My elder son, who is all of 6 years old now, used to be a very good eater.
When other parents complained about how they had to sit in front of their toddlers, food bowl in hand, for hours together, I commiserated with them, but never really understood their dilemma.
Now that is coming back to bite me in the rear..He still eats pretty well,but I have a tough time getting the majority of vegetables into him, at least straight up..I have had to sneak in some into a few of his favorite foods - add frozen veggies to pasta dishes, chopping up big veggie pieces into tinier ones, etc.
When I decided to make a rice dish for dinner, the other day, I wanted to use some spinach puree so that it would make the dish healthier. On a whim, I also decided to use up some broccoli...In keeping with the green theme, i added some frozen edamame beans as well. along with these vegetables and some simple spices, the rice dish was pretty healthy and tasted good too. I wasn't sure how my son would receive this offering, however. Imagine my delight and my surprise when he gobbled it all up, with a hefty serving of plain yogurt alongside!
I plan to make this again, maybe adding peas, instead of edamame, or adding some shredded carrots for color. It would also make a nice lunch box staple. Do try.
Ingredients:
1 C of spinach leaves
1 - 2 green chiles
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
½ C of broccoli, finely chopped
½ C of edamame beans
½ onion, finely chopped
2 - 3 C of cooked rice
2 tsp canola oil (or oil of your choice)
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander - cumin seed powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp juice of a lime
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Puree the spinach leaves, green chiles, garlic and ginger with justa little bit of water.
If you are using frozen spinach, then thaw and drain completely before use.
2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over moderate heat. Once the oil is hot, add the spice powders and saute for about 10 seconds.
3. Saute the onion in the hot oil until softened. Then add the broccoli and the edamame beans. Saute until tender, but not mushy.
4. Add the salt and pepper and lemon juice and mix well.
5. Add the spinach puree mixture and stir until heated through.
6. Now add 2 C of the cooked rice and mix thoroughly with a gentle hand, so as not to crush the rice grains. Do a taste test. If it looks as if more rice is needed to even out the flavors, then add the remaining cooked rice and mix.
Serve with plain yogurt, pickles and/or papad (poppadam wafers) for a hearty, healthy and delicious meal :)
When other parents complained about how they had to sit in front of their toddlers, food bowl in hand, for hours together, I commiserated with them, but never really understood their dilemma.
Now that is coming back to bite me in the rear..He still eats pretty well,but I have a tough time getting the majority of vegetables into him, at least straight up..I have had to sneak in some into a few of his favorite foods - add frozen veggies to pasta dishes, chopping up big veggie pieces into tinier ones, etc.
When I decided to make a rice dish for dinner, the other day, I wanted to use some spinach puree so that it would make the dish healthier. On a whim, I also decided to use up some broccoli...In keeping with the green theme, i added some frozen edamame beans as well. along with these vegetables and some simple spices, the rice dish was pretty healthy and tasted good too. I wasn't sure how my son would receive this offering, however. Imagine my delight and my surprise when he gobbled it all up, with a hefty serving of plain yogurt alongside!
I plan to make this again, maybe adding peas, instead of edamame, or adding some shredded carrots for color. It would also make a nice lunch box staple. Do try.
Ingredients:
1 C of spinach leaves
1 - 2 green chiles
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
½ C of broccoli, finely chopped
½ C of edamame beans
½ onion, finely chopped
2 - 3 C of cooked rice
2 tsp canola oil (or oil of your choice)
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander - cumin seed powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp juice of a lime
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Puree the spinach leaves, green chiles, garlic and ginger with justa little bit of water.
If you are using frozen spinach, then thaw and drain completely before use.
2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over moderate heat. Once the oil is hot, add the spice powders and saute for about 10 seconds.
3. Saute the onion in the hot oil until softened. Then add the broccoli and the edamame beans. Saute until tender, but not mushy.
4. Add the salt and pepper and lemon juice and mix well.
5. Add the spinach puree mixture and stir until heated through.
6. Now add 2 C of the cooked rice and mix thoroughly with a gentle hand, so as not to crush the rice grains. Do a taste test. If it looks as if more rice is needed to even out the flavors, then add the remaining cooked rice and mix.
Serve with plain yogurt, pickles and/or papad (poppadam wafers) for a hearty, healthy and delicious meal :)
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