Mango Lassi, cardamom-flavored ( Mango Smoothie)

Lassi is a traditional North-Indian thirst-quencher and energy booster. It is basically yogurt/buttermilk that has been churned and sweetened with sugar. Sometimes it is flavored with cardamom. It is an age old drink made in all homes to beat the heat. Everything is natural with this drink: it is freshly made and there are only 2-4 ingredients: yogurt/buttermilk, sugar, water and may be cardamom. 

You will find this in most Indian restaurants. One popular version of Lassi is mango lassi when it is whipped with fresh mango pulp. I love this version more than the plain. During mango season, I love to make this and relish it instead of the store-bought ones. If the mango is sweet and the yogurt is not sour, you don't need to add any sugar. If you wish you can add a dash of honey. I like to use yogurt and mango pulp in the ratio of 1:1 . You can vary it based on your individual preference. You can substitute other fruits instead of mango. There you have the recipe! It is that simple and easy! You can use it for breakfast, mid-day meal or to wake you up from the afternoon slump. 

Do give this a try. You will love it. I just blend it in my magic bullet in the morning and take it with me to work.

Servings: 2

Prep time: 5-8 minsCook time: 0 minsTotal time: 5-8 mins

Ingredients:

Ripe Mango pulp :2 cups ( from 1- medium sized mango)

Plain yogurt/curd: 2 cups

Honey : 1 tbsp ( you can use sugar too)

Cardamom: seeds from 1 pod

Ice: 1 cup

Method: 

Add all the above ingredients to a blender. Pulse and blend until well mixed , around 1 minute. 

Serve chilled. Can add more ice if needed.

Enjoy!

I am bringing this delicious Lassi to Fiesta Friday #182 so that all our friends can cool down in this heat! Angie's cohosts this week are Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoonsand Jenny @ Jenny Is Baking.

Cooking made easy:

If the yogurt/curd is sour, substitute 50%of it with milk. 

Depending on the desired thickness you can add water or milk. 

If you are vegan use almond, coconut or soy milk instead of yogurt.

Tip for healthy living:

During summer, to combat the heat we tend to drink more than eat. The sad part however is that we end up drinking more calories than when we would have eaten. The reason being all the juices, smoothies and beverages that we buy and consume. Either drink water to quench thirst or make the juices freshly at home so that you know exactly how much sugar you are adding. 

Food for thought: 

Self-preservation is the first law of nature. Samuel Butler

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Very Berry Smoothie; Vegan; Meatless Monday!

It finally feels like summer here!! Well actually too much summer!! It is officially not summer yet!! It was so hot all weekend long!! I couldn't bear it! All I did was drink fluids all weekend long. I didn't feel like eating anything due to the heat. 

I made this mixed berry smoothie using the berries I had in my refrigerator. This is the season for berries and I have atleast 2-3 kinds on hand all the time. The kids love yo munch on berries and I use them in my oatmeal. For the smoothie I used some overripe strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. I added a whole banana to give the smoothie thickness and sweetness. Just to be extra sure, I threw in a tablespoon of honey. I am aware that smoothies are made with milk but I blended the whole thing with water. You could use coconut water to give additional sweetness or to substitute for honey. You could strain it if you wish. I didn't strain it! The kids and hubby loved it! I am sure I will make this all summer long! It is a great way to get people who don't eat fruits to eat fruits! My son couldn't keep his hands off!

Servings: makes four 8 oz glasses 

Prep time: 5 minsCook time: 0 mins Total time: 5 mins 

Ingredients : 

Strawberries: 1 cup,hulled, washed and drained. 

Blueberries: 1 cup, hulled, washed and drained. 

Raspberries: 1 cup, hulled, washed and drained. 

Banana: 1, large

Honey/Agave : 1 tbsp

Water: 2 cups ( can add more depending on desired thickness)

Ice: 1+ 1 cup

Method:

Add all the above ingredients except 1 cup ice, to a blender. Pulse and blend for 1 minute.

Divide 1 cup ice between 4 cups. Pour the smoothie until desired level. Garnish with a fresh strawberry.

Serve chilled!

Enjoy!! I am sharing this with my dear friends at Angie's Fiesta Friday#177. Your cohosts this week are Ai @ Ai Made It For You and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.

Cooking made easy: 

If you cannot be bothered with washing and cleaning the berries, you can use frozen berries. They usually come in a mixed bag and are perfect for smoothies! All you have to do is throw them in a blender! 

