Healthy Winter Snacking for Kids

Winter months usually tend to bring out any suppressed appetite that you or your children may have at all odd times of the day. The falling mercury invariably creates hunger pangs in the body which need to be satiated with something delicious and other than the three basic meals that one consumes in the day.
Winter snacking is all about eating foods that have high heat content whereby they also help to warm the body. As adults we need to be cautious when drawing up a winter snacking for kids plan. Winter snacking needs to be healthy as well because kids have a bad habit of binging on deep fried and sugary foods which may taste divine for them but are not great for their health.
Evening hunger pangs satiate hunger during tea-time, but should also be healthy enough to give a nutritional boost for the rest of the day until dinner is ready. During the cold months, these winter snacks can be served in the evening to satiate hunger pangs and provide adequate nutrition. Here are some delicious quick winter recipes that will have even your most fussy children coming back for more warm and yummy winter snacks.

Beetroot and Chickpea Tikkis

Ingredients

2 Beetroots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup Kabuli Chana (White Chickpeas), soaked
1/4 cup Roasted Peanuts (Moongphali)
1 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera)
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania)
1/2 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
1/2 teaspoon Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)
Asafoetida (hing), a pinch
3 tablespoons Gram flour (besan)
1 tablespoon Corn flour
4 tablespoons Sooji (Semolina/ Rava)
Salt, as per your taste
Sunflower Oil, for shallow frying

Instructions

To begin making Beetroot Chickpea Kebab/Tikki, we have to first wash and soak chickpeas/kabuli chana in enough water overnight.
The next day, add the chickpeas into the pressure cooker, add any additional water, salt and pressure cook the chickpeas for 7 whistles. After 7 whistles, turn the heat to low and continue to cook for 10 more minutes.
Release the pressure from the cooker naturally. It will approximately take 20 to 30 minutes to cook the chickpeas.
To a pressure cooker add the peeled and diced beetroots along with 2 tablespoons water and cook for 2 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Drain any excess water from the cooked beets and chickpeas.
To a mixer or a food processor, add the cooked beetroot and cooked chickpeas along with coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, dry mango powder (amchur powder), asafoetida and salt as per your taste.
Grind this mixture to a smooth paste without adding any water. The Beetroot Chickpea tikki mixture has to be thick in order to shape it like a tikki.
Transfer the Beetroot Chickpea Tikki mixture into a bowl and add 3 tablespoons gram flour (besan). Mix all ingredients well.
Crush peanuts coarsely with mortar pestle or in mixer and add it to the ground beetroot and chickpeas mixture.
Mix everything together and check for salt. Divide it into small balls and slightly flatten the balls in the shape of cutlets/ tikkis
In a separate flat bowl, mix corn flour and water to form a thin paste. Keep the rava/semolina in another plate.
Dip the prepared Beetroot Chickpea Tikki into corn flour mixture and roll into rava. Dipping in corn flour is optional, you can also directly roll into rava or breadcrumbs.
Heat a griddle on medium flame, add oil. Place the Beetroot Chickpea Tikki/ Kebab and fry until it turns golden and crisp on both sides.
Repeat for remaining cutlets. You can also deep fry but shallow frying is a healthier option. Shallow frying takes roughly 10 minutes.
Serve this Beetroot Chickpea Kebab/Tikki along with Dhaniya Pudina Chutney or Fresh Basil Pesto as a healthy & light evening snack

Lentil Dosa Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup White Urad Dal (Whole)
1 cup Yellow Moong Dal (Split)
1 cup Arhar dal (Split Toor Dal)
2 cup Rice
1/4 cup Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds)
1 Onion
3 Green Chillies
1 sprig Curry leaves
1/4 cup Fresh coconut
2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
Salt, to taste
5 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves

Instructions

To begin making the Bele Dose Recipe soak the lentils along with rice, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds with water till it is fully immersed.
Soak it with water for overnight. And then grind it the next day along with the rest of the ingredient’s and some water to make a thick and running water.
To make dosas, place a skillet or tawa on the heat. When it is adequately warm, pour a ladle full of batter and spread it into concentric circles working your way outwards, till you have a dosa of your desired size and thickness.
Drizzle a few drops of oil or ghee on the sides. Cover the dosa and allow it to cook.
Once the sides of the dosa starts to brown and release from the pan, gently lift the dosa from skillet and flip to cook on the other side.
Serve the Bele Dose Recipe along with Tomato Onion Chutney or Mixed Vegetable Sambar Recipe to have a comforting evening winter snack.

