Maa's french toast (Indian style)

My friends often ask me what snacks or lunches I provide to my soon-to-be kindergartener. I smile and empathize because that is one question that probably goes through the minds of most iMoms, who have kids of school-going age. There are several things to consider -- is it healthy enough, am I providing a balanced diet, is it going to comeback unfinished and then, the dreaded word, 'boring'.

I am lucky in that I have a readily available list of snacks to pack for school. The credit goes to my mom, who provided me home-made snacks every day when I returned from school. I loved them so much that I would often make them my dinner :) I am sure all my readers will vouch for the fact that kids are the most hungry when they are being picked up from school :) French toast, dosa, paratha, noodles, poori....the list was endless. We never grew up on junk and luckily or unluckily, the way you see it, I have managed to pass on that tradition. We call it 'real' food at our home now :) and it is in high demand whenever the four-year old is super hungry. And guess what, you have to have it ready in an instant! I have often heard of women wishing they had ten hands like Maa Durga but does anyone wish they had ten heads like Ravan? I feel I would benefit more from the latter :D.

Ingredients (makes 4-6 little triangles):

Egg - 1
Wheat bread - 1 slice
Cilantro - 4-5 tender twigs
Onions (prefer red) - one sixth of a medium sized one
Baby carrots - half
Salt to taste
Saffola or other oil to fry

The reason I like this as a snack is because it literally takes 10 minutes from start to finish. In a magic bullet blender,  add the cilantro, onion, baby carrot, salt and egg and blend until the mixture turns to a fine puree. Heat oil for shallow frying. On one side of the bread, apply the egg mixture and let it soak on the bread. When the oil is hot enough, shallow fry with egg side down. Put mixture on the side of the bread facing you and flip.

Now, parents may be concerned about giving fried food to their kids. I, on the other hand, am perfectly fine as long as it is done in moderation and made from fresh ingredients at home. The wheat bread and carrots are my 'healthier' additions to the original recipe. If you have a little of the mixture left, make some little triangles for yourself --  go ahead and indulge :) I tell myself it is a reward for that healthy meal I had last night, or the exercise routine I did day before yesterday or whatever :)

I served this dish as a snack when I picked up my daughter from school last week and the dazzling smile to see the 'surprise' snack was just cherry on top.

Oregano-Rosemary Chicken with warm Brussels Sprout salad

For dinner yesterday, I wanted to escape from the mundane. Having had a strenuous exercise session in the morning, I wanted to cook something easy, healthy and tasty. And while thinking about what to cook, a realization dawned upon me. Supermoms of today are not pressurized by anybody else but themselves. We secretly desire to look like supermodels, be the best in what we do in our professional lives, have a sparkling clean home and yet, we want to devote the same amount of time to our kids that our previous generations did. I am not saying that all of these wishes come true at the same time but there is no stopping us from dreaming :) I guess while kids never grow up for their moms, mothers too never see themselves playing any other role across generations -- maybe more but never less.

Oregano-Rosemary Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks - 5
Garlic cloves (large) - 3 (crushed)
Fresh oregano leaves chopped - 1tbsp
Fresh rosemary leaves chopped - 2 tsp
Balsamic vinegar - 1tsp
Olive oil - 1tbsp
Salt & black pepper to taste

Yesterday evening before I picked up my daughter from school, I made some preparations ahead for the family dinner. I marinaded the chicken with all the ingredients mentioned above in a ziploc bag and left it at room temperature. The idea was that it would go in the oven, at 400F, as soon as I was back, for about an hour. Did I tell you moms also love to serve food fresh? :) While making this dish, I realized the key ingredient is freshness -- fresh garlic, fresh herbs and freshly cooked are must. I became so enticed with the smell of fresh herbs while cooking that I am now inspired to grow my own herb garden!

Warm Brussels Sprout salad

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprout (halved) - 15
Red beet (diced) - 1 small
Red onions (sliced) - one-fourth of a small onion
Olive oil - 1tsp
Balsamic vinegar  - 0.5 tsp
Almonds (sliced) - 1tsp
Goat cheese as desired
Salt and black pepper


This salad was easy to make and can serve the purpose of a side dish or salad. In a saucepan of boiling water, I boiled the Brussels sprout until tender (7-8 minutes should do it). Alternatively, you can also soak it in hot boiling water, after turning heat off, for about 30 minutes. The diced beets, sprinkled with olive oil, salt & pepper, were roasted in the oven at 400F, alongside the chicken, in a separate pan. When it was ready to assemble the salad, I roasted some almonds and lightly sautéed the red onions in olive oil. In the end, the Brussel sprouts, roasted beets, sautéed red onions and goat cheese were tossed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Topped it with the almonds, a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper right off the hand mill.

When assembled together, dinner looked beautiful and eating it made us content. Even though there was nothing Indian about these recipes, the iMom thought it was worth a share for all the supermoms out there while they strive to be the perfect mom for yet one more day.