You can add soy/almond/coconut milk if you are vegan and regular milk if you are not. It makes for a great filling breakfast substitute. 

Tip for healthy living: 

Always wash berries just before using them. Soak them for 5 mins in cold water with a few drops of vinegar in it. This apparently helps clean most impurities. Then drain on paper towels.

Food for thought :

Fear is the mother of foresight. Thomas Hardy

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Agua Fresca ( Watermelon lemonade)

The last few days have been unusually warm for October!! It seems like we are having a hard time leaving summer behind! Everyone at home has been looking for something cooling to drink. I had the last of the season's watermelon left, so I made Agua  Fresca. What is Agua Fresca?? In Spanish, "Agua" means water and " Fresca" means fresh. So, Agua Fresca translates to Fresh Water. This drink is popular in Mexico where it is made with fresh fruits. What I have here is basically watermelon lemonade. In case you dint feel like calling it Agua Fresca, just call it Watermelon Lemonade. I came across this refreshing, low calorie drink at a friend's place during the summer. I have been wanting to make this since then!! But every time I cut a watermelon, it is gone before I can make this drink!! When I saw the recipe on NY times, I was determined to make it. I, of course modified it slightly. You can find the original recipe here.  Finally, now, I got to make it and enjoy it!!

Once I had made it, the immediate feeling that I had was " why did I never know about this or make it before today!!" It is not only thirst quenching and refreshing, it is low in calories and a great make-ahead drink for parties!! There are so few ingredients required and you can use any kind of melon for this drink!

Try it.. You will most definitely like it!

Servings: 3-4

Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 0Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Peeled Watermelon cubes without seeds: 4 cups
Honey: 1 tbsp ( agave or sugar can be used instead)
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
Mint leaves: 3-4, extra sprigs for garnish .
Lemon rings: one per glass
Water: 1 & 1/2 cups
Ice cubes/ crushed ice : 2-3cups

Method:

Blend together watermelon, lemon juice, honey and water until smooth. Strain into a jar that has 2 slices of lemon and mint leaves.

Add ice cubes to the serving glass . Pour Agua Fresca on it. Garnish with a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon and a slice of watermelon if you wish!!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

If you don't have watermelon, no worries, you can use cantaloupe or musk melon. Of course, the taste will be slightly different, but that is the individual Melon's individuality.

Tip for healthy living:

Consuming fresh home made drinks like Agua Fresca is much better than drinking processed/ bottled drinks. You can control the quality of the ingredients and the amount of sugar that goes into it.

Food for thought:

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. Og Mandino

Virgin Peach Melon Daiquiri ;Meatless Monday

With the soaring temperatures, our urge to constantly  find ways to cool down increases!! The most common method to cool down is to drink something cold.  This often makes us gravitate towards unhealthy drink options like  store-made/ bought Smoothies, Coolattas etc which pack a ton of sugar! These drinks can be made at home within 5 minutes if you have the ingredients at home! If you don't have all the ingredients, you become creative and make use of what you have!  All you need is a blender of some kind; nothing fancy.

Summer is a season of watermelons and peaches!! We often buy whole watermelons and then that watermelon occupies a lion's share of space in the refrigerator! I have found that using it in a juice-drink is the quickest way to finish it off! At the farmer's market I get carried away and often buy more peaches than what I can eat! Yesterday evening once we got home after a walk at the park, I decided to use these two fruits and make a drink. I just blended some watermelon and a peach with some cubes of ice and voila! A perfect drink was ready! The hubby and the kids drank it even faster than I made it!! Both the watermelon & peach were sweet, so I didn't have to add any additional sugar. It was truly delicious and refreshing! Added bonus: the kids go their daily quota of fruits without even realizing it! How cool is that!

Prep time: 3 minutes

Total time: 3 minutes

Servings: Two 8 oz glasses

Ingredients:

Watermelon: 1 palm-size slice ( roughly 1 1/2 cups diced cubes )
Peach: 1 medium-sized ( around 1/2 cup of diced cubes ).
Ice-cubes: 4 nos
Sugar/honey: 1 tsp ( optional)

Method:

Peel the watermelon and dice it small. Keep aside.

Wash and peel the peach. Slice it. Remove the seed.

Reserve two small pieces and add the rest of the  watermelon cubes with the  peach slices & ice cubes to the blender . Add sugar if the fruit is not sweet. Blend for 30-45 seconds.

Divide the juice between two tall glasses.

