Banana Blueberry Whey Shake(Protein rich power breakfast)

Being a vegetarian, I am always for the look out for good protein sources especially for my kids. Because protein is an essential building block for the body and  growing children do need quality sources of protein in their every day meal. I plan my kids breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack in such a way that there is some protein source in each one of them. I rely on legumes, nuts, coconuts, fruits like avocado, raw unprocessed dairy for my protein sources.

Even with all this planning, morning breakfast is a real challenge. To have some thing filling, fast as well as nutritious on the go especially for the kids. I am sure lot of people who read this face the same problem as me. So I rely on protein supplements like whey protein and brown rice protein to have a power packed breakfast.  I would like to hear suggestions from you all on how you are fortifying your food with protein and what is your best suggested protein source/supplement (Of course a vegetarian source).

Preparation Time – 5 Minutes

Cooking Time – Nil

Serves – 1

Ingredients

Raw Milk – 1 Cup ( 8 oz)

Banana – 4 slices (3-4 small slices are enough otherwise you will have a thick smoothie instead of a shake)

Blueberries – Handful

Whey protein powder – 2 scoops

Xylitol – 1 Tsp or to taste

Method

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and enjoy.

Note – Brown rice protein and hemp protein are vegan protein and brown rice protein tastes ok and hemp protein you have to get used to the taste. You can add few fruits, coconut milk, brown rice protein and xylitol and come up with a great smoothie. Hemp protein I find tastes better with green smoothies(non sweet) ones like spinach, yogurt, salt and lemon juice. Whey protein with raw milk and fruits tastes more like a milk shake than a protein drink and is the best tasting of all the three. But when you buy whey protein make sure the source is from grass fed organic milk, the protein is cold processed and is a whey protein concentrate and not an isolate.

Events
Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

Sending this to Kids delight some thing sweet by Kavitha an event started by Srivalli.

Going to Fast food no Fat food hosted by Priya Sreeram an event started by Priya Mahadevan .

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Spiced Coconut & Almond Milk a Vegan Treat

Is fat bad? Not really, fat is an essential component your body needs. But the fat needs to be the right kind of fat which comes from nuts, coconut oil,  un processed raw dairy products, avocado etc. Coconut fat is one of those good fats and helps to loose weight when incorporated in the diet. Coconut contains Medium chain fatty acid(MCT). This MCTs promote thermogenesis, increasing your body’s metabolism, producing energy. Coconut has also been found to be helpful to thyroid function, as well as digestion. Coconut milk is a very good source of protein and helps to maintain a soft and smooth skin, in cold dry winter time.

If you are allergic to Dairy and are trying alternate store bought nuts milk, try this one out. Coconut, Almonds, spiced up with cardamom and cinnamon and sweetened with xylitol. This drink just tastes awesome. Do give this one a try and I am sure you are going to love it.



Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – Nil

Serves – 2





Ingredients





Grated fresh coconut – 1 Cup packed

Almonds – 1/3 cup (Soak overnight or soak in hot water for a hour)

Cardamom – 1 pod

Cinnamon powder – 2 Tsp

Xylitol – 1 Tbsp or to taste (You can substitute this with maple syrup, honey or sugar. Sweetener of your choice)

Salt – pinch

Warm to Hot Water – 2 Cups



Method





1) Rinse the almonds and add it to the grated coconut and place it in a blender along with a cardamom pod.  Add 3/4 cup water and blend into a smooth mixture.



2) Now run this through a cheese cloth and collect the milk and squeeze out the ground coconut, almond mixture and place it once again in the food processor. Add 3/4 cup of water and blend once again.



3) Repeat step two and blend once again adding the remaining water and filter the milk.



4) To the filtered milk, add xylitol and salt mix thoroughly till it dissolves. Pour in two glasses and top them with a tsp of cinnamon powder and serve immediately.





Events

Sending this to Zesty Palette’s New You Series 3 hosted by Vardhini.

Sending this to Allergy friendly Fridays.

