Who doesn’t like starting their day with a refreshing glass of smoothie?
This Banana Coconut Smoothie is super simple to put together. Power-packed with healthy micro and macronutrients and with a hint of mint, it could almost be your summertime panacea. Works perfectly for those afternoon hunger pangs too.
While I know there are smoothies that use coconut water for the coconut flavor, in my recipe, I went with freshly shredded coconut. It is high on the fat content, so please keep it to just 2-3 tablespoons. It adds a whole lot of natural flavor to the smoothie. Here are all the ingredients that you will need:
2 Bananas which are preferably very ripe
A little less than one cup of milk. Plus some extra to adjust the thickness later. You may use almond milk, soy milk, or cow’s milk.
About 2 tablespoons of freshly shredded coconut. You can add a bit more if you really like coconut flavor.
4 to 5 crushed mint leaves. This is optional.
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
For sweetness, you may rely on the bananas or add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar or jaggery.
For another banana smoothie variation, go here. Scroll down for the detailed recipe of the banana coconut version.
Winters and its bounties are many. If I had to pick one I think there would be a tie between fresh fenugreek leaves and red Delhi carrots! This very Delhi carrot or laal gajar is the secret behind the best gajar halwa recipes.
Until very recently, I was unaware that the red variety of carrots were called by this special name. Shout out to my co-bloggers from Instagram for enlightening me. Come winter and these red carrots, I cannot wait to make the family favorite gajarka halwa. To elaborate, it is a creamy fudgy dessert made with full-fat milk, carrots, and a hint of sugar. The carrots impart the sweetness in this dessert. Interestingly, although eaten widely in the Indian sub-continent, this dessert has its roots in the Arabic world. In fact, the word “halwa” means sweet in Arabic.
It is beautiful how Indian cooking has been modified by every external influence. Today it is a combination of the best the world has to offer. So, I feel, there is none like Indian cuisine for its sheer variety, complexity, delicacy, and most importantly nutrition. As Indians we need to take pride in its numerous health benefits perfectly, balanced by its flavors.
You can eat this halwa hot or cold – it tastes great either way. If you are looking for accompaniments, then try hot halwa with a dollop of chilled vanilla ice cream – a popular combination back home. Passed by my grandmother to my mother and now to me, this recipe has been in our family for generations. I try my best to do justice to this heirloom recipe. Let me know what you think.
Whipping cream/condensed milk-4 tablespoons (optional; adjust the sugar accordingly if using condensed milk)
Instructions
In a pressure cooker add two-tablespoon ghee on high heat. Reduce the flame to medium once ghee is hot and add grated carrots
Stirring continuously cook the carrots in ghee for about 5-7 minutes till they start to release a sweet fragrance
Add 2 cups milk, mix well and seal the pressure cooker and let it cook on high flame for around 5 minutes or two whistles. Turn off the heat after 5 minutes and let all the steam release before taking off the lid
Here on reduce the flame to medium-low and let the carrot-milk mixture slow cook. At this point add the remaining two tablespoons of ghee, saffron and cardamom powder
If you like a rich halwa, add some condensed milk or cream, mix well and continue to slow cook. You could also keep adding a few tablespoons of milk and let it reduce to khoya as it cooks with the carrots. Traditionally the halwa is cooked slowly for hours altogether with gradual addition of ghee and milk or khoya (reduced milk) to give it an extremely rich and creamy texture. So, basically when you feel the halwa is almost done and has reached fudge like consistency you could add some more ghee and milk and continue to slow cook until desired creaminess is achieved. I usually slow cook for almost 1.5 hours on low flame without any additional condensed milk or cream and then just before turning off the heat I add sugar, increase the flame to high and stir continuously for about 5-7 minutes till a fudge like texture is achieved
Turn off the heat and serve hot garnished with dried fruits
Notes
Calories (per serving)- 180
Nutrition- Antioxidants/Beta-carotene/Fiber/Vitamin K/Potassium/Protein
It does wonders for your-Diabetes/Cholesterol/Heart diseases/ Gut/ Skin/ Immunity/ Eyesight/ Bone health
This is “My 8 am Meal”
While I know Christmas season means a lot of baking, this time I tried to make a no-bake dessert. Chocolate truffles flavored With Kahlua anyone?
Let there be no doubt – I love baking. It is always a mood lifter for me. It is the after-effect of consuming all the baked goodies that makes me think twice. Now, if only baking was not directly visible on the waistline as much, I would honestly do it more often. But then again, it is Christmas time. Time to share love, cheer, and also some calories in the form of these melt in your mouth little delights.
