Cookbook for Kids and Strawberry Salsa

Other day I stumbled upon a Vegetarian Children's Cookbook at our local library. At first look I fell in love with this book. Once I got it home, both my grand kids also just wont let it go.

Colorful drawings of utensils, cutting methods , large print, simply written recipes and most beautiful food images, suddenly inspired love for cooking in both the kids.

BTW talking about love for cooking, check out these 10 Hobbies to Boost Mood and Emotional Health

Coming back to subject of this book, we renewed it twice, paid some fine 3rd time and then decided to get our own copy of Forest Feast for Kids: Colorful Vegetarian Recipes that are Simple to Make.

Just like the title suggests, recipes are so simple and very simply written,

None of the recipes are more than 4-5 steps. They are written in big prints that even 5 year old child will be able to make these recipes with some oversight of the adult.

Book uses few ready made ingredients like Pie Dough and Store bought pesto to make it simple for kids to follow.

We have already made couple of recipes from this book and continue to explore more.

Below is the Strawberry Salsa inspired from Forest Feast for Kids: Colorful Vegetarian Recipes that are Simple to Make.


Ingredients:
2 Tomatoes
1 small Onion
4-5 large Strawberries
Cilantro
Green Chilli (Optional)

Lime/Lemon Juice

Salt per taste

Method:
Chop or roughly blend first 5 ingredients
Add Lime Juice and Salt Per taste
Mix it , Chill it and enjoy with chips or as topping for other toastada, enchilada etc.

Enjoy the recipe and also don't forget to check out Forest Feast for Kids: Colorful Vegetarian Recipes that are Simple to Make.

I am sure you will fall in love with this book just like my grand kids did.

Vegetable Khichdi In Slow cooker

Khichdi or Khichuri is my go-to comfort food. In many region of India it is made with slight variation of spices. However basic concept is same. Rice and Split Lentils (Dal) are cooked together with some kind of tempering.

Khichuri is also one of the very basic recipe used in Indian medical science also know as Ayurveda for cleansing, balancing and healing.

Also Read: 5 Tips to boost energy naturally

I love this Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook for natural eating and for healthy gut where you can find many such healthy recipes.

You can make simple khichdi by just adding tempering of cumin seeds and salt/turmeric to rice/dal mixture.

Today's recipe is an elaborate version sometimes also known as badshahi khichdi (royal khichdi).  You can make khichdi on stove top or in pressure cooker or rice cooker. For this recipe I have used slow cooker.

Some of the spices used in recipe below are traditional Indian spices and are all easily available in any Indian Grocery store. You can also purchase this Indian Spices Starter Kit which includes all the below listed spices and many more without worrying about significant investment.

Preparation time : 10 minute
Cook time:2 to 1/2 hour ( 4 hour to soak dal )
Serves: 6 People

Ingredients to make Khichdi:

1. 1 cup rice
2. 1/2 cup pigeon peas dal
3. 1 cup cube cut eggplant
4. 1/2 cup cube cut potato
5. 1/4 cup fresh green pigeon peas ( optional )
6. 1/3 cube cut onion
7. 2 clove nicely cut garlic
8. 1/2tsp green chili ginger paste
9. 1/2tsp red chili powder
10. 1/4tsp turmeric powder
11. 12 black pepper corn
13. hand full peanuts
14. salt to taste
15. 2-1/2 cup hot water

Tempering:

1. 1tbsp oil
2. 2 tbsp ghee (replace this with oil if you prefer vegan)
3. 1 tsp mustard seeds
4. 1 tsp cumin seeds
5. 5 clove, 5 small cinnamon, 2 whole red chili

Method to make Khichdi in Slow Cooker:

1.Soak dal in a boiling water for 4 hours.
2. Soak rice in water for 2 hours.
3. Once dal and rice are soaked, combined all ingredients in a slow cooker.
4. Now prepare tempering:
   - Combine oil/ghee, mustard seeds. cumin seeds and whole red chili  in a sauce pan.
   - Put it on medium  heat on stove top.
   - After mustard seeds cracks, add clove and cinnamon. Turn off stove top.
5. Add tempering in the slow cooker.
6. Add 2-1/2 cup hot water in slow cooker and mix it well.
7. Cover slow cooker and set on high.
8. After 2-1/2 hour vegetable khichdi will be done.

Enjoy hot khichdi with vegetable curry, kadhi (tempered buttermilk), or yogurt.

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Similar Recipes:
1.  Slow-Cooker Vegetable Pulav Recipe
2. Slow-Cooker or Crockpot Sprout Pulav Recipe




Submitting this recipe to My Veg Box-Garlic Event and Back To School - LunchBox Event.