Mint Peach Fruit Cocktail

Fresh pulpy peaches are so deliciously juicy to eat in summers. Peaches are low in calories and contain no saturated fats, so the people on diet can even enjoy them on their fruit platter. Because they are packed with numerous health promoting antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. Peaches can be great addition to a variety of fruit salads, pies, or squashes. And I have used them today in a fruit cocktail with a dash of fresh mint.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 Ripe Peaches 
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Powdered Sugar - (as per taste)
• Black Pepper – as per taste 
• ½ tsp -Black Salt 
• ½ tsp - Roasted n Powdered Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
• 4-5 sprigs - Fresh Mint 
• Water 

Method:

• Boil the fresh ripe peaches in one glass water and let it cool. 
• Peel its skin off which will easily come out after boiling. 
• Mash the boiled peaches with your hand to separate the hard seed. 
• Now grind its pulp in the grinder with mint leaves added into it. 
• Add more water to dilute the consistency as per your liking. 
• Mix lemon juice, powdered sugar, black salt, pepper n powdered jeera and blend nicely. 
• Serve chilled garnished with mint and crushed ice.

Did you like the freshness of this fruit cocktail?? Do share your views :)

Shahi Tukda : Quick Dessert Recipe

An easy and delicious dessert with least number of ingredients that can be made with no advance preparation is Shahi Tukda. And it is liked in all seasons by everyone.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 bread slices
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 10-12 almonds (sliced)
• vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Cut the bread slices diagonally into halves . 
• Fry the bread slices in a frying pan in little bit of oil. Keep them aside.
• Pour the milk mixed with sugar and cardamom powder in a heavy bottomed pan and bring it to boil stirring continuously. Lower the flame for few minutes till the milk comes to half the quantity and gets thicker.
• In a plate, place the fried bread slices and pour the thickened milk over it.
• Garnish with almond slices (or other nuts of your liking)
• You may serve it hot in winters or may refrigerate it to serve chilled. 

Suggestions:

You may used bakery toast instead of fried bread slices to cut down the oil intake.

Condensed milk can be used to completely replace thickened milk or can be added while boiling the milk for richer taste.

You may garnish it with coconut powder if it is to be served on a special occasion. 

The sugarfree tablets can be used instead of sugar.

Kair Sangar Ki Sabzi: Rajasthani Recipe

I happened to be at Bikaner some time ago and stayed at my sis-in-law's place there for few days. I not only enjoyed the fun time witnessing the beauty of cultural heritage at my fav state of India, but also relished yummiest of the dishes ;)

One of the dish that tinkled my taste buds was Kair Sangar Ki Sabzi..

To those who find this dish unusual, Kair are dried desert berries and sangar is dried desert beans. This sabzi is made in mustard oil with generous amount of spices and can be stored for next few days easily. You may find the kair and sangar at grocery stores easily.

So here is how to cook it...

Ingredients:
1 cup Sangar or Sangri (Desert Beans)
1/2 cup Kair (Desert Berries)
1 Cup Buttermilk
5-6 Whole Dry Red Chillies
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 pinches Hing
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Amchur
1/2 tsp Corriander powder
5 tbsp Mustard oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Mix the total quantity of kair and sangar together.

Soak the kair and sangar overnight in buttermilk (or plain water would also work). In the morning, take them out of curd and wash thoroughly. Boil the soaked kair and sangar in a pressure cooker while adding sufficient water and salt. Strain the kair sangar through a strainer to drain the excess water out.

(You may wash the whole spices as they tend to have some dirt at times and let them air dry.)

Heat mustard oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds and whole dry red chillies in heated oil and let them crackle. Then add all other spices including salt, red chilly powder, amchur, garam masala, hing, turmeric powder, coriander powder etc. Sauté the spices for few minutes till the oil is separated. Now add kair sangar to the masala, mix well and cook it for 3-4 minutes. 

The kair sangar sazi is ready. You may serve it with roti, parantha or poori, but to fully relish the taste of this Rajasthani dish, I recommend to serve it with daal ke paranthe. 

Do share how did you like the recipe :)

Paneer Capsicum Bhurji Recipe

I am a cheese lover and like to start my day with simple n nutritious cheese preparations in my breakfast. But before I could start cooking this morning, my li'l nephew requested me to cook something with his fav green veggie i.e. capsicum ;) I actually found it bit strange that unlike most kids, he likes the rich aroma of capsicum in any dish. 

So I decided to cook for both of us and today's easy-to-cook Paneer Capsicum Bhurji recipe is actually a mix of soft textured cottage cheese and crisp-n-crunchy capsicum that looks colorful and taste just yumm...

And those who need another reason to cook n eat cheese dishes today, 4 June is National Cheese Day. So lets start cooking !!

Ingredients

1 cup crushed Cottage Cheese (paneer)
1 green capsicum (Shimla Mirch)
1 medium-sized onion (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp milk
Salt to taste
2 tsp Olive Oil

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium flame.
Add cumin seeds and wait till they crack and release its aroma.