My absolute go-to website for baking is Joy of Baking. That is where I discovered this no-bake chocolate truffles recipe. Below is almost the exact Kahlua flavored chocolate truffles recipe barring the coatings which I played around a bit with. I used powdered pistachios, desiccated coconut to raw cacao. I tried them all. And the results as per the guinea pigs who tasted them (in their words) was DIVINE! Scroll down for the full recipe.
Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces- 227 gms
Heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat) – 120 ml
Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces- 28 grams
Kahlua- 2 tablespoons
Different Coatings for Truffles:
Toasted nuts like almonds/pistachios and then powdered. You could just crush and coat if you would like some texture
Raw cacao or cocoa powder
Desiccated coconut
Toasted and powdered white sesame seeds
Instructions
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a minute or two. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place in the microwave for about 20 seconds, or over a saucepan of simmering water, just until melted.) Add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm (this will take several hours or overnight).
Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. With your hands, a small ice cream scoop, a melon baller, or a small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls. Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months. Bring to room temperature before serving.
My early Christmas gift for you is this chai spiced pound cake recipe. The best part you ask – no refined sugar!
The struggle to eat desserts by keeping them healthy continues. I am an almost fitness freak as well as a foodie (split personality symptoms?!). While working out I am quick to promise myself to not indulge in too much food the next time. But when I am in the kitchen, trying to whip up something delicious, I forget that promise almost as quickly. I am yet to figure out which part of my split personality outweighs the other.
For now, it is the health-conscious me planning to indulge in a slice of this refined sugar-free Chai Spiced Pound Cake for breakfast tomorrow. I researched a couple of recipes online to create this one. After taking a little bit from all my research, I ended up creating my own flavor with aromatic spices and Twinings Darjeeling Tea. All the spices are not necessary, but they do make the cake very flavourful.
You can eat this pound cake as is or top it with some cream cheese frosting. A perfect dessert for your Christmas table too! Scroll down to read the full recipe for you to try.
Castor sugar (or regular sugar ground fine)- 50 gm or to taste (I kept the sugar really low)
Milk- 6-8 tablespoons
Orange zest-1 teaspoon
Vanilla-1 teaspoon
Chopped pistachios- 2 tablespoons
Instructions
For the cake:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8 inch Bundt pan (or you can use a regular cake pan if you do not have a bundt at hand) and set aside
Seep two tea bags of the desired tea in a teacup of hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze the tea bags well before discarding and let the tea come to room temperature; set aside
Add saffron into the yogurt and set aside
In a deep bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt to achieve uniform distribution of ingredients. Then add the spices to this and mix well
In a separate bowl beat the butter on medium-high for a minute until soft, and then add brown sugar and honey till smooth and a homogenous color is achieved. This takes around 2-3 minutes on medium speed
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating for a minute or two and scraping the sides between additions followed by orange zest and vanilla
Then in three alternate additions add the dry ingredients from Step 4 and yogurt, starting with the dry ingredients. Mix for 30 seconds on medium high between two additions. Scrape the sides between two additions. When a smooth batter is achieved, add 4 tablespoons of tea and give it one final mix
Fold in the egg whites into the above batter slowly being very careful not to over mix (see here the correct technique of folding in egg whites- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbFbJ9NXID0 )
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-60 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean
Remove the cake from the oven, and cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn it out onto a rack until completely cool before frosting
For the frosting:
In a deep wide bowl blend the cream cheese and butter until smooth
Add sugar and blend for another minute
Add orange zest and vanilla and blend for 30 secs
Finally add milk, a tablespoon at a time till a pouring consistency of frosting is achieved
Pour the frosting over the cake after it has cooled down completely, garnish with chopped pistachios. The cake is ready to be served and enjoyed with a hot cuppa 🙂
Indian desserts are known to be high in sugar. More often than not the unseasoned (read non-desi) palate this extreme sweetness is “not-so-suitable”. But the perception is about to change and how. Because my friends, I present to you Chhena Poda.
This melt in your mouth, extremely light on your palate (and your tummy), hitherto unexplored baked sweet wonder from Odisha will not only meet all requirements of the calorie counting global desi (and videshi alike) but, it also is the perfect adornment on your dessert platter this festive season for its gorgeous rustic looks. It is extremely easy to whip up with readily available ingredients. And the best part you ask? I am sharing the recipe just in time for your Diwali dinner.
Are you still wondering how to end your party on a high? Think no more and proceed to prepare chhena poda – a one hour wonder. Garnish it with almonds and pistachios and serve it warm with a side of vanilla ice cream or chilled on its own. I promise you, your guests will carry fond memories of your gala until the next one.
