3 nutritious and tasty recipes for children with gluten intolerance

As children and adolescents have specific nutritional requirements due to the critical lifestyle they live, it becomes essential to meet their daily nutritional demands and guard against deficiencies, it is crucial to provide nutrient-dense foods in a balanced diet. Protein, calcium, vitamin D, iron, fibre, and other nutrients are some of the ones required to maintain children’s s growth and development. It can be more challenging if your child has been diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Children with celiac disease must eat a gluten-free diet in order to be healthy. There is no treatment or injection that will make it go away. They can start absorbing the vitamins and minerals they need to thrive by eating only gluten-free foods. Therefore, it is imperative that parents look after their food and nutrition. (Also read: Delicious chocolate recipes for gluten-free snacking )

Talking to HT Lifestyle, Dr. Bhavna Sharma, Head-Nutrition Sciences, ITC Ltd, shared, “Children with celiac disease or other conditions leading to gluten intolerances lack essential nutrition due to dietary restrictions. Gluten-free flours are a good replacement to provide calories necessary for growth and development. Gluten-free flour is an excellent replacement consisting of a blend of jowar flour, ragi flour and flaked rice flour and other stabilizers to maintain the textures of the prepared products.”

Check out some tasty gluten-free recipes for children shared by Manisha Bhasin, Corporate Executive Chef, ITC Limited (Hotels division).

1. Bajra Nu Halvo

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

To Serve: Two

Origin: Gujarat

Ingredients:

Bajra Atta (Pearl Millet) 1 Cup

Milk powder 1 Cup

Ghee 1/2 Cup

Powdered jaggery 3/4 Cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Saffron four to five strands

Almond (roughly diced) 3/4 th Cup

Raisin 1/4 th cup

Flax Seeds 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Heat ghee in a pan, add almonds, raisins and cook them till golden brown, remove and set aside for use later.

2. In the same ghee, add bajra flour and cook on low flame till bajra gets cooked evenly.

3. Now add milk powder, cardamom powder, flax seeds and cook well for few minutes, cook till it turns aromatic and turns light brown.

4. Remove from flame and keep aside for few minutes.

5. Now add 2 cups of boiling water to the above mixture and whisk well to ensure no lumps.

6. Cook on slow flame for 5 minutes.

7. Add the powdered jaggery, saffron, browned almonds and raisins, mix well.

8. Take off the flame, serve hot, garnished with strands of saffron.

2. Ragi, shikoo and Sunflower seeds pan cake

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

To Serve: Two

Origin: Inspired from Gujarat

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour (Pearl Millet) 1 Cup

Chikoo 4 nos

Baking powder -1tbsp

Almond Milk 1/2 Cup

Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp

Butter 1 tsp

Jaggery powder 2 tbsp

Sunflower seed 1 tsp

Mint sprig

Honey 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl add all dry ingredients, ragi flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, jaggery powder, crushed sunflower seeds and mix them well.

2. Now add mashed chikoo, almond milk and whisk to leave no lumps in the batter.

3. Heat pan on a low heat and grease with some butter, pour pan cake batter and cook on low heat until there are small bubbles on the top and bottom of the pancake is golden brown.

4. Serve the pancake stacked over each other topped with chopped chikoo, mint sprig and honey.

3. Mini aloo cheese paratha

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serve size: 1 mini aloo cheese paratha

Ingredients:

Gluten free flour 30g 1/3 rd cup

Potatoes (chopped) 50g 1/2 cup

Onion (chopped) 25g 1/4 th cup

Kasuri methi 5g 1 teaspoon

Cheese 10g 2 teaspoons

Ghee 5 ml 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. To prepare the dough: Add boiling water gradually into the gluten free flour and knead till a smooth dough forms.

2. To prepare the filling: Mash the boiled potatoes thoroughly and mix together with onion, kasuri methi leaves and spices including ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds and salt to taste.

3. To prepare the paratha, divide the prepared dough into 2 portions and roll thinly into round chapatis.

4. Spread one portion of the potato mixture along with shredded cheese onto one chapati leaving 1-inch gap around the sides of the chapati.

5. Layer the other chapati onto the mixture to seal the paratha and cook on a hot tawa till brown spots appear on both sides, serve with a teaspoon of ghee.

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