Add chopped onions and capsicum together in the oil and saute on low flame till they turn golden & translucent. (do not saute for longer as the crunchiness of capsicum & onion should not be lost)

Now add chopped tomatoes and cook it till they get soft. (I don't cover the pan while cooking this recipe coz I love the crispiness of onion and capsicum)
Sprinkle all the spices and fry for a minute or two to bring out the essence of each. 

Pour in the milk and give it a light boil on medium flame to soften the veggies in the pan.

Finally put in the crumbled paneer, stir it nicely and let it cook for 4-5 mins.

The soft Paneer Capsicum Bhurji is ready to serve with plain paranthas or rotis. 

I added a half tsp of soya sauce and tomato ketchup each to the final preparation for some tangy taste that makes the dish more loved by kids. 

Hope you liked the simple recipe..

Vedantika Panchamrita : Best Ever Natural Energy Drink

When I say 'Energy Drink', what kind of drink exactly do you think of? Most people would think of some beverages which are labeled with health benefits of their proprietary ingredients used in it. And we all defend the presence of Caffeine in such energy drinks with an excuse that our body needs certain amount of caffeine. But researches have proved that so-called energy drinks can take a serious toll on our hearts.I don't know about others, but I am really scared of consuming these caffeinated beverages.

Today I am introducing PANCHAMRITA, an Immunity Booster Energy Drink by Vedantika Herbals that is formulated with a balanced combination of numerous fruits and vegetables.

Packaging : Panchamrita is encased in a small cardboard carton containing 10 sachets. The net wt. of each sachet is 25 gm. The individual sachets are not available for retail purchase.The carton shows every minute details of precise proportion of per 100 gm nutrition facts.

outer carton

individual sachets

Price: The pack of 10 sachets is priced as less as Rs 130/- which doesn't pinch buying to anybody.

Ingredients: All its ingredients including Amla, Beetroot, Carrot, Mint, Lemon and Ginger are natural sources of vitamins and possess high healing properties.

• Amla -It is probably the richest known natural source of vitamin C.
• Beetroot - Beetroot juice is considered as one of the best vegetable juices, due to its high iron content. Beet root is also an excellent cleansing agent.
• Carrot - An excellent aid for improving eyesight due to rich Vitamin A content.
• Ginger - Ginger is a digestive aid. Ginger has antiviral properties.
• Mint - Mint juice is a good appetizer and relieves gastric discomforts.

My take on Panchamrita:
Talking about myself, I always believed that energy drinks don't have to be laden with sugar and caffeine to work well.Though my body's requirement might adjust some extra pinches of sugar and salt, because I suffer from low blood pressure and that's why lack in energy and stamina.

Panchamrita contains no artificial flavours or colors. I liked the typical aroma of black salt in it. It comes in finely ground powdered form in somewhat light pink color. And the moment I mixed the powder in glassful of water, it shows its true colors ;) I could instantly corelate its bright pink color with beetroot.

When I tasted Panchamrita once, I actually could not help myself drink the entire drink in my glass in one go. It tastes absolutely the way I love my natural homemade energy drinks like fresh lemon juice with slight sugar and black salt in it. My mom would specially be relieved that now I won't be ignoring her constant advice to drink some energy drink on daily basis, because Panchamrita is so easy to make readymade version of my favourite homemade drink.
 

Panchamrita is actually a delicious and healthy way to start my day well fueled. It worked so well for my tired body as a mid-day drink too when I carried few sachets in my handbag to office and helped raise my energy level n reduce fatigue naturally

This drink is extremely beneficial for school going children, sports persons, pregnant women or anybody else who want to boost their energy naturally. So enjoy the bliss of nature with Vedantika Panchamrita in the most natural & purest way.

Natural Tomato Soup by Vedantika Herbals

Hello Everyone,

Remember me posting reviews of two great skin care products (here and here) by Vedantika Herbals which is a renowned name  to offer products with highest level of purity without using any chemical preservatives, synthetic colours and fragrances. I was very much impressed with the effects of both the products on my skin. 

Today I tried their Instant Tomato Soup for the first time which claims to be 100% natural and contributing for health and wellness.

Product Info:

A great healthy and low calorie soup. Formulated with fresh tomatoes, garlic, ginger, lemon, salt, black pepper, white pepper, clove, green chilies.

Benefits: 

Tomato is a good source of potassium, Bcarotene (vitamin A) and Vitamin C. Tomato contains large amounts of Lycopene, an antioxidant highly effective in scavenging cancer causing free radicals. It reduces cholesterol and protects the heart. Research shows that it also counters the effect of Cigarette Smoke.

Method to Prepare : To make instant Tomato soup, just mix the contents of the sachet in water and boil it for two minutes. 

Price and Qty: Rs 40 for 40 gm 

Servings: 4 

My take on Tomato Soup by Vedantika Herbals:

Firstly I felt impressed with the choice of paper sachet by team Vedantika for packing the content unlike regular poly packings. The soup is in powder form, packaged in sachets precisely measured for each day’s personal needs. So it also offers convenience to carry. 