Sending this to Breakfast Club – Detox an event started by Helen of Fuss free flavors.

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Vegan Tropical Smoothie(Mango, Papaya & Pineapple)

The ignored and tainted coconut has become the new super food and is every where in all different forms coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut oil. Even main stream restaurants offer smoothies with coconut milk in their menu. People are reinventing the wheel and coconut is in the lime light. At least now I hope the dietitians keep themselves updated and advice their patient to avoid coconut!!! Now coming to this smoothie recipe, I saw it in a restaurant menu card and fell in love with the ingredients used. So delicious and nutritious and a great way to kick start the day.

But if some one is on a diabetic diet, fruit smoothies are not advisable as the sugar in the juice form easily and quickly spikes the blood sugar. So if you are looking for a low sugar beverage go for any of this Almond Butter Milk shake, Ash gourd & Cilantro Smoothie, Chocolate Truffle Shake, Almond Milk, Cucumber Cilantro Smoothie, Almond Saffron Milk Falooda.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 4





Ingredients



Coconut Milk - 2 1/2 Cups (Chilled)

Papaya pieces - 3/4 Cup

Mango pieces - 3/4 Cup (Fresh or frozen both will work great)

Pineapple pieces - 3/4 ( All fruits washed, peeled and cubed)

Xylitol or Honey - 1 Tbsp or per taste(once again use the sweetener of your choice, but honey gives a lovely tropical flavor to this drink)

Vanilla extract - 1/4 Tsp

Ice cubes - 1/2 Cup



Method



1) Place the papaya, mango and pineapple pieces along with honey, vanilla extract and coconut milk in a food processor and blend till smooth.



2) Add the ice cubes and blend one more time and serve immediately.



Note - Using a good quality food processor will eliminate the need to filter and discard the fiber. Fruits and vegetables are eaten for their vitamins and fiber and do not filter and discard the fiber and lose the health benefits.

Event

This energizing smoothie goes to Sizzling Tastebuds Vrat Ka Khaana.

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Mango Lassi/Smoothie

Last few days/weeks were very busy for me with work, last minute visits to friends & families back home, last minute shopping, packing and then flying back to NJ after the stormy Irene. Coming back here and feeling like a stranger in a quiet house with no hustle and bustle and kids back to their school making me even more home sick. I am just now catching up with things in my house and the blog and my blogger buddies posts. Now getting on to this simple but super delicious recipe, do try out and let me know and I am sure who ever hasn't tried Mango lassi before is going to love it. But wait, if you watch your sugar and carbs, mango is not a fruit for  you.



Preparation Time - 5 to 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2 to 3





Ingredients



Mango - 2 Big to Medium or 3 Small as shown in the photo

Yogurt - 1 1/2 Cups

Butter Milk or Milk - 1/2 Cup

Xylitol - 1/4 Cup (You can use an sweetener of your choice like Honey, Sugar and increase this based on the sweetness level of the mango)

Rose water - 1 Tsp

Saffron few strands

Ice cubes - 1 cup (optional)



Method



1) Peel and cut the mangoes into small pieces, throwing out the seed after squeezing out the pulp.



2) Place the mango pieces, yogurt, butter milk, xylitol, rose water and saffron in a blender and blend till smooth.



3) Add the ice cubes and blend one more time and serve immediately.



Note - You can add ginger, cardamom for flavoring and also the lassi can be served with some chopped nuts on the top (like pistachio, almonds etc).

Read more »

Apple Cinnamon Milk Shake

 Cinnamon and Apple are such an unbeatable combination not only in muffins, cakes and pies. But also in milk shakes. Cinnamon is such a wonderful spice and gives a lot of flavor to the food and also with loads of health benefits. Recent studies show that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day has shown to significantly reduce blood sugar levels, LDL(bad) cholestrol and total cholestrol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. You can also soak a table spoon of chia seeds in 3 Tbsp of water and add the gel to this milk shake to stay full for a longer period of time and also to fortify with omega 3 fats to this calcium and vitamin rich milk shake.