Garnish with reserved watermelon cube.

Serve immediately/ serve cold.

Enjoy!!

I am bringing thirst quencher to all our friends at Throwback Thursday#44, Fiesta Friday#125  and Saucy Saturdays#50! Angie's co-hosts this week are  Quinn @ dadwhats4dinner and Elaine @ Foodbod.

Cooking made easy:

You can make a drink with fruits of your choice and availability. If the pulp is thick, add additional water. If the fruit is sour, sweeten it a little with honey or sugar. Play around and find out which combination works out the best for you!

Tip for healthy living:

Whenever you buy fruits or vegetables, it is best to buy whatever is in season. The produce that is in season is usually locally grown which in turn means that it has not travelled far and therefore is fresh.

Food for thought:

Every day may not be good.. But there is something good in every day! Unknown

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Cardamom infused Watermelon Crush ;Meatless Monday

Summers and watermelons go hand in hand. One seems incomplete without the other. Did you know that today is National Watermelon Day?? Well, I didn't know that either! But apparently it is. How do I know?? Thanks to Twitter. I am new on Twitter and it is growing on me fast. For the longest, I couldn't be bothered with Twitter but my dear dear blogger friends Sonal and Anu kind of pushed me to it. Now, boy, am I on a roll or what!! For one thing, Twitter keeps me updated on all the latest news quick and in only few words. No long drawn stories if I don't want to read it. Now did we lose the watermelon somewhere in all this chatter?? No we didn't. The watermelon is right here. DII get this humongous watermelon from Costco and believe it or not we manage to finish it within a week. One of the kid's favorite recipes is this cardamom infused watermelon crush.  It is perfect when they are playing in the hot sun and they come inside. You can eat the watermelon or slurp the juice, whichever way you want it. This was a recipe shared with me by my dear neighbor Sadia.I have modified it to make it healthier  by swapping the sugar with the honey and making it more flavorful by adding cardamom to it. It is perfect for those little bits of watermelon that you end up with while chopping watermelon. I didn't know what to name it and decided to call it watermelon crush. Try it, it is really super easy and absolutely refreshing!!

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Finely chopped Watermelon: 2 cups
Crushed ice: 1 cup
Honey: 1 tsp
Cardamom powder: 1 pinch

Method:

Add  all the above ingredients to a jar and mix well. Serve chilled!!

Enjoy.

Cooking made easy:

You can vary the amount of ice used based on individual taste. I often time make it without any ice.

Tip for healthy living:

Fruits like watermelon are great for the body during summer as it has a very high water content and is cooling on the body. It is also fat-free, and has a relatively low glycemic index making it appropriate across almost all populations and age groups.

Food for thought:

There is no personal charm so great as the charm of a cheerful temperament. Henry Van Dyke

Refreshing Vegan Mixed Fruit Smoothie; Meatless Monday.

When we talk of smoothies, we automatically know that it is thick, has some fruit in it and definitely has yogurt in it. So what about all those people who don't consume dairy?? How do they enjoy the goodness of smoothies?? This was a question for me as well as I AVOID dairy. I decided that I could make a smoothie without dairy. Now technically, I don't know if the term " smoothie " is reserved to drinks that are made with yogurt only. I know that the smoothie that I made has the same thickness, creaminess, richness as that of a smoothie with yogurt in it. I can also tell you that it is absolutely delicious and refreshing! It is perfect for a sunny day. I  came across this recipe by accident. One hot morning when I was cooking while visiting my sister-in-law, I grew very hot and thirsty. I wanted something that was cold and refreshing but healthy and low in calories. There were a whole variety of fruits at home . I decided to make a smoothie..vegan, of course!! I  added a banana, a handful of blueberries, one grapefruit, a overripe peach, a dab of honey,  almond milk and some chia seeds and blended them together. Refreshing, delicious, healthy, vegan smoothie was ready!!

Servings: Four 6 oz glasses

Ingredients:

Banana: one , peeled.
Grapefruit: one, peeled.
Peach: one large, peeled.
Blueberries: 1 cup, washed.
Original Almond milk: 2 cups
Honey: 1 tsp
Chia seeds: 1 tsp ( optional) 
Cherries:4-5 for garnish

Method:

Add all the above ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth( around 1 minute).

Serve chilled. Can add ice cubes to the glass in which it is being served.
I have served it in small cups.

