From Shruthi's Kitchen -- Home made baby food

1. This is for babies who are just starting solids:-

I wash dal and rice (3/4 - 1 cup proportion)and dry them on cloth overnight - separately
When thoroughly dry, I roast them on medium -separately
Cool them.
Grind each separately. Make it granular like Sooji.
Mix both and store in container.

When u need to cook them. Take a spoonful add water. I add little Hing (asafoedita) as it helps digestion. Pressure cook. When cooked I serve it with homemade ghee.
I put vegetables any one - spinach, carrots, beans chopped as fine as possible.

My baby has this everyday for lunch. She loves it.

2. Pancakes

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional as per the stir ins)
1-1/4 cups fat-free milk
1 egg, lightly beaten (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Stir-ins (optional)
· 1 medium-size ripe banana, mashed, and pinch of ground nutmeg
· 1 cup of pureed strawberries
· 3/4 cup finely chopped apple, 1/4 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
· Or to make it uthapam style you can also add finely chopped onions tomatoes and grated carrot
· Or make it your style uthapam

Method
In large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg and oil; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not overmix) Add one of the stir-in options, if desired; mix gently.
Heat a tava over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the tava. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter into hot tava. Turn when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Turn only once.


3. Oats Soup

oil or butter 1 tsp
oats 1 cup
finely chopped onion 1/2 cup
green chillies slit 1 (or you can avoid if your kid does not have chilli)
cilantro leaves finelychopped 1/2 tsp
veggies as per choice grated 1cup
milk 1 cup
water 1 cup
salt to taste
pepper powder to taste
corn flour 1 spoon


Method:
In a pan add oil and fry the onions and green chilies then add in the veggies cook for a min.
Then add in the oats and fry for 1-2 mins and water and cook for 3 mins. Mix the corn flour with ½ a cup of milk and add to the pan and cook till it thickens and then add the remaining milk.
Garnish with coriander leaves and salt and pepper to taste and serve.

4. Finger food for 1 year old - Cheeselings

Ingredients:
250gms maida (plain flour),
4 cheese cubes or 100gms grated cheese,
Salt and pepper to taste,
Vanaspati or oil for frying.

Method:
Melt cheese with the double boiler method (given below).
Then combine with flour, salt and pepper and knead a tight dough. Then divide it into small portions.. Roll each portion to form a thin flat round (like chapati) and cut small cubes. Heat vanaspati or oil in a kadhai (wok) and fry these cheeselings on a low flame till they turn light brown.

Double Boiler Method:
Heat water in a flat utensil. Place cheese in another small utensil which can be inserted in the utensil filled with water. When the water boils, place the container with cheese into it and then let it be till the cheese melts.

TIP:
To make this snack healthy try these:
1. Replace maida with whole wheat flour.
2. Try baking the cheeselings instead of frying them.

Recipes tried and also gathered from friends..

Shruthi Sunil.