Creamy (vegan) cauliflower soup

I saw this recipe in Vegan For Everybody. It looked pretty good and the ingredients seemed pretty accessible. So I gave it a try. I modified the recipe a little to make it simpler as well as to suit the ingredients I had on hand. The soup was healthy and delicious! A great way for kids to get their share of vegetables!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 3 tsp oil
• 3/4-1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp kitchen king
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (canned)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Salt to taste
• chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Note: The size of the chopped vegetables doesn't really matter because everything will be blended together.

Method:

1. Heat the oil on medium heat in a dutch oven or big pan.
2. Add onion and salt; and sauté till onion is translucent.
3. Add ginger and kitchen king. Sauté for a minute.
4. Add cauliflower and water. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer till the cauliflower is cooked.
6. Blend in a blender till smooth.
7. Add the puree back to the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
8. Add coconut milk and lime juice. Mix.
9. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Gozleme - a Turkish appetizer

I tried this Turkish recipe. Not sure why it came up in my YouTube feed but looks like it was there for a reason :) We ate it with hot sauce and ketchup - it was very delicious! What I liked about it - didn't take too long to make it and is not deep fried (although it does have cheese).

Here's the recipe:


Ingredients:

For the dough
160g all purpose flour
80ml water
Salt to taste

For the filling
1 bunch Spinach
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1/2-3/4 cup Feta cheese
1-2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and water; and knead. After the dough had come together, knead for another 5 minutes. The dough will be smooth and springy.
2. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onion till translucent.
4. Add the spinach and salt; and cook till wilted; and the filling is not too wet.
5. Cool the filling.
6. In the meantime, let's make the outer wrap.
7. Divide the dough into 4. Take each portion and form a ball out of it.
8. Roll it out to around 10" - the wrap will be almost translucent. You will almost be able to see the surface below the wrap.
9. Put some of the prepared filling on the wrap. Add feta cheese. Wrap it up like a parcel.
10. Heat a griddle on medium heat. Cook the wrap on one side. Then flip and cook on the other side.

Of course I haven't tasted the real dish but was very happy how this turned out. The original recipe calls out brushing the wrap with butter after cooking it. We liked it without butter,

How to choose a daycare for your child?

When we were looking for a daycare for our kids I was thinking to myself - why do people sweat so much about which daycare to choose. All little ones need is to eat, sleep and play! Well, turns out that's not so true. Yes they need the three basic things - food, sleep and play - and some more. If I were to choose a daycare again below are the factors I would consider; and this is not to say that everyone should consider these. Each of us are different and every child is different. Your priorities and your child's need would determine what factors you need to look at. As you read through these, you can see if it is something that you would care for.

1. Location: it was important to us that the daycare be close to our home so that either of us could drop/pick the kids from daycare. We are very glad that we did that. Time and again it has proved so beneficial to have it close-by. We don't have to sit in traffic and spend that time with the kids instead.
2. Teacher retention: this is a big problem that plagues daycares - it's very difficult to retain teachers. So why does it matter if there's high attrition? It matters more than you think to your child. It takes time for kids to feel safe and secure with a teacher, once they do they only like to be with that teacher. If they get a new teacher, they have a very hard time. Even if it's for one day.
3. Qualification of the teachers: it is good to have teachers who are qualified for the job. While it seems obvious that for any job you want people who are qualified for it, here's why this is important and not so obvious. Some people might think anybody can take care of kids. Yes and no. Yes they can take care of kids but not every one can make your child learn. Be it learning the alphabets, table manners, discipline, social behavior and so on. You want somebody who, when your child is misbehaving, can do more than just ask them not to do it. Who can help the child understand what they did wrong and what they can do better. Who also tries to understand where the child is coming from - which is the most important factor to help a child discipline. If disciplining your child is not high on your list, then I wouldn't worry about the qualification of the teachers all that much.
4. Quality of food: some daycares have their own kitchen, some don't. Of those that have, some always serve healthy choices and made from scratch food, other don't. Some even ensure most of their food is organic. For us, having healthy food is very important. The daycare we picked does not serve sugary cereals, hardly any processed food and serves whole grain options. That was important for us as not only do kids spend half their day there but they also learn all the habits from there. They like the food that is served there so that food better be healthy.
5. Curriculum: having a pre-defined curriculum helps. I'm always surprised at all the different topics they introduce to the kids every so often. The various activities that they do around each of these topics. Kids learn from their teachers the most. You could be teaching the same values at home but the moment the teachers teach that value - that is all they will be talking about.
6. Talk to the director: you should definitely talk to the director to see if the values that you want for your child jives with vision that the director has for their daycare. It will also give you an insight into how committed/dedicated the director is towards their center. That is one person who can make or break a daycare.
7. Outdoor playing area: again this is personal preference. We wanted our kids to have enough outdoor playing area so they could stretch themselves. Not just the area, but the schedule should also make sure that the kids get enough time to play outside.