It is best to drink it immediately as the chia seeds will make the consistency of the smoothie thick with time.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Any combination of fruits can be used to make this smoothie. You can use whatever fruits you have on hand.

You can add some ice cubes/ tonic water/ seltzer while blending. I chose not to.

You can skip the chia seeds if you wish.

You can use sugar / any kind of sweetener instead of honey. I used honey because it is a healthier option.

Tip for healthy living:

Almond milk is a great alternative for people who want to avoid dairy or cannot tolerate dairy. It is low in calories with one cup of original almond milk containing only 60 calories compared to one cup of skim milk which has 80 calories. It also has a lower fat content and therefore is heart healthy. 

Food for thought:

Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. George Edward Woodberry.

Strawberry-Watermelon-Kiwi Cooler ; Diabetes Friendly Thursday

Summer is here!Let us beat the heat and indulge ourselves with Diabetic Friendly Mocktails and Coolers with Team DFT.

Creating Recipes with a Cause!
I am a proud DFT blogger. 

To learn about DFT, read this link. 

To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

Summers are hot,making us hot and thirsty most of the time. Most people tend to indulge in soda which we all know is not good for anyone. If coke can clean toilets, imagine what it might be doing to your gut?? People often indulge in ready made,processed juice drinks that have several unhealthy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and very little to no fruit juice in it!!  Some people make healthier choice by drinking fresh fruit juice or 100 % juice. But did you know that   drinking too much fruit juice is not good either!! Even in it is 100% juice!! The daily recommended amount of fruit juice is only 150 ml per day?? All other recommended servings of fruit should come from pieces of fruit and not in the juice or liquid form. Store-bought smoothies which are marketed as "healthy" were often found to be loaded with sugar and high in calories as much as 300 calories in a 12 oz serving! You can read more in the "footnotes".

It is of course without any doubt, best to drink water during summer to quench your thirst. However, if you insist on drinking juice, drink healthy, freshly made fruit coolers without any added sugars and a small amount of fruit in it.This can be easily made at home in a blender with just 2-3 fruits. Try this easy-peasy recipe below:

Servings: makes two 8 oz glasses

Ingredients:

Watermelon cubes: 1 cup
Strawberries, chopped: 1/2cup
Kiwi, chopped: 1/4 cup
Sparkling water: 3/4 cup
Ice cubes: 1/2 cup

Method:

Add all the above ingredients to a blender and blend for 1 minute or until slushy.

Pour into chilled glasses.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!! I am bringing this to my dear friend Angie's Fiesta Friday where Loretta@Safari of the mind and Caroline@ Caroline's Cooking are co-hosting.

Cooking made easy:

This recipe can be made with any fruits ( that can be directly added to a blender) that you have available on hand. You can try different permutations and combinations.

Footnotes( Tip for healthy living):

It is recommended that one eats a total of 10 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday. Out of the 10 servings, only one daily serving should come in the liquid form. The recommended daily amount of sugar is  6 teaspoons and most store-purchased juices have half of this amount in each cup. A Dunkin Donut Coolatta has 25 teaspoons of sugar in one large cup!! One has to be very mindful while selecting a fruit/cool drink.

Strawberry is a nutrient-dense food that is rich in vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are rich in manganese and potassium.Just one serving of strawberries provides more vitamin C than one orange.

Kiwi is a super-fruit that is purported to promote healthy skin tone and texture. Amongst fruits it has the highest vitamin C levels per ounce than most other fruits.It also helps reduce blood pressure and prevent diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

We know that watermelon is healthy, low calorie and  cooling to the body. It has a high glycemic index of 72 but a low glycemic load of 4. This is because of the large amount of water that constitutes the watermelon. It is also loaded in antioxidants with high levels of vitamins A and C. It also contains lycopene, which is heart healthy.

Disclaimer:

I am not a nutritionist or dietitian. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietitian before making any changes to your diet.

Go ahead and enjoy this summer sipping on some diabetic mocktails and coolers with team DFT. Check out the other recipes below:

1. Sonal's Jal Jeera.

2.Shailja's Java plum mocktail.

3.Prachi's aloe vera peach punch.

4. Swati's cucumber mint lemonade.

5. Anupama's green tea infused watermelon orange cooler.

6. Parvathy's orange iced tea.

7. Apsara's strawberry mint lemonade.

8. Chahat's grape pinapple mint fizz.

9. Vidhya's green tea spritzer.

Food for thought:

Excellence means when a man or woman asks of himself more than others do. Jose Ortega y Gasset