But if you are on a low sugar and low carbohydrate diet plan, this milk shake will not work for you. Instead go for Almond Butter Chocolate Milk Shake or Chocolate Truffle Shake. Green apple would be the best bet for people on a  low sugar diet because of its low fructose content. If you are going in for organic apple there is no need to peel the apple otherwise peel them to avoid the wax.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Organic Apples - 2(Washed, Cored and chopped)

Raw Milk - 1 1/2 Cups

Water - 1/2 Cup

Cinnamon powder - 1 Tsp

Xylitol - 1 Tbsp or per taste

Ice cubes - 4 to 5

Method

1) Place the apple, milk, water, xylitol in a blender and blend till smooth.

2) Add the ice cubes and cinnamon powder and blend for few more seconds and serve in tall glasses.

3) Enjoy!!!

Event Participation



1) This goes to Ramya's ABC event - the Theme Apple for september

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Beat the Heat - Almond Butter Chocolate Milk Shake

Looking for a high protein, low sugar but super delicious milk shake. Then you have to try this out. Power packed with protein rich almond butter, calcium rich raw milk, antioxidant rich unsweetened cocoa and sweetened with xylitol these are perfect to kick start your day. Easy to make and absolutely delicious on a hot summer day. Do try it out and let me know, how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 1





Ingredients



Raw Milk - 3/4 Cup(Since I used raw milk it has little bit of cream on top, so the milk is a mixture of cream & milk)

Cocoa Powder - 1 Tbsp

Almond Butter -2 Tbsp

Xylitol - 1 Tbsp or as per taste

Vanilla extract - few drops

Ice - 4 to 5 (optional)



Method



1) Place the raw milk, cocoa powder, almond butter, xylitol and vanilla extract in a blender and blend till smooth.



2) Now add the ice cubes and blend for a second and pour into tall glass and enjoy immediately.

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Beat the heat - Strawberry Smoothie

With certain parts of the United States reeling under a severe heat wave, I thought will share with you couple of Beat the Heat Recipes which are simple to make and good for you.



Strawberries have very high levels of vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges. These berries are good for your heart and acts as a shield for cancer protection. But strawberries are one of the most contaminated produce with pesticide. So grab a box of organic one even though it costs a few more bucks because studies show that the antioxidants are more in organic food than conventional ones. Even though strawberries are so good for you be wary of the fructose content and accordingly adjust your intake of fruits.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - None

Serves - 1





Ingredients



Plain yogurt - 3/4 Cup

Organic Strawberries - 6 to 8

Xylitol - 1 Tbsp or a pinch of Stevia

Ice cubes - 4 (optional)



Method



1) Place the yogurt, strawberries and xylitol in a blender and blend till smooth.



2) Add the ice cubes and blend one more time and serve immediately.

Read more »

Ash Gourd(White Pumpkin) & Cilantro Smoothie

Ash Gourd/White Pumpkin/ Winter Melon/Poosanikai what ever name you call this vegetable, these are used widely in South Indian (Asian Indian) cuisine. This pumpkin unlike its yellow counter part is not sweet and tastes very neutral with lot of water content in it. It is believed that including this vegetable regularly in one's diet will help in reducing excess weight. So what are you waiting for? Try this one out and it not only tastes good but is so good for you and let me know, how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Peeled, deseeded and chopped White pumpkin pieces - 1 1/2 Cups

Chilled Yogurt - 1 Cup

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Cilantro (Chopped) - Handful

Salt - 1/2 Tsp

Green Chili - 1 or to taste (or you can use ground black pepper)

Lemon juice - 1 Tsp or to taste

Ice Cubes - 4 to 5 (Optional)



Method



1) In a blender (I used vita mix) place the white pumpkin pieces, yogurt, ginger, cilantro, salt  and green chili and blend till smooth.



2) Add the ice cubes and blend one more time and now add the lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper if you are not using green chili and serve and in tall glass immediately.



