Chocolate in a rose

What do you do when there is some leftover pizza dough.... We usually end up making some soup-breadsticks or thin crisps or small buns. Once we tried this beautiful roses. Saw this pin on pinterest about various ways to fancy the regular dough to make it look more interesting. There were so many options to look for but only a few stayed in my mind. This is one among them

When we had very little dough left, we just split it into four and made a very small treat for all of us.... just one small bite-size for each of us. Instead of folding it with extra dough in the middle we decided to use some chocolate and cherries that we had in hand. It turned out to be a fun snack for the kids. They loved the way it looked and tasted too

I have used little of pizza dough made using 50% whole wheat flour and 50% all-purpose flour. You can use the same ratio or 100% whole wheat flour or 100% all-purpose flour. The dough will have a little bit of salt but that contrasts really well with the chocolate inside. We loved it that way 

  

Chapathi noodles... a yummy makeover from leftover chapathis :)

What do you do with leftover rotis/chapathis??? Well at ours we make sure we dont waste food and try to use it in some way or the other. With chapathis we often end up making wraps, kothu chapathi(like kothu parotta) or baked chips and may be a few more. One yummy makeover is this special noodles. Its not like the fast food noodles or the instant noodles that you get in the stores but its different in texture, taste and healthiness too. We dont buy instant noodles at all whatever be the reason.If we really crave for some good noodles any day then we make sure we roll out our own dough and make it special. So to convince the kids about noodles I often end up making this noodles-like healthy goodness which they enjoy

Kids love this as they are way different from chapathi and they look like noodles and the they taste even better as its completely homemade. My kids love to enjoy this as a snack or dinner or sometimes even as school snack. Sometimes we make chapathis eespecially to make the noodles

The main ingredient is chapathis which are tossed in with some veggies and sauce. Instead of making chapathi and sabji... try making this for your kids some day and they will enjoy it to the core. Serve it hot and enjoy it with your family

Note: I have mixed up pictures from a couple of batches so you many see some variattion in quantity of veggies and others in some pics. Sorry about it   

Taco Potatana... a little treat for hungry kids

Well I told you how much my kids love taco mexicana served at dominos. This one is something in that style but then entirely different too :) One day when I made some whole wheat parottas and fried potatoes(as they like) for dinner they said they wanted to eat something special that day as they were very happy. A simple parotta and side wont do mamma was the chorus. But then I tried convincing them saying I was already done making dinner and it was time to just serve it. They asked me not to serve right away but just wait for a few minutes. They went to the living room to discuss something really important ;)

The kids came back with a beautiful smile and said dinner will be served.... say the same but with style that day. The only thing was that they just needed a little help from me. I told them I would offer them the little help they wanted. With a big smile and lots of giggles they said they would love to have "Taco Potatana". And I asked how should we make it. They immediately detailed out instructions as a smart chef and asked me if its ok.  I got what they wanted. A week before I made them taco mexicana... made specially our style and now they were with the same plan but added a little twist. I got it and agreed 

Thats it ... we had a wonderful dinner (as per the kids and I felt so too). They arranged the table and set everything up. Placed small bowls for each of us with rasgullas we made that evening. A small tea light candle was placed in a beautiful and fancy candle holder. When I came to the living room to serve dinner I was really surprised how happy they were to see me smiling at what they had done for me. The dinner was very simple yet the kids made it a very special one. Forgot to mention that we also made some cold cappuccino (cold coffee) and cold boostocino(cold boost) to go with the meal. Loved the evening, loved the meal and loved the cuteness overloaded in the kids minds

Try making this for your kids snack or meal and see how they enjoy it. You can even make these when you have some whole wheat parottas

 

Kaima Idly.... a spicy touch to our favourite idli

Hot and spongy idlis with piping hot sambar is definitely the best breakfast combination but what about leftover idlis. Well there are no takers in our house. Even if its just a couple of them nobody bothers wants to eat them the second time. So this time I wanted to try it out in a different way..... say I just thought I should spice it up a little. Me and the kids decided that a little masaledaar idli would be perfect for an evening snack and so I checked out some recipes in the internet. Luckily stumbled upon this recipe and tried it

