Is your child plump? Does he or she pass up fruits, vegetables and whole grains for burgers, pizzas, colas and chips? Parents need to understand that a fat child is necessarily not a healthy child and that they may grow up to be obese adults.
Here are a few tips and recipes on how to add flavour and health to your favourite junk food:
Paneer grilled pizza
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of pizza is extra cheese topping, cheese crust base and cheese spread. Opt for a thin wheat crust bread base and use grated paneer instead of cheese. Better still, instead of ketchups use homemade tomato puree.
Ingredients
Onions, medium-sized: 4
Capsicum: 1
Tomatoes: 2
Method
Sauté tomatoes with black and green olives, salt and black pepper powder to taste.
On a thin-crust wheat bread base spread tomato puree, place the sautéd mix and sprinkle grated paneer.
Place the pizza on a grilling tray and microwave for five minutes at 320 degree C.
Veggie burger
We know you can’t imagine a burger without a thick aloo tikki and lots of mayonnaise. Opt for a low-fat tikki and use hung curd dressing instead of mayonnaise.
Method
Bread crumbs: 1/4 cup
Cumin, ground: 1/4 tsp
Coriander: a little
Kidney beans, cooked: 2 cups
Hung curd: 2 tbsp
Salt: /14 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Celery stalks, chopped: 2
Tomato: 2-3 slices
Cucumber: 2-3 slices
Method
Pulse together the bread crumbs, ground cumin, coriander and cooked kidney beans, hung curd, salt, and black pepper powder until well blended. Transfer into a large bowl. Stir in two finely chopped celery stalks. Divide into five portions and shape into tikkis.
Lightly spray cooking oil on a non-stick skillet and preheat to roast tikkis. Turn on both sides and roast until brown.
Place a lettuce leaf at the bottom of a burger bun, place the tikki, then the tomato and cucumber slices.
Top with hung curd and cover with bun.
Baked chips
Whether its potato chips or banana chips you can binge on them if it’s baked and not fried as it reduces the large amount of fat per serving.
Ingredients
Potatoes, medium, unpeeled and sliced: a few
Oil: 1-2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Method
Slice unpeeled potatoes into medium thin rounds. Toss into a bowl with oil, salt, black pepper powder and red chilli powder to coat evenly.
Spray a large microwave full plate with olive oil and arrange potato slices in a single layer.
Microwave uncovered on high for two-three minutes or until slices start to brown. Turn the slices over and continue baking until they are crisp and brown around the edges.
Transfer to another plate and allow to cool.
Baked pakoras
It’s a rainy day and you feel like indulging in hot pakoras. But there are the calories to contend with. Try baked pakoras instead.
Ingredients
Gram flour: 3/4 cup
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Salt, blackpepper powder, seasoning: to taste
Breadcrumbs: 11/2 cups
Eggs: 3
Onions, sliced as rings: 2
Cooking oil: as needed
Method
Mix the gram flour with baking powder in a shallow dish and keep aside. Add salt, blackpepper powder, seasoning to taste to the breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. In a bowl, lightly beat egg whites and keep aside.
Separate the onion rings and place in a bowl of cold water. Remove from water, allow to drip, coat with flour, dip in egg and coat with bread crumb mixture.
Place on a baking tray, spray cooking oil lightly on top. Bake for 8-10 minutes turning each pakora until brown and crispy.
