Quinoa Amaranth Almond Porridge

As a toddler mom, the moment I wake up and leave my bed starts my rush hour that lasts for the rest of the day and the night. I always wanted and knew I would have a super active one and my wish has come true. Not to mention it's overwhelming but I would not have it any other way. I see several pinterest posts and youtube videos for toddler activities and get super excited to try them with my little one. The moment of truth hits when I start those with her and she is done in 5 mins and moves on to doing something completely different. I am still in the process of figuring out where are those calm, patient and listening to instruction kids in the videos found.

In this short time it is very clear to me that my little darling daughter is a foodie like me. She is not picky. But well, she totally knows her tastes well already. And is very unforgiving if her food does not taste good. Yeah, you got it right. She would not let me take shortcuts in preparing her meals. Huh..my little drama queen! But what else could I have expected. As a result, am constantly in the process of spinning up nutritious and flavor bursting foods. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I like to keep it that way for everyone. My pediatrician recommends engaging all food groups in one bowl for kids so they get the most from those few bites. That makes sense right? However, I cannot put variety of foods on her plate as they will all be sent flying up in the air. So mommy has to prepare a bowl full of superfoods. And am glad this recipe is no fail every single time. Talk about superfoods in a bowl and mine has everything and anything you can think of...TaDa!!

Quinoa, Amaranth, Almonds, Milk, Nut Butter and Dates

Yes that's the recipe friends. It's that simple:) I will add below few instructions for more clarity

Recipe

1 Tbsp quinoa, overnight soaked is better for faster cooking

1 Tbsp Amaranth (rajgira in hindi) seeds, puffed

1 Tbsp powdered almonds, or any nuts of your choice

1 tsp of your favorite nut butter

1 Tbsp of dates paste

1 cup of milk

• Add everything except the nut butter and dates paste in a bowl and bring to a boil. Let it simmer covered for 10-12 mins. 
• Turn off the stove and mix dates paste and nut butter.

You can mix and match the grains. nuts and nut butter of your choice. This porridge can never get boring. The texture is creamy and luxurious. Just what you want to wake up to every morning. I add dates and nut butter after turning off the heat to preserve maximum nutrients of these pure ingredients. And not to mention, this isn't just for kids. In my household, we all look forward to having this. Healthy breakfast is the best start of the day.

Roasted Vegetables Baked Pasta

Easy weeknight dinners have something so special about them. Being able to make tasty, nutritious and quick meals after the long workday for my small family is very satisfying. It's even better when I have a recipe that tastes better the next day. Yummy leftovers! I posted the picture of this weeknight dinner on my FB page right before digging in and realized few hours later that people were really interested in the recipe. 

So before I start, let me tell you....It cannot get easier than this. And now that I have a little baby, very important to mention she loves this pasta preparation. The vegetables have the just the right crunch yet completely cooked for my little one to feed herself. So for all you moms out there who have picky eaters...do give this a shot. The plate looks so colorful that it gets the kids interested. And the different shapes of vegetables are fun for them to play with.

So here goes the ezpz recipe

2 broccoli heads, florets 
2 red peppers, sliced long
1 large onion, sliced long 
2 zucchini, sliced half moon
2 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup grated part skim mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 Tbsp of herbs de provence
1 Tbsp of chopped garlic
1 jar of marinara sauce
salt n pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven at 450 deg F
• Cut all vegetables almost 1 inch thick. Put them on a baking sheet and add the herbs, garlic and little olive oil. Massage nicely with your hands.
• Bake in the oven for a good 15-20 mins.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot cook your pasta al dente. I use organic whole wheat pasta that takes 15 mins. 
• TIP: I never add oil to my pasta water as that doesn't let the sauce adhere to the pasta. 
• Drain the pasta and add to a bowl. Add the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and toss everything well together. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish. Top it with grated parmesan.
• Bake covered at 375 deg F for another 20 mins.

Who would not want to dig in those colors and textures and mmm does it smell amazing or what when out of the oven...

Crockpot Corn And Pepper Chowder

Happy Holidays to all of you! It is the best time of the year with happiness and joy all around you. Food, feasts and celebrations with friends and family are everywhere. I have been busy with the same and have been lazy on my blog posts. Though I was truly missing writing about all of them as I clicked pictures of all the great food that has been cooking in my kitchen. But it's never too late to share. So here I am after long. This Thanksgiving I wanted to use my CrockPot well which was last year's Thanksgiving purchase. I have always loved food made in slow cooker but honestly was not able to do justice to mine. So this season I thought I have to, no matter what. And the results have been very satisfying. I loved making this red pepper corn chowder in my crock pot. It had everything from hearty, warming , creamy and cornful satisfaction. 
This has become my favorite version of corn chowder. Because it is way healthier than the traditional corn chowder which is loaded with cheese and cream. Not to mention slow cooker cooking has great nutrients preserving advantages. The low heat, typically 200 deg F, covered pot so no exposure to light and ceramic pot for even heat distribution helps retain most of the food nutrients that are pretty much lost in high heat, open pot quick cooking. All this with no hassle one pot cooking is a win win. So let's dive down into the recipe

Recipe : Serves 6-8
1 large white onion, diced
2 medium red bell pepper, diced 
4 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups frozen corn
4 cups chicken/vegetable broth 
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup cheddar/jack cheese for garnish
chopped scallions and corn for garnish
** I used roasted red bell peppers to get the most out of the taste. This is optional.

• In a pan over medium heat, add oil and saute onions until translucent.
• In your slow cooker/crockpot add all the ingredients including onions except milk and garnish.
• Turn it on on low (approx 8 hrs) or high (4-6 hrs).
• When it is done, use a immersion blender to blend the ingredients. This will give you the creamy texture you would want in a chowder.
• Add the milk and mix well. Cook for another 30 mins. This would be typically right before you are getting ready to serve. 
• Add the garnish and you are done.

Enjoy!