Note - Any fruit or vegetable juice gives you a sense of fullness only if you don't filter and discard the fiber. So if you are make these kind of juices regularly it is not a bad idea to get a good quality blender.

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Mango Milk Shake

Who doesn't love mangoes? The king of fruits. It is summer time and this fruit is in lot of abundance. But for some reason I find the mangoes from Mexico don't equal the taste of Indian mangoes. They smell great and look great but lack little bit of taste. I love mangoes by the look of it and tend to buy them, but most of it instead of getting consumed as a whole fruit because of the taste factor goes in making milk shakes, lassi (yogurt and mango drink), ice cream   jelly, cakes etc. Also I take the mango pulp out and puree them and freeze them in small bottles to be used during the rest of the season. So let us get on to the first mango recipe for this season, mango milk shake. Very easy to make and tastes great.



Preparation Time - Nil

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2 



Ingredients



Mango Pulp - 1/2 Cup

Cold Milk - 1 Cup

Cold Water - 1/2 Cup

Xylitol - 2 Tsp or per taste and taste of the mango pulp used

Ice cubes - few optional



Method



1) In a blender place the mango pulp, cold milk, cold water, xylitol and blend till well combined and smooth.



2) Pour into tall glasses and add few ice cubes if desired and enjoy.



Note - If you are diabetic this milk shake is not for you.

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Pineapple Milk Shake

Looking for quick, delicious and filling milk shake. Try this one out.  Pineapples are rich in Vitamin C & A and a very good source of dietary fiber. Raw milk is a good source of Calcium and protein. Just put them in a good quality blender, blend and drink. Do not filter and discard the fiber. Fiber in these fruits are very important to the body and these fibers make you feel full for a longer time. You can also add chia gel to these milk shakes to fortify them with Omega 3 and 6 and also to give you sense of fullness. (Soak 1 Tbsp of Chia seed 3 Tbsp of Water and let this sit for few minutes). Now add this gel to the milkshake and enjoy.



Pineapple is a high GI fruit, so avoid this milk shake if you are diabetic.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Pineapple pieces - 1 Cup

Milk - 1 1/2 Cups (Chilled)

Ice - few pieces optional

Cinnamon - 1/2 Tsp or Vanilla extract (optional)

Xylitol - 2 Tsp to taste (optional and depending on the sweetness of the pineapple)



Method



1) Place the pineapple pieces, milk, xylitol(if using) and cinnamon powder in a blender and

blend till smooth. ( I used vita mix, so it was perfect milk shake with no necessity to filter and discard    the fiber).



2) Add few pieces of ice and serve immediately.

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The Weight Watcher Parfait

 Parfait is a french style dessert made with layering cream, ice cream, yogurt, nuts, fruits etc. This parfait is very unique meaning, I have just used strawberries milk, mixed with chia gel as the main middle layer instead of yogurt and used nuts and coconut as alternate layer, topped with some xylitol sweetened 100% Cacao truffle(grated). So you can have this any time of the day, either as a break fast or as a dessert. With the low GI strawberries and calcium rich raw milk, omega - 3 rich chia gel, they are not only healthy and also tastes great. Much better option than the morning break fast cereal !!! It is a myth that fat makes a person gain more weight, if the fat is from good sources like unprocessed milk, chia seeds, nuts etc the food keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time and curb cravings. It is the sugar and carbs that makes people to gain more weight.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 1



Ingredients



Raw Milk - 1/2 Cup

Strawberries - 4 (washed, trimmed and chopped)

Xylitol - 2 Tsp or to taste

Grated Coconut - 2 Tbsp (Heaped)

Chopped nuts - 1/3 Cup

Chia seeds - 1 Tbsp

Water - 3 Tbsp

Dark Chocolate Truffle - 1 (This is also sweetened with Xylitol)



Method



1) Soak the chia seeds in water and set them aside for few minutes to soak and gel.



2) In a food processor blend the milk, xylitol and strawberries till smooth.



3) Combine the strawberry milk and chia gel and set them aside.