As I cut the seal of the sachet, I could smell a strong aroma of clove. The powder doesn't resemble like usual soup powders available in market, rather its a light colored powder looking at which initially you don't feel like getting that bright red colored soup preparation ;)   

But when I mixed the soup powder in water and stirred it properly while boiling on high flame, it came out really nice in color. In the first few sips, my taste buds didn't adjust the taste immediately. The soup tastes a bit tangier, but gradually I started liking the flavour of spices in it specially the taste of clove :) The soup didn't get thicker, so I liked its consistency too.

This soup is also suitable to people who are on weight reducing diets and is a great appetizer. In the first trial only, I have become a great liker of Vedantika's Instant Tomato Soup.

Uniqueness of Product - A Natural soup without any artificial fragrance, color or preservative. 

I strongly recommend everyone to taste it and I am sure you will forget your favourite ones ;)

Makai Palak Patties Recipe

Makai Palak Patties

Ingredients 

1 bowl boiled spinach,1/2 cups sweet corns (crushed), 1 tbsp finely chopped onion, 5-6 slices bread crumbs, ½ cup besan, 1 tsp ginger garic paste,1 pinch black pepper, 1 pinch turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, Chaat Masala, Salt according to taste, ½ semolina (Sooji), Oil for frying

Method

Mix the besan, bread crumbs, crushed sweet corns, spinach, onion and all spices in a bowl and knead into dough. Take the dough and make balls out of it. Roll the tikkis on the semolina and coat them evenly from all the sides. Press them between your plams to flatten them as patties. Take oil in a deep bottom pan and heat it up. Deep fry the patties till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Serve the goodness of palak n makai with sauce or green chutney. 

Today's Quick Breakfast - Kulcha with stuffed Tofu

Getting up late in the morning is one of the most troublesome situation a working woman has to handle :/

And when I face this situation (like I did today morning), I really get my mind in almost frozen state...not exctly knowing what to do on higher priority. The long list of morning chores like taking care of breakfast, ironing kid's uniform, packing tiffins and then getting yourself ready for work soaks away all the energy in the morning  itself...

Juggling between similar confusing state today morning, I found myself lacking time to cook usual breakfast consisting of stuffed paranthas n veggie, so on my junior's suggestion I just served him Kulchas with Tofu Stuffed in it.

Here's is how he relished its simple preparation...

1. I cooked Plain Tofu with sliced onions and tomato puree with li'l chilli sauce in the preration. Sprinkled some origano flakes for that special aroma and flavour.  

 2. Shallow fry the kulcha on griddle with butter.

 3. Slit the kulcha, spread a layer of Mayonnaise and filled a generous stuffing of cooked tofu.

 4. Served the yummy breakfast :)

 So does it sounds delicious to you!!
Share ur valuable views in comments below...
 

Bharwan Achari Karela : Recipe Of The Day

Hi Foodies

Last night I cooked karelas (bitter gourd) on hubby's request. Though raw karelas are quite bitter in taste; but when these are cooked in proper way, they taste delicious and provide health benefits too...Many people cook it differently either by chopping in circular pieces or with some dry spices with potatos, but since my childhood my mom always cooks karela with stuffing in it.

So here is my step-by step recipe with pictures ...

Ingredients

8-10 medium sized bitter gourds (karela)
3-4 medium size onions (finely chopped)
2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp red chilli power (lal mirch)
1 tsp coriander powder (sookha dhania)
salt to taste
4-5 sp leftover spicy mixure from mango pickle
Mustard oil for shallow frying

P.S. (There is no need to add any other spices or herbs like fenugreek seeds (daana methi), fennel seeds(saunf), mustard seeds(sarson) or nigella seeds (kalonji) because these are all readily added in the mango pickle.)

Preparaion Method:

1.     Wash and peel the karelas. Rub some salt with your hands on the karelas and keep them aside for an hour or so. It will minimize the bitterness of karelas to certain extent.
2. After some time, you will notice a li’l watery liquid on karelas which you should squeeze by pressing them in your hands.

3. Now, slit each karela lengthwise with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds insides carefully creating a hollow. (if you like the crunchy taste of its seeds, then the soft seeds can be left as it is) You can again rub a little salt inside the karela and keep aside for 10 minutes for better taste.

4.  Mix the chopped onions, mango pickle mixture, salt, turmeric power, red chilli powder, coriander powder in a bowl to get the stuffing ready.

 

5. Now, fill in the stuffing liberally in the karelas.

 

6. And I tie the karelas with thread around them so that the stuffing does not roll out while being cooked.

7. Heat the mustard oil in a flat surface pan on medium flame and start frying the stuffed karelas (don’t cook them on high flame, because the thick skin of karelas might not be softened, but will burn itself very soon)

8. If some of the onions do come out while cooking as in the picture below and get burned, take them out with a spoon so that they don’t stick to the karelas.

 9. Keep the karelas turning around till they turn golden brown from all the sides.

10. Serve hot with chapatti/parantha and Moong Daal as a part of traditional North Indian Thali... ;)

Happy Cooking, Healthy Eating !!!

Your feedback/suggestions and inputs on the posts are really valuable to me ...

Shilpa Bindlish