You will find lots of articles and books that will talk about this topic. Some of the often mentioned factors listed in those like safety etc have not been listed above. I feel that might be concerns for a home based daycare, but if its a center based daycare with all the certification etc they would be conforming to the security/safety codes. Also, in my personal experience even after touring a few daycares I couldn't say whether one was secure or not. They all looked good enough to me - it could be that they were.

At the end of it, you need to decide what are the things that are most important to you and look for a daycare that satisfies those.

Also, once you do put your child into a daycare and have any concerns always raise them with the teacher/director. If you think your concerns are not being entertained then it is not the right daycare for you.

Cabbage Pakoda

These pakodas came out so delicious! They were crisp on the outside and tender inside. The blend of vegetables provided the right contrast for the taste buds. I've never used peas in any kind of pakodas and was a little hesitant. Never again will I think twice!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flower)
• 1/4 cup rice flower
• 1 cup cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 4-5 curry leaves, sliced
• 1 tsp green chillies chopped
• Salt to taste
• Water, quantity will vary
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Heat oil at medium heat.
2. Mix besan and rice flour together.
3. Then add all ingredients except water and oil.
4. Add enough water to make a batter that is neither too thick nor too thin. You should be able to easily make lumps from it. It should not be so thick that you can shape it.
5. Oil should be hot enough. If its too hot then the pakodas will cook from the inside and not from inside. If it's not hot enough, it'll take too long to fry and you will not get a crisp exterior.
6. Take a lump of the batter and add it to the oil. Fry 4-5 pakodas at a time. Any more and your oil will cool down.
7. It yielded yummy pakodas that were so crispy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside!

Thai red curry pineapple rice

We all loved this rice and it is so simple to make! I adapted this recipe from The Chunky Chef.

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp oil
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1 tsp ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
• 1 1/2 cup rice (I used basmati rice), washed
• 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 cups colored bell peppers, cut in strips
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped 
• 8-10 cashews
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Add the liquid from the pineapple chunks and the coconut milk to a measuring cup. If the total quantity is less than 3 cups, add some water to make it 3 cups.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan on medium heat. Sauté onion for 2-3 minutes. Then add ginger and garlic. Sauté for another minute or two.
3. Add the mix of pineapple juice, coconut milk and water to the pan. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add the Thai red curry paste and mix well. Then add rice and pineapple chunks. Add salt.
5. Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low and let it cook for 15 minutes (or till the rice is done).
6. In the meantime, heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in another pan on medium high heat. Sauté the bell peppers and broccoli. After 2-3 minutes add the cashews. Add some salt. Sauté for another minute or so. It is done when the peppers are slightly charred. Vegetables should be tender and crisp.
7. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and let it sit covered for another 15 minutes. Then add the above mixture as well as cilantro and mix well. Use a light hand so as not to make the rice mushy.

Positive discipline for Preschoolers

Author: Nelsen, Erwin, Roslyn and Duffy

There are multiple version of this book. The original - Positive discipline and then specific ones for different age groups like this for preschoolers.