4) Take a tall glass and layer half of the nuts and top it with half of the grated coconut and press it nicely. Now pour the strawberry, milk gel on top of the coconut and layer it with the remaining nuts topped with the remaining coconut.



5) Grate the chocolate truffle on top and enjoy.

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Tomato & Mint Thirst Quencher

 Summer is synonymous to sweating and sweating  is good in a way as  it does helps the body to get rid of its toxins. But at the same time it results in the body losing precious water as sweat mainly contains water and other vital minerals such as potassium, sodium, copper, calcium and so on, which are needed by the body for its normal functioning.



Choose vegetables & fruits with high water content and replenish your body with the loss of fluid. Tomatoes are one such excellent choice when it comes to foods with high water content. Enriched naturally with Vitamin A & C, this not only quenches your thirst but also energizes your body. Tomatoes are low in fructose and this juice will be perfect for people with people with diabetes.



Preparation Time - 5-10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Tomatoes - 2 (medium sized)

Mint extract - 1/2 Tsp

Lemon Juice -  1 Tsp or to taste

Salt - 1/4 Tsp or to taste

Xylitol - 1 Tbsp or to taste

Crushed Black pepper - 1/4 Tsp

Ice cubes - 4 to 5 (Optional)

Water - 3/4 Cup



Method



Place the tomatoes, mint extract, salt, xylitol, water in a blender and blend till smooth.



Add the ice cubes and blend once again.



Add the lemon juice and crushed black pepper and combine. Pour in tall glasses and serve immediately.

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Watermelon & Strawberry Juice

Looking for healthy way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. Try this easy, breezy delicious juice. With the goodness of vitamin C & A rich watermelon and few strawberries. This juice not only tastes great but is good for you too. Both the strawberries and watermelon I used were very sweet so I added some lime juice and a dash of salt and black pepper. Perfect accompaniment to the park or good to go along with a bike ride on a hot summer day.



But once again even though this fruit juice is all natural and rich in vitamins, this is not recommended for people with diabetes because of the high fructose content.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2 





Ingredients



Watermelon pieces - 3 Cups

Strawberry - 2 ( I just 2 over ripe strawberries, just added it to the juice to give a nice color)

Lemon Juice - 1/2 Tsp or to taste

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Fresh Ground Black pepper - 1/4 Tsp or to taste

Ice Cubes - 1/2 Cup (optional)

Xylitol - 2 Tbsp (Optional - depending on the sweetness of the watermelon. I didn't add anything because the fruits itself were over sweet)



Method



1) Place the cut watermelon pieces, strawberry  in a blender and blend till smooth.



2) Add the ice cubes and blend one more time and then add salt, lemon juice and black pepper powder and serve immediately.

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Orange Ginger & Honey Juice

 The weather is warm outside and the kids are on a vacation from school. So many places to visit and lot of things to explore. No time to cook an elaborate meal, but lot of quick healthy snacks, juices, smoothies and shakes and that's how things go. So you will see lot of simple and quick healthy beverage ideas in the coming posts. A few weeks back, my elder one wanted to make a banana milk shake all by himself and tried to search for the recipe in my site. That's when I decided to post these simple juice, shakes and smoothie recipes which will be helpful for kids and novice cooks. Stay hydrated and have a happy, healthy summer.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 1





Ingredients



Orange - 1

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (skin peeled)

Honey - 1 Tsp or to taste

Water - 1/2 Cup

Ice cubes - few optional

Method



1) Cut the orange into half. Then cut each half into two pieces. Peel them and cut once again to remove the seeds and the thick white pith. (I do  not remove the soft white skin)



2) Place the orange pieces, ginger, honey and water in your blender and blend till smooth. Add the ice cubes and blend once again and enjoy.



Note - I used vitamix, so there was no need to filter and discard the fiber. The fiber in the juice makes you full for a longer time so do not strain and throw them away. Also if you are diabetic, do not go for fruit juices. Go for vegetable juices (excluding carrots & beets).

