No kidding this!

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There’s something about cooking for tots that brings fun and a lot of cheer. For starters, one doesn’t have to mull over too much about what to make — kids like anything colourful, full of flavour and something sweet, of course! But with

everyone watching what they eat these days, here are some options for kids that are sure to be a hit with them and will have the adults smiling too because they’re high on the health and nutrition factor.

Mini pizzas
Ingredients

6 mini pizza bases or 3 regular size ones cut into smaller circles
1 green capsicum, de-seeded and sliced
1 onion, cut into rings
1 cup of boiled chicken strips or paneer
5-6 black olives, cut into halves
3 tsp of dried herbs
¾ cup of mozzarella cheese, grated

For the sauce
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp of red chilli flakes
5-6 basil leaves, shredded (replace with 1 tsp of dried herbs if you’d like to)
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

For the sauce:

Heat oil in a pan and add the onions to this, when they begin to sizzle, throw in the garlic and quickly stir until they turn golden brown in colour. Now add the tomatoes to this and reduce the heat. Cover and cook until the tomatoes have broken down to form a sauce and the mixture is gently bubbling away. Add the basil leaves, chilli flakes and adjust the seasoning. This sauce can be stored for upto 10 days in the fridge and can be used with pasta or sandwiches too.

For the pizza:

Pre-heat an oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius and grill the pizza bases for three minutes on either side until it just starts to turn brown. Now spread the sauce on the base and add the vegetable/chicken toppings on this followed by the olives. Sprinkle the cheese generously, add a dash of herbs and brush the sides of the base with some olive oil (this prevents it from burning). Bake the pizza for five to seven minutes in the oven and serve hot.

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Veggie burgers with
sweet-spicy relish

Ingredients

For the burgers

6 burger buns, slit horizontally
6 slices of tomato
Lettuce leaves
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
½ cup of green peas, boiled
2 carrots, grated and boiled
1 cup of soya granules, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ tsp of Tabasco sauce
½ cup of sweet corn kernels
Breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

For the relish:

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of vinegar
2 tsp of sugar
2 red chillies, soaked in warm water for an hour and chopped
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

For the relish:

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions, when they begin to turn brown add the sugar and stir well until the onion caramelises. Now add the garlic and the chillies, sauté this well. Add the vinegar to this, followed by ½ cup of water and allow this to simmer for about five minutes. Check the seasoning just before turning off the flame.

For the burgers:

Mix all the vegetables together with the soya, ginger-garlic paste, Tabasco sauce and season with salt and pepper. Knead well until it has all come together like a dough. Now divide this mixture into equal portions and shape them into circular discs of ½ inch thickness. Coat them with breadcrumbs on either side and allow them to rest for 10 minutes. Now deep fry these in hot oil or brush them lightly with oil and bake them for 10 minutes in the oven until it has turned golden brown.
Toast burger buns lightly with some butter, you can just place them for about three minutes in the oven for this.
Spread some of the relish on the burger bun halves and follow with some mayo or mustard if you like. Place a lettuce leaf on one half of the bun followed by the burger patty and then the tomato and finally top it with the other half of the burger bun. Pierce with a toothpick and serve immediately with potato wedges.

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Chicken tikka wraps
Ingredients

250 gm of boneless chicken tikka, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 chappatis
¾ cup of mint chutney
½ cup of tamarind-dates chutney
1 onion, cut into thin slices
½ cup of shredded cabbage
1 carrot, grated
1 lime, cut into halves
Chaat masala
Salt to taste

Method

Cut the chappatis into halves, since this is for children it is best to keep the portions bite-sized.
Spread both the chutneys on the chappati and place some pieces of the chicken tikka on it. Now add the onion, cabbage, carrot and sprinkle some chaat masala on this. Squeeze some lime on it and add salt, if necessary. Roll up the chappati and secure it with a toothpick. Place this on a tray and warm it in the oven just before serving. Serve with some more mint chutney and a curd dip.

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Rocky road
Ingredients

250 gms of semi-sweet cooking chocolate, chopped
½ cup of cherries, sliced
¾ cup of mixed nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup of marshmallows, chopped

Method

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or along with some milk in the microwave. Add the rest of the ingredients to this and mix well. Spread out the mixture on a tray and allow it to set, once this is done cut it into pieces and serve. Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can also add other ingredients like dessicated coconut, toffee or even rice crispies for that extra crunch.

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Double chocolate pudding
Ingredients

1 cup of flour
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
1 tsp of baking powder
¾ cup of butter, cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla essence
2 cups of milk
½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup of white chocolate chips
To serve: Some fresh cream

Method

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together. Keep this aside.
Mix one cup of milk with butter, egg, vanilla essence, half the sugar and the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Heat this on a low flame until the butter and chocolate have melted and formed a smooth paste. Be careful not to turn up the heat because this will cause it to burn and the egg to split. Take it off the flame and allow it to cool down for about 10 minutes.
Put the flour mixture in a greased baking dish and pour the milk mixture into this, combine well. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and white chocolate chips. Pour the remaining milk over the batter and sprinkle the sugar-chocolate chips on top of this. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 45 minutes. The pudding will separate into two layers —one is a sponge-like thing at the bottom and a gooey sauce on top. Serve warm with fresh cream.