Fussy Fruit Eater Recipes - Oats - Apple - Almond Kheer

My daughter has become an incredibly fussy fruit eater since we have landed in Germany. Partly, I don't blame her. She loved fruits like fresh figs, chickoos, small velchi bananas in India that are not so widely available here. Besides, she hates the whole citrus group, which leaves her with very little choice - bananas, apples, occasionally melons. She won't touch pears or strawberries or grapes :((

Consequently, I'm constantly on the look out for recipes to which I can add fruits. And like a whole host of mothers out there, I have to cheat to up the nutritional quotient of food. It makes me very proud when I succeed :)

Here's a recipe that she digs. The fibre from the oats, fruity sweetness of apples and the goodness of almonds makes it a winner for her and for me!

Oats - Apple - Almond Kheer 

Ingredients:
3 tsp oats
1/4 apple
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp almond powder
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
a small pinch of cardamom powder

Method:
Heat a vessel and add the oats. Dry roast them for a minute or so until they release a roasty aroma and then add water. Stir frequently. Add sugar. Adjust the taste of sugar according to how sweet the apple is, or how much sweet your little one likes. When the oats start to cook, add the milk. I find adding water and letting it boil before adding the milk makes the oats cook faster. Add the cardamom powder and almond powder and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring well. Add the apple - grated or cut into small pieces depending on your choice. Don't cook the kheer too much after adding the apple. Done. Serve it to your little one and see it go down quickly! :)

Variation
You could add bananas, strawberries, pears, chopped dates, walnut powder or even serve it up without fruits!

Spinach Dhirda

It was so hot during the day that kiddo refused to eat anything and kept asking for milk. Had to come up with something that was filling, nutritive and snacky to sustain the interest in food.
Thought of making dhirdas but the plain version is a bit boring! So I added in some blanched, chopped spinach to the batter, which gave it texture and colour and a different taste. Had to cover the dhirda for a bit to ensure the spinach cooked through before turning.

A dhirda is a Maharashtrian dosa made up of gram flour, often with some other flours mixed in, such as rice flour in 2:1 or 1:1 proportion.

Here's the recipe:
Spinach Dhirda (serves 2-3)

3 tbsp gram flour
2 tbsp rice flour
1/2 cup blanched, chopped spinach
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder or to taste (or one chopped green chilly if there are no kids eating this)
1 tsp kasuri methi
salt to taste
oil for greasing the pan

Mix all the ingredients except the spinach to form a smooth batter of flowy consistency. Add the spinach after ensuring all the lumps have been removed.

Heat a pan on medium heat and add about 2 ladles each time. Grease the dhirda from the sides if required. I was using a new non-stick pan so made it completely oil-free. Cover for a minute or so and turn when the bottom turns brown and crispy. Cook for another minute and remove.

Serve hot with ketchup, chutney or pickle.

The joy of baking

An oven - a large traditional oven - with an uninterrupted power supply!! Super!
I carry an unusually heavy baggage of baking flops with me. Not my fault some of the times. Can't help it if MSEB knew that there was batter sitting on the kitchen platform waiting to go into the oven. But most often I have only me to blame :( However, I can't help that I have baking urges at odd times in the day and then if ingredients are not available I switch according to my convenience. Can't complain about internet recipes that didn't work if I didn't follow them to the T.

Somehow, I've given myself a fresh start since I got here. Learnt from some of the past mistakes. Stocked up on ingredients just in case that urge strikes. There has been no looking back since! I've already baked a strawberry cake, carrot cake, chocolate cake and today was the turn of a banana cake. Kiddo has been asking for cake since morning and the two pathetic looking overripe bananas on that shelf were begging for attention.

Thus was born the banana cake. I used this recipe http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3118/banana+bread but made quite a few changes (some people just don't learn, do they?)
Substituted flour with 2 cups of whole wheat flour, added 2 tsp baking powder, increased brown sugar to a full cup. Baked at 200 degrees for about 30 min.

Forgot to take a pic before cutting it. Trust me, it tastes good. Healthy and yummy good. Can't wait for kiddo to finish her nap. I think I am going to wait for her to demand cake again (it refuses to leave her mind since morning) and then present it to her, Tadaa!