Here is another successful experiment in my snacks for my toddler journey, and again this one also is a snack which is good for both the baby and adults. In fact this turned out so yummy that I am on cloud nine. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be done as a gluten free version, a deep fried version or a shallow fried one, and all of these turn out great. I have tried them all. It is full of good heath and nutrition and it also passed baby’s approval. He likes these cutlets. They turn out quite soft so he doesn’t have any problem in eating these.

As mentioned, I used Chickpeas and Spinach in this one, both very tasty and packed with nutrition. Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense legume which has protein, dietary fibre, folate, and  iron and phosphorus.And Spinach, well Popeye eats it, doesn’t he? Spinach is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, iron, folate, B vitamins riboflavin and vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber.The idea of mixing these two just came into my head and I can’t believe these turned out so good too. 

So, Here goes the recipe of my very successful experiment. Give it a try you will not regret it. 

Soaking time : Overnight

Prep time : 15 mins

Cooking time : 5 mins 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup Chick peas

1 cup Baby Spinach leaves

1 tsp Ginger paste 

1 pinch Asafoetida 

1 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

2 tsp Olive Oil , more for frying

Salt as per taste 

1 Fresh Soft Brown Bread ( optional) 

2 tbsp peanuts ( optional )


Method : 

Wash and soak the Chickpeas overnight or a minimum of 6 hrs

Pressure cook the chick peas with a pinch of salt 

Drain and blend in a grinder, if the paste is too hard you can add a few tsps of olive oil for grinding it smoothly

Wash and chop the baby Spinach leaves

Now blanch them for a few minutes in an open  pan with very little water, do not over boil. Stop when the leaves start wilting and take off heat


Drain the excess water and grind the leaves to a smooth paste in a blender, do not add any water 

 

Now in a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, apart from the peanuts

I added the peanuts after making enough cutlets for the baby as I am not comfortable giving him whole peanuts in his food yet

Also I add asfoetida powder because it is good for digestion, it helps with it but has a pungent taste, so use a little bit if you do not like the smell so much. 

Alternately you can also add Carrom seeds as these also are very good for digestion

My spinach paste had beome a bit more watery  this time, so I crumbled and added a whole wheat bread to bind the mixture


Now I do not follow a gluten free diet as I do not have any gluten insensitivity, but if you want to avoid using bread you can add a mashed boiled potato as the binding agent

Shape the mixture into small round cutlets with the palm of your hands, roughly the size of a cookie


In a flat pan add a little oil and shallow fry the cutlets 

Turn over once one side is golden brown and brown the other side

You don’t need to fry these too much as the chickpeas and spinach are already cooked


The above measurements will give around 15 cutlets. 

Serve them hot

There are few variations you can try with this recipe. You can deep fry the cutlets as they are or you can also dip it in eggwash and coat them with breadcrumbs 

That will give a more crispier cutlet

I do not do that as I want to keep it soft and not very crispy for the baby’s liking

Enjoy these with hot cups of tea as I do. 

I am glad that my toddler loved these, I was wondering if any more such combinations can be tried out, do suggest if you think or know any more such recipes. Would surely love to try them out