Baked Crusty Mustard Chicken

Baked Crusty Mustard Chicken

It is very addictive to have some finger licking good. Specially when you are around kids who love all this fried stuff. 

My son simply loves eating at KFC. Even if it only one a month I feel it is one time too many. After all healthy eating habits start at home. 

Every time we eat junk food we overload our body with unhealthy omega 6 fatty acids which can lead to heart problems. The saturated fats, MSG, maltodextrin etc surely enhance the taste and make us keep coming back for more. However look at the potential health problems that may crop up.

This recipe is totally oil free. There are no flavour enhancers. 

Chicken has its own flavour which is complimented by natural ingredients. I have not double dipped the chicken pieces in bleached white flour. Instead  cornflakes have been used to give it that crunch.

 I am hoping to wean my son off the deep fried stuff onto something healthier that will also satisfy his taste buds. My son is my ardent fan and critic and if he says he likes it then I am happy.

Ingredients

500 gm chicken pieces

Salt to taste

3 tbsp mustard paste (If you don’t like the mustard flavor you can simply use 2 tbsp fresh ginger garlic paste.)

2 tbsp flour

1 egg

Juice of half a lime

2 tbsp sugar (This has been used to balance the pungency of the mustard. If you are using ginger garlic paste you must omit this)

3 cups cornflakes

Mix the chicken pieces with the rest of the ingredients. Marinate for one hour. 

Finely crunch the cornflakes with your hands. Do not put them in a blender. If the cornflakes are crushed too fine they won’t give that crunch. Roll the chicken in the cornflakes to coat them well.  

Preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Bake the chicken pieces for 20-25 minutes. 

Salad Trio

Salad Trio

Its hot. Its sticky. The only food you feel like having is something light and cool. These salads are just right for the summer months giving not only sustenance but also keeping you healthy.

Fruit Salad

250 gms grapes, halved
2 apples, chopped
2 bananas, chopped
2 cups pomegranate 
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kala namak/black salt

Mix all the fruits. Add the chaat masala, lemon juice and black salt. 

Sprouted Moong Salad

1 cup moong dal, sprouted

½ cup chopped cabbage

½ cup chopped cucumber

½ cup chopped onions

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Mix all. Refrigerate before serving.

Pasta Salad

2 cups penne pasta, boiled

2 tbsp olives, halved

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

½ cup hung curd

3 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp fresh cream

2 tbsp Thousand Island Dressing (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together hung curd, mayonnaise, fresh cream, Thousand Island, salt and pepper. Add the pasta and bell pepper. Chill.

Savoury Egg Muffins

Savoury Egg Muffins

Mothers are devious creatures by nature. They have to be when they have to force health and goodness down their kids’ throats everyday. 

I fail to understand why my son does not realize that if he eats fruits and vegetables it is not going to benefit me in any way. I am not going to have better eyesight, sharper mind or fitter body if he ingests fresh and healthy food. On the other hand those junk foods are  a burden on the pocket now and will be later if he has to face childhood obesity, diabetics and what not.

These Savoury Egg Muffins are a good way to sneak in all that your child detests. This being the summer month I didn’t get carrots or beans. So I made do with spinach and corn. Since I was making it solely for him I also added some cheese. You can avoid cheese if you wish.

 Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup spinach, chopped

¼ cup corn, boiled

¼ cup cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Beat the eggs and add rest of the ingredients to it. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Pour the egg batter into moulds and bake for 20 minutes.

Healthy Home made Granola

Healthy Home made Granola

I am an erratic eater. I don’t have huge meals and so I get hunger pangs all the time. My friend Deepti makes this amazing Granola that is nourishing yet healthy. Helps overcome the sugar craving too.

So I decided to raid my own pantry and come up with ingredients that I could use. Turned out I had pretty interesting things like Rice crispies and Flax seeds which I would not eat otherwise. 

So basically in this Home Made Granola I have thrown in all and sundry that I could find in my kitchen. Honey and brown sugar help bind the different components together but it still gives a crumbly texture. This is not like the packaged Granola bars you find. This is more homely and definitely worth making.

There is no hard and fast recipe for my Home Made Granola. Basic idea is to add few healthy ingredients together and bind them with something sweet.

OHH forgot one thing! I also added roasted Gehun/Wheat and that too salted one. You get these easily in your neighborhood grocery shop or Sweet shop. These are the healthy snacks.

Ingredients

½ coconut

½ cup cashews

½ cup apricots

½ cup cranberries

2 cups oats

2 cups museli

100 gm dates, chopped

1 cup almonds, sliced

1 cup kishmish

1 cup rice crispies

½ cup roasted Gehun/Wheat

¼ cupsesame seeds

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp vanilla sugar

500 gm honey

1 ½ cups brown sugar

So the first step is to roast few of the things.

Slice the coconut into small bits and roast.

I already had cashew bits and so I didn’t need to break them into small pieces. Roast the cashews.

Chop the cranberries, apricots and dates.

Roast the sliced almonds.

Roast the oats in the oven for 8 minutes.

Take the flax seeds and kishmish.

Take the Rice crispies and roasted gehun.

I had half a packet of Kellogg’s Muesli.

Now mix together all the ingredients.

Now melt the honey and brown sugar. Bring it to boil and add to the Granola mix. Use your hands to mix the whole thing properly.

Take a Swiss Roll tin and grease well with olive oil. Spread the granola mix on the tin. Pat down well with wet hands.

Preheat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool. 

The mixture will not be very firm. You can cut out pieces and shape them into little bars for dainty pickings. 

Or you can just take a spoon and scoop to your heart’s content.