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Chocolate Truffle Shake

 Craving for some cold chocolate shake but are scared about the sugar in it. If you are like me and count the carbs and sugar in the milk shakes then this drink is definitely for you. Made with no cavity causing xylitol, unsweetened 100% Cacao dark chocolate and raw milk. These are much better choice than the sugary chocolate drinks. Try it out and I am sure you will like it.



Preparation Time - None

Cooking Time - None

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Raw Milk - 1 1/2 Cups (Chilled)

Chocolate Truffles - 3

Xylitol - 1 Tbsp or per taste

Ice cubes - few (optional)



Method



Blend the raw milk, truffles, xylitol till smooth. Add few pieces of ice and give another whiz and pour into tall glasses and enjoy.

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How to make Coconut Milk

Have you heard of the term BPA - bisphenol? BPA is a an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins. Epoxy resins can be used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans, baby formula cans etc. This chemical is really dangerous and the cumulative effect of being exposed to even minuscule amounts of BPA from cans, bottles, plates and all other sources over the years can eventually spell serious trouble for your child. Now do you understand what I am coming to? Yes instead of grabbing a can of Coconut milk next time try making it at home. So simple and easy to make, 100%  all natural without any "EPOXY RESINS". You can add Coconut milk to vegetable dishes, milk shakes instead of milk, ice creams. Will soon post ice creams using Coconut Milk.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Grated/Shredded Fresh Unsweetened Coconut - 1 Cup (Packed)

Water - 2 1/2 Cups

Method

1) Soak Coconut in 2 cups of water for at least an hour. Now pour this in your blender and blend on high speed for 1-2 Minutes

2) Pour the content through a strainer and collect the coconut milk in a container below. 

Squeeze out the collected pulp and once again place it in your blender and add the reserved half a cup water and blend once again. Repeat the same step as above and squeeze out the pulp thoroughly and use it in garnishing your vegetable curries.

Note - You can also warm the coconut milk slightly and add Xylitol to sweeten it and 1/2 tsp of freshly crushed black pepper and enjoy during winter months.

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Red Bell Pepper Juice

 Drinking at least one glass of low sodium vegetable juice daily may help overweight dieters lose more

weight. But when talking about vegetable juices most people think of carrot, beets or tomato. There are lot of other vegetables that can be juiced too. But when making juice using carrots and beets you have to understand these two vegetables are high in carbohydrate and sugar. So if you are diabetic or overweight avoid these too and go for low carb vegetable juices like Bell Pepper, Cucumber, White Pumpkin, Spinach, Tomatoes etc. Now coming back to this recipe, red bell pepper is loaded with vitamins like A & C and eating it raw and juicing it makes the body to absorb the nutrients even more easily. To spice up I have added whole black peppers. Try it out and let me know, how you like it.



Preparation Time - 5 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Organic Red Bell Pepper - 1 Whole

Black Pepper - 1/2 Tsp or to your taste

Salt - 1/4 Tsp or to taste

Lemon Juice - 1 Tsp or to taste

Water - 2 Cups (Chilled)



Preparation



1) Wash, cut and remove the seeds and cube the bell pepper into pieces.



2) Place the bell pepper pieces, black pepper, water, salt in the vita mix(or any high quality) blender and blend till smooth.



3) Add lemon juice and serve immediately.

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Almond Saffron Milk & Strawberry Milk Falooda for Maitri

When Priya contacted me for the Maitri friend ship chain event, I thought it will take a long time to get matched with a friend and raised my concern because of my travel plans during summer vacation. But she matched me with Vidhya within two days. I was really amazed with how quickly she set this up. I am really glad to be part of this wonderful event and thank the duo Priya and Reshmi for starting such a beautiful chain. If you live in the US, Canada region please do contact these lovely Ladies to be a part of this friend ship chain.

