Healthy tiffin week

In my little one’s school last week was celebrated as “healthy tiffin week”. Here are the recipes we tried.

Monday: Oats upma Tuesday: Vegetable cutlet with bread Wednesday: Sprouts and nuts salad Thursday: Spinach, cottage cheese (paneer) stuffed parantha Friday: Fruit chat (Each student had to carry a fruit and the school folks prepared chat in school) Saturday: Corn and veggie pulao

Here is the “Oats Upma” recipe for you. Rest will follow

Ingredients:
1. Oats – 1 cup (Quaker Instant Oatmeal)
2. Water – 2 cups
3. Onion – one medium
4. Tomato – one medium
5. Peanuts – a handful
6. Green chillies: about 2-3, vary as per your taste
7. Spluttering:
     Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
     Asafetida: 1 pinch
     Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp.
     Oil: 2 tsp
8. Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Finely chop onion, tomato and green chilly.
2. Keep water on flame and start boiling it.
3. Roast oats till they become crisp and keep aside.
4. In a kadhai, heat 2 tsp of oil and add peanuts. Roast till crunchy. Remove and keep aside along with oats.
5. In the same oil add mustard seeds, asafetida. When these splutter, add chopped green chilies and onion and sauté till onion turns translucent. Add tomatoes. Sauté till tender. Add turmeric and mix well.
6. To this mixture add, roasted oats, peanuts and salt. Mix well.
7. Turn off the heat and add water which will be boiled by now. Stir to avoid lumps and cover for about 2-3 mins.
8. (Optional) Garnish with grated coconut and / or chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).
Serve hot.
To save time during morning rush, I pre-prepare the oats+peanuts+onion+tomato+salt mixture the night before and refrigerate it. In the morning I simply heat-stir this mixture a little, add boiling water and get my oats upma ready to eat.