Old Ingredients, New magic!

The first fight that I had this New Year was about the Christmas turkey. With my husband of course. After singing it’s praises and thus mine on Christmas, he got bored of it. He also complained that it had a strange after taste that bothered him. With my prime eater down, I didn’t know what to do with all the leftover turkey. So, I thought, why not take the leftovers from last year and create a new dish! Here’s what I used:

Leftover turkey (diced)

Leftover turkey stuffing (mushroom and onion chopped finely and fried in olive oil, salt and pepper)

Mayonnaise (leftover from a take away)

Humus (leftover from a Arabic take away)

Chilli sauce (To add zing. I went crazy with it. You might want to be more discreet)

Oregano (leftover from a pizza take away)

Balsamic Vinegar 2tbsp (to get rid of the “after taste”)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper (But remember the turkey already has some)

First I fried the turkey in olive oil till it was almost crispy. Then I added the vinegar and let it evaporate. The rest of the ingredients I just mixed in. And then I served it as salad with some avocado, I made a grilled sandwich with it, and I tried it with parantha too. My husband did the dishes for a week, smiling!

The Toddler’s Tiffin Box

It can be incredibly difficult to decide the contents of a tiffin box for a toddler. Toddlers hold their spoons like daggers. They enjoy massacring their food, and if its not interesting, it will never see the light of their mouths. It has to be healthy too, no deep fried stuff. But since it isn’t lunch, it can’t be too heavy. To innovate every day amidst the chaos of filling water bottles, clean uniforms and hankies is no child’s play. Here are a few ideas to keep your little child surprised and full!

Bread Roll

You will need:

2 slices of fresh bread (Make sure the bread is fresh, or it tends to break due to dryness)

1 egg

Butter

Scramble the egg lightly and season with salt.

Cut off the edges of the bread. Now, with a rolling pin press out the bread slices like a roti. It becomes thin and compact. Spread butter on the bread.

The result should be something like this:

Now keep half of the scrambled egg on the slice. Carefully roll the bread till it snugly settles. Do the same with the second slice.

For a change, you can use jam instead of egg. I once tried cherry jam and it was a big hit!

Vegetable Cutlet

This is a great comfort when you are sad that your child didn’t even touch his/her sabzi for dinner. You will need:

Leftover dry vegetable dish (Something mashable)

Wheat flour

Mash the leftover vegetables in a bowl. Use a mixer if it helps.

Add the wheat flour bit by bit as you form a dough. I add a bit of oat meal flour too for more nutrition. The dough should be wet and sticky. Use as less flour as possible or the taste might become bland.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a non-stick pan. Smear some oil on your palms and fingers. Now pick up a handful of the dough, flatten it out and fry each side till the outside is golden brown and crunchy. Drain out the oil in a napkin.

Carrots, cauliflowers, beans…all will disappear. And you will be the coolest Mom too!