The book, as the tag line says, focuses on disciplining kids using respectful means. The main premise of the authors is that as parents we must always be respectful to the kids even when we are disciplining them. While it makes a lot of sense, I feel one does tend to forget it. You need to consciously remind yourself of this. While being respectful, to discipline kids you must be kind and firm at the same time. As an example, the author talks about a case where the mother asks her child whether they would like cereal A or B. The child picks one of the choices (giving them age appropriate choices helps make them responsible) but after eating a spoon complains that they don't like it. You then take away the cereal. Later the child says that they are hungry. You respectfully tell them that the lunch (or whatever the next meal is) will be at so and so time and you are sure they can handle themselves till then. You do not say things like "I told you you would be hungry", "You should have eaten your breakfast", etc.

You do not need to yell, shout or scream but you need to be true to your words. If you say that there is a consequence for doing a certain thing you must carry it through. It is important for the child to know that you will do as you say. This is the part about being firm.

Another trait that it focuses on is making kids responsible. As an example, there's a family where the father drops off the child to daycare when the father leaves for office. So the child is given their morning schedule in a visual form and needs to follow through it in order to be ready to leave with the dad. The visual schedule outlines that they need to brush then have bath then make their bed and so on. If the child is not ready by the time the dad is ready to go to work, then the child has to leave in whatever state they are in. If they have not changed their clothes then they go to daycare in their pajamas and with their change of clothes. Again, no taunting here.

Further it talks about what are different reasons why kids could be misbehaving. There are 9 temperaments and each kid falls into one or the other side of the temperament. Which side they fall into could give reasons behind their misbehavior. While this is the nature part of the child, you can try to influence it by giving them an environment (nurture) which encourages the right behavior. Then there is the birth order psychology. Whether you are the eldest, youngest or the middle one could tell some certain things about your personality. The author iterates again and again that none of these should be used to stereotype the child but to understand where they are coming from.

Hope all this has gotten you interested in reading this book! It gave me a sea of information of possible reasons behind misbehavior and how to tackle them. I may not remember all of them. Even if I can remember/implement 1-2 of the things that I learnt that would be great!

Rich and chocolatey hot chocolate

I looove hot chocolate! The more chocolaty it is the better! We once had Charlie's Sipping Chocolate at Joe Chocolate Co and it was so rich! Simply heavenly! It was really like sipping chocolate. I had had a similar concoction at another place in Seattle and it was called European hot chocolate. You get the idea - I'm always searching for real good hot chocolate. That includes searching for recipes that would make one. Not necessarily as rich as the sipping chocolate because it is not something that you can drink daily and not hurt your health; but something better than just adding cocoa and sugar to a cup of milk.

Since I trust KAF for their recipes I decided to try their hot chocolate. I made half the quantity because the full recipe seemed a lot. It turned out so good even though I used half the suggested quantity of the mix! trust me - it's the real deal!

Ingredients:

• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups  semi-sweet chocolate (I was a little short on it, so used a little bit of dark baking chocolate chunks)
• 3/8 cup  milk chocolate (I used Theo chocolate)
• 1 cup (85g) Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa
• pinch of salt, optional

Method:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar and vanilla and pulse for 5 to 6 seconds until well combined.
2. Coarsely chop the semi-sweet and milk chocolates and add them to the bowl. 
3. Add the dry cocoa and salt. Process in the food processor till everything is mixed. The mix will be slightly coarse, like brown sugar. Pour into a large glass or plastic jar for storing.
4. For each cup of hot chocolate, combine 1/4 cup of mix with 8 ounces of hot milk. Stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Top with whipped cream, marshmallows or your favorite topping. Makes 24 8-ounce servings.
5. Store airtight for 6 to 9 months. Excellent for holiday gift giving. Try packing in pretty mason jars tied with bright ribbons. Be sure to add a card with the mix directions.