Category: Turmeric
Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in /home/customer/www/spicespicebaby.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/cooked/templates/views/recipe_grid.php on line 47
Moong Daal
Every Indian household has their version of Moong Daal. This incredibly simple yet delicious recipe is my family's favourite!
By 
Golden Fish
A suuuuuuper simple dinner that's fancy AND healthy with a generous amount of the healing spice, turmeric.
Red Lentils (Masoor Daal)
Red lentil soup, also known as Masoor Daal, is a staple in most Indian households, with each family possessing a slight variation in how it's prepared. Jazzed up with turmeric, cumin and other spices and served with veggies and whole wheat bread (roti) or rice, daal is a fixture at every meal, packing a vegetarian protein punch as well as fibre and B vitamins. Most importantly, it is absolutely delicious and soul-warming. My four year old loves it, which is a fact that definitely warms my soul.
Busy Mama’s Tandoori Chicken
When meat is cooked at high temperatures like when grilling on an open flame, the creatine, amino acids and sugars in the meat form chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that cause mutations in our DNA and ultimately, at high enough doses, cancer (why does everything that's fun and delicious have a downside?! Boo). Fascinatingly, anti-oxidant rich marinades containing spices like turmeric and certain herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, mint) can substantially reduce HCA formation! This marinade combines several anti-oxidant spices for a flavour and anti-carcinogenic boost. Like I've said on many occasions, if only our conventional meds tasted this good!
Cumin Carrot Pea Potato Puree
This jazzed up version of the classic combination of carrots, peas and potatoes is sure to enliven baby's taste buds and health.
Spiced Potato Patties
Here I present a nutritious version of my beloved childhood potato cake that is ideal for the lunchbox and the family table. Cooled in the lunchbox, these energising patties provide resistant starch that feed the friendly bugs in our colon, promoting digestive and overall health and vitality. Enjoyed hot or cold, they are brimming with complex carbohydrate for sustained energy as well as B and C vitamins, highly absorbable minerals, complete protein and fibre. Spiced lightly with digestion boosting and iron-rich cumin, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer turmeric and anti-bacterial cilantro, these are 'I can't believe it's good for me' delicious. I hope your kids love them as much as we do.
Easy Chicken Curry
Science Corner
As previously discussed, cumin is the perfect spice for babies' unique needs - (1) Pro-digestion, (2) Immunity-boosting, (3) Anti-microbial and (4) Iron-rich - but it has additional powers that also make it ideal for the whole family. Cumin's benefits, in addition to those mentioned above, include: (5) Anti-cancer / Anti-oxidant, (6) Anti-diabetes (7) Anti-osteoporotic. While high doses of spices are often required to see disease-modifying effects, a close inspection of the amounts of cumin involved revealed that levels attainable through diet (a teaspoon a day) can have positive benefits on measures like cholesterol, lipid levels and body weight. A generous sprinkling on a fried egg for breakfast, in a lentil soup for lunch and in this chicken curry for dinner could get you to a high enough concentration to see health benefits, no pill required!
Khichdi (Rice And Lentil Porridge)
Science Corner
Khichdi, a rice and lentil porridge, often prepared with vegetables, is a revered food in the ancient Indian medical system known as Ayurveda (translated the Science of Life). The combination of rice and lentils provides all essential amino acids. When made with white rice (stay tuned for my post on my data-driven massive change of heart about brown rice for babies!), the dish is thought to be extremely energising and healing for the digestive tract and is highly recommended for babies who are learning to flex their digestive muscle. Khichdi also presents itself as a canvas for various vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. The addition of spices like turmeric and cumin boosts the antioxidant content and augments the digestibility of the lentils, although one typically uses skinned yellow or red lentils for babies, which are easier to digest anyway. All of these factors make khichdi a great addition to baby's meal plan, elevating it with science and flavour.
Turmeric Lentil Avocado Puree
Nutrition
Lentils are one of the best foods for heart health - a large study following 16,000 adults found the regular intake of beans and lentils to be associated with a 82% reduction in mortality from heart disease! Their high soluble fibre, magnesium and folate content is responsible for the cardio-protective effects. Lentils are complex carbohydrates, providing sustained energy without a spike in blood sugar so they are great for weight management without compromising satiety. They are also an excellent source of protein, iron and B vitamins. Avocados are potent anti-inflammatory foods, rich in anti-oxidants and a source of excellent quality fat that aids in keeping inflammation in check and prevents heart disease making this genuine, creamy baby superfood in a bowl!
Turmeric Scrambled Eggs
Nutrition
Eggs contain choline which is important for brain and memory development. At only 75 calories, an egg has 6 grams of high quality, complete protein as well as iron, vitamins, minerals and carontenoids that are vital for eye development and vision. The egg is therefore a tiny nutritional powerhouse. But what about all that cholesterol? While it's true that eggs do contain a solid helping of cholesterol, experts agree that it's not cholesterol in food but saturated and trans fats that causes blood cholesterol to be elevated as explained here. So go ahead and enjoy those nutrient-dense eggs. They are especially handy for picky eaters and for a quick, last minute, i'm-too-lazy-to-cook lunch or dinner.
Meet the spices
