healthy, happy, Vegebaby!

BY ShERYL dIXIT

Vegebaby. The title of this cookbook intrigued me, as I have a vegetarian husband and a notoriously fussy 5 year old, who is a staunch nonbeliever in healthy food. Author Pragna Parmita’s extremely attractive cookbook is exactly what Indian families living in Australia can look for when it comes to raising their children to be healthy vegetarians. But Vegebaby is much more than a cookbook; apart from indicating health benefits, it states what kind of food to give a child at a particular age and has answers for minor concerns which are major cause of worry for new parents. Foods that help digestion, immunity, anemia, growth, constipation, concentration, mood, memory, intestinal health or not sleeping well are all listed, as well as nutritional values for each type of food, which I personally found very helpful.

“My original desire was to see a beaming healthy child and I was aware that what I gave my child in his early impressionable years would stay with him for life,” says Pragna, who lives in the USA. “I tried what seemed like a million food combinations, set a routine and keenly watched it’s effects on my baby. The concept of Vegebaby germinated when sharing observations about the effects of certain foods and recipes with other parents, and I thought it would be great to include them into a comprehensive cookbook that could help establish healthy eating habits in children at a young age.” Mum to two boys, she experienced and observed first-hand the positive effects of greens and fresh produce on the mind and body.

Vegebaby is an easy resource guide to any health conscious parent across the world. “Along with nutritious recipes, nutrition is simply explained with the sources, the common ailments which are a cause of worry for a parent are dealt with, and all recipes include nutrient content and benefits,” she explains.

Pragna admits to researching tirelessly to make the recipes included in Vegebaby as comprehensive as possible. “I spoke to my mum, grandmum, relatives, friends, almost all parents I knew, my nutritionist and homeopath, read books and spent hours on the internet. I then devised and tested recipes based on my son’s liking and mood keeping nutrition at the forefront. By the time I had another child, I had a better knowledge of benefits of fresh produce and it’s wonderful effects,” she says. “All the recipes are a product of what especially appealed to my children and their friends.”

I was impressed with the variety and depth of Vegebaby, and the book has received an encouraging response from India and the USA. “The common theme of healthy living and establishing a healthy lifestyle of your kids is of universal interest,” says Pragna. “I hope to reach out to as many parents as possible, not just the ones who are vegetarian.”

Although Vegebaby is not available in Australia, the e-book version is on Google Books and the book can be purchased online from Amazon. com

I noticed that the recipes in Vegebaby can be adapted for older children and even for the family meal.

Sweet potato and tomato bisque

Nutrients: Vitamins A, C, K, B, Omega-3 fatty acids, sulphur, manganese, magnesium, copper, potassium

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

½ onion, chopped

2½ cup vegetable stock

1 cup tomato, finely chopped

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon parsley, minced Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pot over low heat. Add the onions, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Stir in the stock, sweet potato puree, lemon zest and honey. Simmer until heated through. Garnish with parsley to serve.

Bottle gourd paratha

Vitamins B, K, protein, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium, Omega-3 fatty acids, copper

1 medium bottle gourd (seeded and shredded along with the skin)

2 cups wheat flour

½ cup soy flour

¼ cup flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon coriander, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons carom seds

2 teaspoons turmeric powder

1 teaspoon asafetida

Oil/butter for cooking

Butter

Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, along with the olive oil. Knead to make semi-stiff dough. The water in the bottle gourd will bring the dough together. Additional water should be used sparingly as it might make finely chopped

¼ cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

¼ cup green beans, chopped into small pieces

¼ cup gherkins, chopped into small pieces

¼ cup green peas

½ cup carrots, chopped into tiny pieces

¼ sweet potato, chopped into tiny pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon saffron the dough soft and sticky. Roll into parathas and lightly fry on both sides with a little butter over low-medium heat. Serve with a dash of butter.

Super Seven rice

Nutrients: Vitamins A, B, C, K, iron, protein, thiamine, niacin, potassium, phosphorus, Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, manganese

1 cup rice

2¼ cups water

¼ cup capsicum,

2 cinnamon sticks

Small piece ginger, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup raisins

Few coriander and mint leaves, minced

2 teaspoons pepper

Salt

Warm the water and stir in the saffron and cinnamon powder. Set aside. Melt the butter and oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, ginger, garlic, mint and sauté for one minute. Add turmeric powder and quickly add vegetables, salt, pepper, coriander and rice. Saute until the rice starts to stick to the pan. Add the water, cover and cook over low-medium heat until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in the raisins. Cover and set aside for a few minutes before serving. Cashews and peanuts can be used instead of the raisins.

Cottage cheese and walnut patties

Nutrients: Vitamins A, B, C, E, K, protein, calcium, potassium,

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons basil paste

Salt

For the patty

¾ cup cottage cheese, grated ¼ cup carrots, shredded ¼ cup bottle gourd, shredded

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

2 bread slices

1 tablespoon milk

½ cup walnuts or peanuts

Oil for frying

1 tablespoon white flour

Salt

To make the cream, blend the yogurt with garlic, lemon juice and basil paste. Set aside.

To make the pattie, heat the pan and roast the walnuts for a few minutes. Cool slightly and process in a blender. Set the powdered in the bowl. Divide and shape into croquettes. Chill for 1 hour to firm for easy frying. Toss it in the flour and fry in the pan over lowmedium heat until golden-brown on both sides. Serve the patties with a few spoonfuls of cream. This recipe can be served with a few spoonfuls of avocado sauce (mashed avocados, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper).

Peanut and cardamom laddoo

Nutrients: Vitamin B, protein, manganese, copper, calcium, folate

3 cups peanuts

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon desiccated coconut the peanuts in a blender. Combine the granulated peanuts, sugar, cardamom powder, coconut and peanut butter in a bowl. Moisten the hands with unsalted butter, mix the ingredients well to shape into lemon size balls to make laddos. Slightly flatten to serve.