The dish turned out so perfect that the kids loved it to the core. We made some extra idlis the next day to just make this special kaima idli again.  The kids have fallen in love with this new twist and am sure we are going to enjoy this

  

Taco Mexicana ...Our style ;)

My kids loved the taco mexicana the first they had it when it was introduced in Dominos a while ago. They liked it a lot and would always ask me make them some time. I never fell for it so never gave it a try. One day niks said that the recipe was so easy that I should make it for him the next time we make parottas. I was not very particular in making the same recipe but then thought that something like that with our twist would be fun. These days I somehow feel that they just go by name more than the exact dish. Name it fancy with a decent presentation and they love to finish off the snack in no time. Will share the "taco potatana"as my kids named it... which they love taking to school and sharing it with friends

So as per my kids wish this fancy-named recipe was in my to-do list for quite a while.  One day when I was packing vegetable cutlet for my kids snack box, I decided to use the same cutlet mixture to make some taco mexicana "our style". So I saved some cutlet mixture for our special evening snack. The cutlets that I send to school on a regular basis are loaded with veggies... say raw banana, potato, carrot, beans, green peas, spinach(any keerai from our garden), chana/ rajma/ dry beans, flax seeds, sesame seeds and then whatever healthy I can think of :) It just has everything I need to give them

To make this taco snack I just needed a couple of parottas eash, some mayo, some ketchup and ofcourse the main - healthy cutlets. Assemble everything together and present it nicely in the way the kids love it
  

Egg Kothu Parotta .... a great way to use leftover parottas

What do you with leftover parottas... well dont discard it... instead try making this yumy and spicy kothu parotta that is loaded with flavours. It makes for a great dinner or evening snack which will sure make your loved ones very very happy. My hubby and younger kid have always been a big fan of kothu parotta but not the elder kid until I started making it at home. He loves only the mummy-made version

Use up leftover parottas with some onion, tomatoes, chicken gravy (if available) and few spice powders and make this awesome dish. It gets ready in a matter of minutes which is the best part of making a delicious meal. Lets take a quick look at the recipe

  

Egg Roll/ Egg Frankie.... especially for kids

I already have a recipe up in the blog for egg frankie. Its tastes awesome but then sometimes kids get fussy about raw onions and the drips that might end up on their clothing when they hold their rolls. My kids love egg rolls but that is the complaint they had so we came up with this version and it has been loved ever since. They love this for breakfast, as as after-school snack or for dinner. I am happy too to serve this as its nutritious and quite filling

If kids are generally fussy about eating even one chapathi then let them try this one. They will love to have one more with a smile

Homemade Breadcrumbs

Do you eat sides of bread???.... I do.... but my kids just dont when it comes to certain sandwiches. So what to do with leftover sides. Dont just throw it away. Pop them in a baking tray and bake them 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until crispy. Let it cool down to room temperature, grind and then store it in a clean jar. 

You can use these when making cutlets, rolls, cheese sticks and a lot more. Comes in handy all the time 

Soya Nuggets Manchurian

Soya manchurian ... hmmmm ... yummm .. thats what I can say. Its lip smacking and perfect. I always make a big batch when making soya-65. One that we love it a lot and the other is that we can use some leftovers to make soya manchurian. If you are planning to make some soya manchurian then check out the recipe of soya-65 before you go ahead with the procedure

The recipe is the same that you would follow for making any other dry manchurian. Stir fry capsicum, onion, tomato and then couple of spices and some sauces and thats it. Yessss... thats it... its the very same procedure so ahead and try this one too

Love it as an appetizer and well it tastes awesome

Corn spinach paratha

A continuation from the previous post ................................

