. Add the chopped onions, shredded ginger, garlic, and green chilies to the pan. When the onions turn golden brown, add the chopped tomatoes and add the salt, garam masala, coriander powder, chili powder, and sugar. Allow to boil for 5-8 minutes and serve hot with Roti/Rice/Pulka.

* If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil it in a big pan with a lot of water till it becomes soft

* You can soak all the lentils overnight and can boil it in the morning if you want to or can just boil it before you are preparing.

Tomato Curry

Ingredients

Tomatoes : 4 Medium Sized 
Onions : 1 Medium Sized 
Coriander powder : 1 Teaspoon
Cumin Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Garam masala : 1 Teaspoon
Sugar : 1/8th Teaspoon
Redchillies powder : 1 Teaspoon
Green chillies : 2
Salt to taste
Water : 1/2 Cup
Cumin seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Oil : 2 Teaspoons

Method

• Put a pan on stove and add in oil and add cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start to splutter add in onions.
• Once the onions turn golden brown add tomatoes, salt, redchillie powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, sugar, water and mix well and close it with a lid.
• Cook for 10minutes or untill the tomatoes are well cooked.
• Transfer to a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/ roti/ chapati.

Note

* You can add some seasoning of split bengalgram, mustard seeds, redchillies, curryleaves and coriander leaves at the end.

Puffed Rice/ Flattened Rice Mixture (Pidatha Kindha Pappu)

This is my most favorite snack of all, I grew up eating this almost every day after school and high school, and graduation, I never heard anyone saying I don't like PKP, everyone will just love it and get addicted to it.

Ingredients

Roasted Flattened Rice / Roasted Puffed Rice: 2 Cups
Onions: 1
Tomatoes: 1 
Green Chillies: 2
Fried groundnuts: 1-1/2 Teaspoon
Red chili powder: 1 Teaspoon
Coriander Powder: 1 Teaspoon
Chaat Masala: 1 Teaspoon
Finely chopped cilantro: 3 Teaspoons 
Salt to taste
Lemon: 1 small one

Method

• Take a deep wide bowl and add in all the ingredients except groundnuts and cilantro.

• Here comes the important task, mix all of them thoroughly many times till it becomes a little soft

• (Use hand to mix it for perfect taste)

• Now garnish with fried peanuts/groundnuts and cilantro.

Note

You can add some roasted cornflakes on top if you want.

Lemon and Redgram Lentil (Nimmakaya Pappu)

Ingredients

Split Red Gram: 1 Cup
Lemon : 1/2
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Teaspoon
Cumin Seeds: 1/2 Teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds: 1/8th Teaspoon
Garlic: 4
Curry Leaves : 4-5 Leaves
Asafoetida : 1/2 Teaspoon
Redchillies : 1
Green Chillies: 1
Turmeric : 1/2 Teaspoon
Water: 2 Cups
Salt to taste.
Pinch of sugar.

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange color.)

Method

Put split red gram, green chillies and add water in a pressure cooker and close it with the cooker lid.

Keep the whistle on the lid and wait till 3 or 4 whistles and switch off the stove.

After it gets cool remove the whistle and add salt, turmeric, lemon juice and pinch of sugar to the boiled redgram.

Now take a pan add oil and let it get hot and now add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, redchillies, fenugreek seeds, garlic cloves, curry leaves and once they start to splutter turn off the stove and add in asafoetida.

Season the tempering on the cooked redgram dal and serve hot with rice/roti/chapati.

Note: 

Whatever you cook in the pressure cooker you should add some little water in the cooker first and then place any bowl/vessel.If you are cooking directly in the pressure cooker itself,then no need to add extra water to the cooker.

Adding asafoetida after turning off the heat gives you nice aroma of it to the food.

Cluster Beans Curry ( Goruchikkudikaya Koora)

Ingredeints


Cluster Beans : 2 Cups
Water: 1 Cup
Grated Coconut: 1/2 Cup
Oil: 1 Teaspoon
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Teaspoon.
Split Black Gram: 1/2 Teaspoon
Redchillis: 2
Turmeric: 1/2 Teaspoon
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 3-4 Leaves
Salt to Taste.

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Method

   Wash the cluster beans thoroughly  and add water, now close with a lid and place it in a pressure cooker, or you can directly cook it on stove in low flame or also directly put the beans in pressure cooker and wait for 2 whistles and turn off the stove.

   Put a pan on the stove and addin some oil and add mustard seeds, redchillies and black gram, and cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves

   After they start to splutter add the boiled cluster beans, salt, turmeric and grated coconut.
  
    Serve hot with rice/roti/chapati.

Note: Whatever you cook in the pressure cooker you should add some little water in the cooker first and then place any bowl/vessel.If you are cooking directly in the pressure cooker itself,then no need to add extra water to the cooker.

Amaranthus Curry ( Thotakuura Allam-Pachimirchi Curry)

Ingredients

Amaranthus: 1 Bunch
Fresh ginger and green Chillies paste : 2-3 Teaspoons.
Split Bengalgram: 2 Teaspoons
Split Blackgram : 2 Teaspoons
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 Teaspoon
Red chillies: 2
Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Oil : 3 Teaspoons
Salt to taste

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Method 

Wash the amaranthus leaves thoroughly to so that if any dirt is there that will be washed away.

Put a pan on the stove and add some oil and add in mustard seeds, split bengal gram, split blackgram and red chillies to the oil and once the mustard seeds starts to splutter add chopped amaranthus and saute well.

Now add salt and cover it and cook on low medium heat for a few minutes until the chopped leaves become soft.

Once the leaves are cooked well, add fresh ginger-greenchillies paste and mix well and cook for 5 more minutes and turn of the stove.

Serve hot with rice / roti/ chapati.

Note

For ginger and green chillies paste, take a gooseberry sized ginger and 4-5 green chillies depending upon your spice level.

The protein in amaranth is more digestible than other seeds and grains and has been compared to the digestibility of milk protein.

Amaranthus has a good amount of lysine which helps the body absorb calcium, build muscle, and produce.

Cheese Quesadilla / Cheese Paratha

Quesadillas are generally prepared with Tortilla(Almost similar to Indian Roti) stuffed with grated cheese, Tortillas can be made with either all purpose flour or whole wheat flour, i always prefer whole wheat tortilla's as they are rich in fiber. 

Ingredients 

Whole Wheat Flour : 1 Cup
Water : 1 1/2 Cup
Salt : 1/8th Teaspoon
Grated Cheese : 1/4th Cup

(Check Fudtionary for meanings if you have doubt with the words in orange colour.)

Method

Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl, add water and mix well untill the dough becomes soft and elastic

Make the dough into 2 equal balls and with a rolling pin roll the dough balls to a thin tortilla, repeat the same process for the second dough ball.

Now place it on a hot skillet and cook till one side becomes light golden brown, now flip and let the other side also turn golden brown, at this point lower the heat and sprinkle some grated cheese on 1 half of the tortilla and fold the tortillas in half over the cheese to make a half-moon. 

Cook for 2 more minutes or till the cheese is all gooey.

Transfer it to a plate and serve with a ketchup or can eat directly without any dip.

Note: 

You can use grated tofu or grated paneer instead of cheese, can also brush some oil or butter to cook the tortilla if you want.