Lunchbox Special

Award-winning author Jeeti Gandhi serves a healthy spread of recipes for children in her latest book launched by actor Nimrat Kaur.

A grandmother who just turned 80,Jeeti Gandhi comes across as a powerhouse of energy. As she readied to formally launch her latest cookbook,Served with Love (VFS/Rs 450) at Taj Chandigarh on Tuesday evening,the graceful author flit from one end of the room to another with ease,meeting up with guests and even dishing out foodie gyan on the way to the podium. I thought my last book would truly be the last one, said Gandhi,with a smile. But her four grandchildren changed her mind. Childrens inclination towards eating junk food due to its easy availability and high satiety value add to the problem of parents. Not just children,we all love our food to pack a punch,but rarely find the equilibrium between healthy eating and delicious food, remarked Gandhi,an award-winning cookbook author.

Besides being a professional dietician,Gandhi is also a chef,an avid traveller,lecturer,hotelier,speaker and a formally trained pilot. But above all,I am a mother and grandmother who loves to cook for her family, she said. In the past,she has written two cookbooks,one of which Curry Leaves and Cumin Seeds won the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Award 2002 in France as the best Asian cuisine cookbook. Her latest,Served with Love,which was launched by actor Nimrat Kaur,of the critically-acclaimed film,The Lunchbox,aims at giving a solution to parents on how to tackle the eating habits of their children.

The 172-page book offers innovative solutions and recipes which ensure that home-cooked food is nutritious as well as delicious. From dishing out healthy pizzas and pastas to plating desserts that meet ones daily calcium needs,the recipes are easy to follow. As I raised two boys while moving across the globe with my husband,I realised that banning junk food only increases its appeal. That inspired me to develop recipes that are healthy yet hit a chord with kids and grown-ups,alike. Through this book I hope to share these tips,tricks and recipes with fellow parents,grandparents or anyone who is interested in healthy yet flavourful food, said Gandhi.

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For someone who always packed surprises in her kids tiffins including little post-its and notes from Mom,Gandhi says she was excited when she heard of The Lunchbox. When I watched the film,I shared the filmmakers passion for food, said Gandhi. Serve with Love also explains the nutritive role of various foods and details interesting ways of making food healthy and appealing.

Kaur,a self-confessed foodie,admits how food has had an intrinsic role to play in her career. Food has the power to build relationships and the film showed that beautifully. So many people could relate to it,and here I am connecting over a cookbook, said the actor,with a smile. Quite skillful in the kitchen herself,Kaur says she loves rustling up Indian and Italian fare and will try the lunch box recipes from Gandhis book.

Like the author,Kaur too believes that the most important ingredient for any winning meal is the passion and love with which it is cooked. My husband,Swinder,has been my eternal culinary companion,and the first taste-tester of each dish. He always offered me more compliments than criticism and it has brought me this far, said the Panchkula-based Gandhi,who also divides her time as the host of the show,Good Food,Good Health with Jeeti Gandhi on Vivek 90.4 FM community radio in Chandigarh. All the proceeds from the sale of Serve with Love will go the Mumbai-based NGO,Salaam Bombay Foundation.

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