A paratha that will win hearts of all our little friends .... oh yes alllll the kids. This recipe calls for corn and cheese which are simply classified as a hit among kids. I have to accept that this is not a recipe that I knew and I am sure it is not a new one out in the recipe world but for us it was a happy accident in our happy kitchen

"A lazy dinner time ...you look up at the clock and you realise its high time you get up and cook the meal...but still feel there is no mood to cook. The story doesnt end there ... I know mood doesnt help it but you still have to scratch your head and pointlessly look into the fridge longing to find something to the rescue for the moment". Does this sound anything familiar to you. Might be a no for you as you might not be as lazy as I am ;)  but Yes ...  for me this is usually a regular thing and one such "hunt for food" night, we landed up with this recipe. When trying to helplessly find something in the fridge, we found chapathi dough and a small container of corn-spinach filling leftover from morning after making a big batch of yummy sandwiches for breakfast

It was not my idea to make parathas for sure. I asked if I could make sandwiches again but lo there was no bread to the rescue. Next what... think think think ... my kids style and he suggested parathas with bright shiny eyes. Niks loves parathas. He can even enjoy it three times a day.  Finding it a good suggestion I thought "Why not give it a try". We made it and enjoyed it hot hot for dinner. You bet... it was such a hit that I have to jot it down to make sure it stays in my recipe book for a long while

Bread upma ... simple to make and simple to eat

A simple breakfast or an evening snack... try this and you will love it. It all started when mom used to make it with leftover bread when we were kids. We started loving it so  much that she started buying extra bread especially to make this upma. 

Easy to make and minimal spices makes it a hit...  finally making easy on tummy too. I have loved every time I had. 

Curdled milk instant sweet ... kinda palkhova but not exactly :)

What do you do when milk gets spoilt or there little leftover milk. Well I make this instant sweet to treat myself. Take the crumbled paneer and add sugar to it. Saute for a couple of minutes and you are done. To it with nuts and enjoy

Podi Idli... a good way to snack on leftover idlis

Leftover idlis after a hearty morning breakfast or evening dinner???? Hot hot idlis with sambar is absolutely great but leftovers are a pain for me. I just cant have it even after reheating it to taste like-fresh. No worries. You dont have to eat the same old idli with a sad face. There are quite a few ways to help you serve yourself a treat or warm snack which will make you feel that you should have more leftover idlis from next time. Many of you should be already doing this so nothing new here

A good way to use those leftovers is to make this spicy and fresh podi idli. A couple of minutes at hand and just a few things to toss in should help you serve a bowl of delicious snack. Its a kids favorite too. Now thats an added advantage... isnt it? 

Wraps with leftover cutlet/pattie mixture...

Leftover cutlet/patties mixture can help you make a delicious and filling breakfast/snack. Usually when there is just a little left which doesnt convince anyways, I like to make wrap and enjoy a hearty meal. Sometimes I just even leave it in the freezer for a couple of days before I can take it out again and transform into a wrap

Dont go by the color of the cutlet mixture here. The picture shows it too gaudy whereas it wasnt as bad when I made the cutlets. I think the flash in my camera gave that scary red look. I admit that this time it was deep red - coz it was a red cutlet we made ;) and it was my niks who named it so. It so happened that we had beetroots to be moved from the fridge. So left with no other choice that day, we made beetroot cutlets / red cutlets to be correct. Oops they look like red meat to me now 

Anyways the key here is to use the leftover cutlet mixture to make long thin shaped patties and then roll them in whole wheat flatbread with some fresh onion and cabbage for a perfect wrap to enjoy

Quesadillas with leftover rajma curry

Rajma curry is a great addition to regular menu and leftover rajma is a greater addition. Guess how?? I love making sandwiches and quesadillas-kind with leftover curry. I feel they taste really good when used as leftovers too. A sense of satisfaction that I did not waste food and a good treat to my tummy in a way that I love. Sometimes I want to eat it so much that I make extra rajma curry to deliberately have extra as leftovers

Making quesadillas with leftover rajma curry saves time and also gives a new taste to the same curry with a gentle and scrumptious twist. Add cheese and a few other toppings to give a refreshing taste

I always preferred quesadillas when opted at any mexican restaurant. I could never just have enough. My H always makes fun of me about eating too much of it. He says "what is in it that makes you love it so much". The simplest answer is "I dont know but i just love it". I dont make it the perfect original recipe way but love this kind-of version which suits better in my menu

I havent added any veggies topping in this post as I made this one for my kid who stays away from fresh cut uncooked veggies. I could not take pictures of my quesadilla... consider excuse #526 ... he he. Anyways try this and enjoy