A Veggies Only Dinner Special

My boy has been showing active interest at nomming on my bowl of warm stir-fried veggies. He seems to like the texture of the seasoned par cooked veggies against the bite of the crisp little croutons. So I decided it was time for him to eat his own share of a veggies only dinner.

I seldom do a veggies only meal for him since typical Indian meals consist of curried vegetables eaten with a chapati/roti and finished off with some dal (lentil) rice. It’ll be stir-fry veggies or warm salads with soups on days we don’t want to go traditional. So naturally, I was pretty happy when he took well to his meal without creating a fuss.

On the menu:

1. Bottle gourd & red pumpkin soup with celery garnish

2. Stir-fried veggies topped with a sweet mustard dressing and croutons

Bottle gourd and Pumpkin soup

Ingredients:

1. One part bottle gourd, skin removed and chopped

2. One part red pumpkin, chopped (note: The quantity of ingredients I take depends on the quantum of soup I want to make)

3. 1 Teaspoon ghee

4. Pinch of garam masala (optional)

5. Salt & pepper to taste

6. Chopped celery leaves for garnish

Method:

1. In a sauce pan sauté the bottle gourd and pumpkin

2. Add in the condiments

3. Splash in a little water to cook the veggies

4. Add in a cup of water and bring to a quick boil

5. Take it off the gas and once cool, blend to a smooth consistency

6. Pour back into a container and add water until you’ve reached the desired consistency

7. Bring to a boil and adjust the salt level according to preference

8. Garnish with celery

9. Serve warm

Stir-fried veggies:

Ingredients:

Select the veggies of your choice and chop to the desired size. I chose the following:

1. Mushrooms

2. Zucchini

3. Broccoli

4. Red pepper

5. Yellow pepper

6. Spinach

7. 2 cloves of garlic

8. Salt & pepper to taste

9. Olive oil

Method:

1. In a pan sauté the garlic in olive oil until soft

2. Add in the veggies in the order of their cooking time (slowest to the fastest)

3. Fry until fully soft or par-cooked, however your toddler prefers it. Also, I sautéed the mushrooms and wilted the spinach separately and then added them to the rest of the mix.

4. Season as per taste

5. Turn off the gas

6. Splash in the desired amount of dressing of your choice

7. Top off with cheese and mini croutons

8. Serve warm

Sweet mustard dressing

Ingredients:

1. Yoghurt, whisked and thinned to desired consistency. Thick for dips and sandwich fillers, thin for salads, stir-fries etc.

2. Olive oil

3. Chopped garlic chives or garlic finely chopped

4. Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

5. A small quantity of mustard paste

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients until you have a smooth dressing like consistency

Use as:

1. Salad dressing

2. Wraps dressing

3. Sandwich filler dressing

4. Dip

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