Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver once wanted all parents to teach their kids about food. Rightly so, it is rather essential that kids not only understand the nutritional value of food but also get involved in the art of cooking, baking, roasting and grilling. Cooking helps kids to appreciate food and develop a healthy food culture. What’s best, cooking has long term benefits that can stay with them for a lifetime! The best way to rope in your little ones as a helping hand in the kitchen is by making the kind of food they relish. Baking seems the best way to get kids interested in the kitchen. The best part about baking is that it is simple, hassle-free, safe and a busy mom’s time saver. Check out some easy kids recipes that you can get your budding Marthas, Jamies and Nigellas to bake.
Assorted fruit tart: This is a great recipe to introduce your young ones to the wonders of baking. This recipe is easy and takes just about an hour to get made. You could utilize the prep time and help your kids make the pastry dough by pulsing flour, sugar, egg yolk and some butter in a food processor. Use a tart tin and place the dough on it before baking. You could let your kids do the baking and assist them when required. For the filling, make the kiddos whip cream, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl and spread the mixture atop the tart. Next, let your kids flex their creative muscles and decorate assorted berries and tasty fruits to top up the tart!
Cheesy spinach pizza: Get your kids to bake this healthy spinach cheese pizza and see how even the picky eaters relish their own creations. To make the recipe exciting, instead of a regular sized pizza base, use small circular cut pita breads. Get the whole-wheat pita variant to make the dish even more healthy. Mix chopped and thawed spinach with cheese and add it as toping. Let your kids bake the pizza and serve immediately!
Thumb print cookies: The next best thing to bake while the young ones are in the kitchen is cookies! Cookies are loved by kids and when they get to bake them on their own, they are likely to enjoy them even more! Cookies are hassle-free as the blender does most of the work. You could decide the flavor you want and pulse flour, butter and maybe nuts into a food processor. Once the batter is ready, get your kids to knead it. Kids would love to play around with the dough, you could also get them to make balls out of the dough. Once uniform balls are ready, flatten the dough and make your kiddos put thumbprints at the center of the cookie. You could then bake the cookie and fill in the dent with chocolate, jelly, nuts or any topping of your choice.
We are a coffee-drinking nation and every form of the beverage – decaf, regular, expresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and ristretto is consumed everyday by millions of us. It’s the first thing we need in the morning and the last (for some) after dessert. Black, with cream, with sugar, no sugar, flavored, each of us has a preference with regard to strength. Nespresso’s taken heed of this and given us a gift in a pod with the Nespresso capsules. Available in the regular Arabica and Robusta capsules, they have some amazing seasonal flavors as well.
Nespresso capsules are hermetically sealed in a capsule that holds 5-7 gms of coffee – enough for one serving of coffee. They offer five ranges in Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40 ml), Lungo (110 ml), Decaffeinated (40 ml and 110 ml) or Flavored (40 ml).
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Ristretto range are:
Ristretto Origin – Made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has toasted flavors with cocoa notes and woody undertones.
Ristretto Origin India – A blend of the finest Arabicas with a smidgen of Robusta from Southern India, this full-bodied coffee has hints of spices.
Ristretto Intenso – A strong blend of South and Central American Robustas and Arabicas, the Ristretto Intenso is a full-bodied coffee with a creamy texture and peppery notes.
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Espresso range are:
Espresso Origin Brazil: A pure Arabica coffee, it has a mild sweet flavor.
Espresso Leggero: A blend of South American Arabicas and Robusta, it has smooth notes of cocoa and cereal.
Espresso Forte: Exclusively made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has an intensely roasted balance of espresso and fruity notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Lungo range are:
Lungo Leggero: Lightly roasted East African, South and Central American Arabicas, with mild notes of jasmine is what makes up this delicious brew.
Lungo Forte: A complex mix of South and Central American Arabicas, this coffee has heavy roasted notes with a slight hint of fruit.
Lungo Origin Guatemala: A mix of Arabica and washed Gourmet Robusta coffee, Lungo Origin Guatemala is smooth and well balanced with dry and malty cereal notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules in the Decaffeinated range are:
Espresso Decaffeinato: Dark roasted South American Arabicas with a touch of Robusta enhances the cocoa flavors and roasted cereal undertones of this decaffeinated espresso.
Lungo Decaffeinato: This is a slightly more complex blend of separately roasted South American and East African Arabicas. It includes toasted cereal and sweet notes with subtle and floral hints of East African Arabicas.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Flavored range are:
Espresso Vanilla: This silky-flavored coffee is the result of a base of Espresso Forte, which is a complex and heavily-roasted blend of South and Central American Arabicas and a slightly caramelized aroma of vanilla. Espresso Caramel: On a base of Espresso Forte, this complex and intensely roasted blend made from South and Central American Arabicas has the sweetness of caramel.
Here are a few easy and healthy recipe ideas that are both quick to make and light to digest on hot summer days. With very few ingredients, the preparation of these recipes is a breeze. So go on, enjoy these easy, healthy recipes that are brimming with nutrition and taste heavenly too!
Greek Cucumber Rolls
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
This is popular among easy and healthy recipes. Slice cucumber into thin flat strips using a vegetable peeler and arrange them in slices of two on a clean tray. Smear the hummus on top of each slice, then toss some feta cheese, black olives and cut tomatoes on each of the cucumber strips. Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle some finely chopped dill and cilantro. Finally, roll the strips, serve the Greek cucumber rolls and see them being gobbled up by the young and old alike!
Flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
Cook the fettuccine pasta according to the directions on the label. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped garlic and shallots. After about a minute or so, add the other vegetables along with salt and toss them gently for a few minutes. The vegetables must cook and be crunchy at the same time. When they are done, add the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, and some freshly ground black pepper to it and mix well. Serve this flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables for lunch or dinner as a filling, yet light meal.
Sunshine juice
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Direction
Squeeze juice from the oranges and blend the strawberries in a juicer. Then in a pitcher, take the orange juice, strawberry juice, and chilled water together and mix well. Refresh yourself with this yummy sunshine juice with ice cubes on a hot day.