Easter Sunday: Yummy treats for you and your child

Countless sugar-filled snacks will inevitably take a toll on your child’s health, but luckily, there are countless ways to make Easter food fun for kids, without putting their health at risk.

This Easter, you and your child can whip up cool and festive snacks together, as a great way to brighten up the holiday, and we’re here to make sure that the treats are healthy too.

Plus, here are a few general tasks to involve your child in, and make the whole festival lot more fun:

• Ask your children to help gather ingredients from the pantry
• Your little one would love to measure ingredients and add them to the mixing bowl
• If you have a toddler, simply ask him/ her to stir ingredients
• I tell you all children love to garnish...that final touch that makes them feel they did it all! So get them to sprinkle raisins or nut shavings or arrange gems on the top, anything goes!

Zucchini with corn and cilantro

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 and 1/2 cups cubed zucchini (about 1 pound/500 gms)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat
2. Add zucchini and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 8 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender
3. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and remaining ingredients
    

Veg rice casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 tin sweet corn
• 2 bunchesRice, blanched and chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum
• 1 medium green capsicum
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tbspsrefined flour (maida)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 tbsp mustard paste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Heat 1 tbsp butter in a non-stick pan. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and let the butter melt
• Drain the sweet corn and rinse in fresh water
• Slice an onion, add to the pan and sauté till soft. Add corn and spinach and mix
• Transfer into an baking dish. Sprinkle salt and ½ tsp pepper powder over it
• Heat the remaining butter in the non-stick pan
• Add refined flour to the pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add milk gradually, stirring continuously, ensuring there are no lumps
• Cook till the sauce thickens. Add ½ cup cheese and stir
• Spread rice over the vegetables in the baking dish
• Add mustard paste to the sauce and mix. Pour the sauce over the rice in the baking dish and spread it all over
• Cut red and green capsicums (peppers) into small cubes. Sprinkle salt over them
• Sprinkle half the capsicums, top it with the remaining cheese, and layer the remaining capsicums. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot

Devilled eggs

Ingredients:

• 6 hard boiled and peeled eggs
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Red chilli sauce
• 1/4 medium red capsicum
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley

Method:

• Halve the eggs vertically, remove the yolks and put into a bowl
• Mash the yolks with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard sauce, red chilli sauce and mix well
• Pass through a fine sieve to make it smooth. Chill in a refrigerator for 10-15 minutes
• Arrange the egg whites on a serving platter
• Put the yolk mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and pipe rosettes into the cavities of the egg whites
• Chop red capsicum into small cubes
• Place one piece on each egg over the yolk rosette
• Place a small piece of parsley next to the capsicum and serve

Biscuit custard pudding

Ingredients:

• 10-12  broken biscuits
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 4-5 tbspsstrawberry jelly crystals
• 4-5 tbspscustard powder
• 1 litre milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup of assorted fruits (pear and apple) roughly chopped
• 6 - 8 black grapes
• 6 - 8 green grapes

Method:

• Heat water in a non-stick pan
• Coarsely grind together biscuits, butter and brown sugar in a mixer and transfer into a bowl
• Spread a layer of the biscuit mixture in individual cups and press lightly
• Place strawberry jelly crystals in a bowl, add a cup of the hot water and stir till the crystals dissolve. Keep aside to cool
• Boil milk in a deep non-stick pan. Mix the custard powder in 2-3 tbsps water and add to boiling milk. Cook, stirring continuously till it thickens
• Add powdered sugar and mix. Add fruits to the custard and mix well
• Spread the fruits layer over the layer of biscuits
• Spread strawberry jelly over it. Set in the refrigerator, cool and serve

Chocolate balls

Ingredients:

125 grams grated dark chocolate

4 tbsp condensed milk

6 inch chocolate sponge cake

5 - 6 walnut kernels

10-12 almonds

100 gms white chocolate

Method:

• Place dark chocolate in a bowl and melt it in the microwave for 1 minute
• Take it out and whisk. Add 2 tbsps condensed milk and mix
• Crumble ¾ of the cake and add to the chocolate mixture
• Coarsely grind walnuts and almonds and add.
• Melt white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute
• Mix the ingredients in the bowl, shape into walnut sized balls and arrange them on a plate
• Add 2 tbsp condensed milk to the melted white chocolate and mix well(You can also add fresh cream instead of condensed milk)
• Put this mixture into a butter paper cone and pipe over the chocolate balls, making different designs
• Chill in a refrigerator and serve

Wish you all a very Happy Easter. Have loads of fun and enjoy with your child! If you make any of these recipes, don’t forget to leave us a picture in the comments below!