On this note, here is wishing a very happy Diwali to you and your loved ones. Spread brightness, love, and sunshine and most importantly stay safe!
Sugar- ¾ cup (you can use refined or raw/brown sugar) + 2 tablespoons
Baking Powder- ¼ teaspoon
Ghee- 1 tablespoon +1 tablespoon
Cardamom powder- ¼ teaspoon
Pistachio (slivered)-2 tablespoons
Cashew nuts (chopped coarsely)-2 tablespoons
You can also add other dried fruits like almonds and raisins as per taste preference
Instructions
Prepare a baking pan and line it with parchment paper and set aside. For best results use a square or rectangular pan
Bring the milk to boil in a deep heavy bottomed pan. Turn off the heat and set aside for two minutes
Then gradually add lemon juice/vinegar stirring between each addition till the milk slowly starts to curdle. Do not add all the lemon juice/vinegar at the same time as this would result in improper curdling and effect the taste of the final product
You will see the cottage cheese(paneer/chhena) separate leaving aside whey (watery residue). Now strain the paneer through a strainer covered with muslin cloth such that all the cheese collects on the muslin. If you have used lime to curdle milk, pour 2 cups water over the strained cheese to wash away any trace of lime. Do not discard the whey as you might need some during the kneading process next.Press the chhena with a spatula to drain away any moisture and transfer to a deep wide bowl
Add semolina (suji), half of the sugar to the chhena and 1-2 tablespoons of the whey and mix well with a spatula till a smooth pasty consistency is reached. Add the remaining sugar and mix well till all the ingredients are well incorporated. At this point the mixture would have achieved a thick pasty look
To the above mixture add 2 tablespoons of whey, baking powder, dried fruits, cardamom powder and mix well
To the baking pan 1 tablespoon ghee and spread evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over the ghee
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and bake it approximately for an hour at 165 degree centigrade or until the edges start to leave the sides of the pan and the crust has browned well but not too dark
Once done, bring it to room temperature, gently invert the tin to release the cake and cut into desired size
Garnish with slivered pistachios and rose petals and serve with some vanilla ice cream or serve chilled as is.
Come festive season and halwas of one kind or the other are a must in most Indian households. So, with Dusshera on and autumn knocking on our doors, it seemed only fitting that (the not so common, at least in our household) pumpkin halwa be made.
Halwa is a dessert that you will come across in South Asia, but I have read that it originated in the Middle East. In fact, it is still a popular form of dessert in the region. It can be made using fruit, vegetables, and even pulses. Have a look at my moong daal halwa recipe.
With the pumpkin halwa, you also get the numerous health benefits of the pumpkin while having dessert! And if you love sweet like me, you will love this little advantage. I tried two versions – one with cow’s milk and another with coconut milk. It is amazing how different, but equally delicious both versions turned out to be. The pumpkin itself was quite sweet and I also replaced the white sugar with raw sugar and it gave the halwa a deep earthy flavor without making it too sweet. Scroll down for the detailed recipe. I have shared both versions. Let me know which one you preferred.
Cow or Coconut Milk - 2 cups (You might have to tweak the amount of coconut milk based on the thickness of the coconut milk)
Ghee (for roasting the pumpkin)-3 tablespoons
Dry fruits (almonds/pistachios/Cashew nuts) chopped coarsely- ½ cup
Raisins or sultanas-10-12
Raw sugar- ½ cup or to taste if you like your halwa sweeter
Saffron- One pinch
Cardamom powder- 1 teaspoon
Dried rose petals-4-6 for garnish
Instructions
Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and when hot, add the dry fruits and roast on medium heat till slightly brown. Keep aside
In the same pan add the grated pumpkin and stirring continuously on medium heat cook until tender. If cooking with cow’s milk you can keep this step short and add milk 5 minutes after sautéing for five minutes, cover and let the pumpkin cook with milk for another 10-15 minutes on low flame, stirring intermittently. However, if using coconut milk make sure the pumpkin is cooked through and soft before adding the coconut milk as coconut milk doesn’t take too long to get incorporated. Mix well and cover for 2-3 minutes
Crush the saffron strands in a small mortar-pestle and steep in warm milk before adding to the milk-pumpkin mixture
Add sugar and raisins and mix well and let the mixture sit covered for another two minutes before turning off the flame
Add the nuts and cardamom powder and mix well. Serve hot garnished with dried rose petals
Notes
Calories (per serving)- 250
Nutrition-Vitamin A/ Beta-carotene/Vitamin C/Vitamin E
It does wonders for your- Heart/Eyes/Skin/Blood Pressure
This is “My 8am/10am Meal
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