Oats Carrot Bell Peppers Mayo Sandwich

Ingredients

8 Whole Wheat Brown Bread slices
4 tablespoon Butter, for grilling
For the coleslaw
1 Carrot (Gajjar), grated
1 Red Bell pepper (Capsicum), chopped finely
1/2 cup Instant Oats (Oatmeal)
2 tablespoon Classic Mayonnaise (With Egg)
1 teaspoon Red Chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Dried oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

To begin making the Oats Carrot Bell Peppers Mayo Sandwich Recipe, firstly mix all ingredients for the coleslaw salad including carrot, red bell pepper, instant oats, mayonnaise, red chilli flakes, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Check for seasoning according to your palate.
Now to grill the bread, take a tablespoon of the filling and place it over one slice bread and spread it evenly. Take one more slice and cover it.
Heat a sandwich maker, add half a tablespoon of butter and place the sandwich and then spread half a tablespoon of butter over the bread and grill the bread till it is crispy and golden brown.
Serve the Oats Carrot Bell Peppers Mayo Sandwich as a delightful and healthy winter snack especially when your kids have their friends over and are looking to impress them with mom’s cooking.

Tandoori Aloo Gobi Kathi Roll

Ingredients

1 Cauliflower (gobi), cut into florets
12 Baby Potatoes
1/2 cup Curd (Dahi / Yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
2 Green Chillies, chopped
1 Onion, thinly sliced, for the wrap
1 Green Bell Pepper (Capsicum), thinly sliced, for the wrap
1 Lemon, juice extracted
Salt, to taste
2 teaspoons Sunflower Oil
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
Sunflower Oil
Salt

Instructions

To begin making the Aloo Gobi Kathi Roll, we have to first cook the aloo and gobi.
Into a pressure cooker, add the potatoes along with 1/2 cup of water and pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Peel the skin of the potatoes and keep aside.
If you have a steamer, steam the cauliflower florets on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until just about cooked, but its still firm. You can also pan roast the cauliflower with a little salt until it has lightly cooked.
In a bowl add curd 1/2 cup yogurt along with chaat masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Add the baby potatoes and cauliflower florets into the curd mixture and coat the aloo gobi evenly using a spoon. Check for seasoning and leave aside for 15 minutes to marinate.
Now insert the baby potatoes and cauliflowers into a sticks or skewers for roasting on a skillet.
Place a skillet on medium heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Add cumin seeds and let them crackle.
Place the skewered aloo gobi on the skillet and roast it until you see a few brown spots on the vegetables and see it getting roasted.
Roast all the skewers on a low to medium heat and keep aside.
In a bowl mix whole wheat flour, salt and one teaspoon of oil and mix well. Add little water at a time and bring the flour together to form a smooth dough. Cover with a muslin cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Make equal portions of the dough and roll it into balls.
On a clean surface dust some flour and flatten the ball of dough on it. Roll out the dough into a paratha.
Place a roti tawa on medium heat and cook all the parathas with ghee or oil. Keep the cooked parathas aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together sliced onions and capsicum slices along with lemon juice, salt and green chillies.
Place a paratha on foil paper. Place a small portion of the onion and capsicum slices.
Next place a skewer of roasted tandoori aloo gobi in the centre. Pull the skewer out and discard.
Roll the parathas along with the foil and prepare the rest of the Tandoori Aloo Gobi Kathi rolls the similar way.
Serve Tandoori Aloo Gobi Kathi Rolls along with a Dhaniya Pudina Chutney for that fancy evening snacking that your kids always crave.

Date Brownie Energy Bars

Ingredients

500 grams Dates
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Soy granules
1/2 cup Instant Oats (Oatmeal), instant
1 cup Badam (Almond), powdered/crushed
1/2 cup Flax seeds, powdered
2 teaspoons Vanilla custard
1/4 cup Honey

Instructions

To begin making the Date Brownie Energy Bars Recipe; grind the dates into a food processor until like a dough with no lumps
Using a stand mixer or your hands mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Divide the date dough into lemon size balls, each weighing about 50 grams.
Grease a cookie cutter placed on a flat surface, press the ball portion uniformly into the cutter. Lift the cutter and press the date brownie bar out.
Your Date Brownie Energy Bars are ready to be packed as a snack for kids or had as a pre/post workout snack.

There you go. 5 incredible and not your run of the mill quick winter recipes to make the most perfect and delicious winter snacks for kids. They will be so engrossed in what they are eating, the cold will hardly bother them now.