Since the time I got the email from Vidhya of Sugar N Spice saying that the mystery ingredient is on the way. I was super excited to know what the mystery ingredient was? I have never ever checked my mail box so many times and in fact grabbed the parcel from the mail man itself during one of the visits to check the mail box. I ran back and opened the parcel to find Subja Seeds(Basil Seeds) and a lovely flower cookie cutter and a hand written letter from Vidhya. Thank you Vidhya for the wonderful gifts.



These Subja seeds have cooling effect on the body and when soaked in water, becomes a gelatinous gel and is mixed with Drinks and Desserts in India and enjoyed during summer time. I made two different varieties of Falooda, one with Almond & Saffron Milk and another one with Strawberry milk. Even though the following recipe is more like a mock falooda but was surely tasty and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I have used Xylitol as a sweetener in this recipe including the ice cream, so it is safe for people concerned with Sugar High's and Low's also to enjoy.





Method

Ingredients



Soak 2 +Tbsp of Subja seeds in 1/2 Cup of water and watch it bloom.



Almond Saffron Milk



Almonds - Around 25 (Soaked & Peeled)

Saffron - little more than a pinch to get a nice yellow color

Milk - 1 Cup

Ice Cream - 4 to 6 Scoops (I only had home made vegan strawberry ice cream so used that, but this would have tasted awesome with mango or kesar kulfi). Next time when I make a different flavor ice cream gonna revisit this recipe

Jelly - I made a jelly with coconut water, agar agar and almond flakes and will give the recipe later or you can use any ready made jelly of your choice

Xylitol - 2 Tbsp or to taste



Strawberry Milk



Strawberries - Around 10

Milk - 1 Cup

Xylitol - 3 Tbsp or to taste

Ice Cream - 4 to 6 Scoops(The strawberry ice cream suited this one perfectly)

Jelly - Coconut Water & Agar Agar Jelly



Method



1) In a blender, blend the milk, soaked & peeled almonds, xylitol and saffron and run till smooth. Now refrigerate this.



2) For the Strawberry Milk, add the strawberries, xylitol and milk and run the blender till smooth and refrigerate.  I used a vitamix for this purpose and there was no need to filter anything out.



3) Once the subja seeds are bloomed, scoop them out in 4 glasses evenly.



4) Layer them with Jelly pieces of your choice.



5) Pour the almond milk in two glasses and the strawberry milk in two glasses, top it with ice cream.



6) Mix them with a spoon and enjoy.

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Cucumber Cilantro Celery Smoothie

Want to have a healthy glowing complexion then go for silica. Yes silica improves the complexion and skin health and cucumber is a very good source of silica. With spring slowly coming in and with a very hot summer in certain parts of the world, it is natural to search for thirst quenching drinks and foods. Cucumber apart from the nutrient vitamin c has a lot of water content making it a natural hydrating source. So a smoothie with Cucumber, D for detoxification rich cilantro, vitamin c rich celery, lemon juice, therapeutic ginger and calcium rich yogurt will not only fill  you up but tastes good and very good for you too. So next time you feel like grabbing that can of soda or store bought juice for quenching your thirst try this out and let me know how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - None

Serves - 2





Ingredients



Cucumber - 1 (Washed, rinsed, peeled)

Celery stalk - 1

Cilantro - handful (Chopped)

Ginger - 1 inch piece (peeled)

Yogurt - 1 cup (Chilled)

Salt - 1 Tsp or to taste

Lemon juice - 1 Tsp (or depending on the sourness of the yogurt)

Freshly ground Pepper - 1/2 tsp or to taste.



Method



1) Place the cucumber, celery, cilantro, ginger, salt and yogurt in a blender and blend till super smooth. ( I used my  Vitamix so whatever I throw in, I get a perfect juice without the necessity to filter any fiber and separate out).



2) Add lemon juice and ground pepper and serve with few pieces of ice.

Events



This goes to Fun N Sun an event hosted by Tickling Palates.

Also sending this to Seasonal Indulgence - Summer Coolers by Saffron Streaks.



Sending this to Mocktails & Coolers event hosted by Simply Food started by Pari.

Sending this to Healing Foods Sukham Coolers by Pedatha an event started by Siri.

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