Nutella Milkshake / Summer Specials

Here comes an another interesting 2 ingredients Milkshake using Nutella and Cold milk. This quick and tasty drink is an instant energy booster and also kids friendly recipe. Even kids can make this yummy chocolatey drink on their own. To make it more exotic, serve it with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream or blend it along with a milk.

This recipe goes to our Summer special series in which Sujitha Ruban from " Sujitha Easy Cooking " and Shobana Vijay from " Shoba's Delight " are participating along with me. Do check their page too to view more interesting and refreshing summer coolers.

Click HERE to view Sujitha's Summer special post.

Click HERE to View Shobi's Summer Special Post.

Ingredients :

2 - 3 Tbsp Nutella 
1 1/2 Cups Cold Milk 
Ice cubes ( Optional ) 

Method :

Take Nutella in a blender along with cold milk.

Blend till it turns smooth and frothy.

Fill ice cubes in a glass and pour the Nutella milkshake. ( Optional )

Serve chill.

Watermelon Milkshake / Summer Specials

Scorching weather in our place is making us tired and dehydrated. The best way to beat the heat is by increasing the intake of liquid foods like juices, buttermilk and water. The interest in regular food has also completely reduced due to heat and everyone in my home started craving for something cool. So, I have increased the frequency of juice preparation to keep them cool and healthy which is indeed useful for my "Summer Special Series" too. Check out my co-bloggers Shobana Vijay and Sujitha Ruban's page by clicking the following link to view more refreshing summer drinks.

Click HERE to view Sujitha Ruban's Page.

Click HERE to view Shobana Vijay's Page.

My today's recipe is also a simple and quick milkshake prepared using watermelon, milk and sugar. Instead of preparing regular juice out of watermelon, try this yummy drink using cold milk which also makes the drink healthy.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Watermelon, De - seeded and chopped 
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Cold Milk 
1 Tbsp Sugar ( Adjust according to the sweetness of watermelon ) 
Ice cubes 

Method :

Take chopped watermelon pieces in a blender along with cold milk and sugar.

Blend till it turns smooth.

Fill glass with few ice cubes and pour the prepared milkshake.

Alternately, refrigerate the watermelon milkshake for 30 minutes to 1 hour and serve cold.

Carrot & Pomegranate Milkshake / Summer Specials

Here comes my another interesting and healthy summer cooler using a vegetable and fruit. I am in love with my Summer special series which keeps me busy and drives me to think of more tasty and healthy drinks. Check out my Co-bloggers Sujitha Ruban and Shobana Vijay's pages to indulge lots of delicious coolers, who are also in the part of this series.

Click HERE to view Sujitha Ruban's Page.

Click HERE to view Shobana Vijay's page.

This is one of the healthy drink for kids as well as adults. The combination of Pomegranate and Carrot makes a delicious drink and also a serves as a great nutritional summer drink. The carrots and pomegranate are blended along with a milk and sugar into smooth puree is further strained using strainer to give a yummy drink. It is always good to consume juice without straining but pomegranate seeds gives a light sandy texture which doesn't give a pleasant drinking. So, the straining part is completely optional.

Ingredients :

1 Cup Pomegranate 
2 Medium sized Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Milk 
2 Tbsp Sugar 
Ice cubes

Method :

Take pomegranate and chopped carrots in a blender along with a milk and sugar.

Blend it together till it turns a smooth puree.

Strain the juice using stainer and transfer it to a bottle or container.

Refrigerate and serve chill.

Alternatively, fill the glass with an ice cubes and pour the strained milkshake.

Serve chill.

Tang Milkshake / Summer Specials

The most irritating and tiresome days are during summer, so its always better to keep us hydrated either by drinking water or juice. This Tang milkshake is one of a quick summer drink prepared using just two ingredients. Few years back, happened to learn this yummy drink from my best friend's mom during our visit to their place and from that day, this tasty drink became our regular instant refreshing drink. This is one of the best way to indulge mango milkshake during off season. The recipe is quite simple that even kids can prepare it.

As I had mentioned in my previous posts, me along with my Co-bloggers Sujitha Ruban and Shobana Vijay started posting summer coolers recipe according to summer special theme. So check out their page to view more interesting drinks to beat the heat.

Click HERE to view Sujitha Ruban's blog page.

Click HERE to view Shobana Vijay's blog page.

Ingredients :

1/2 Cup Mango Flavour Tang powder 
1 1/2 Cup Cold Milk 
Ice cubes

Method :

Take Mango flavoured Tang powder and cold milk in a blender.

Blend till it turns smooth and creamy.

Once done, transfer into a bottle and refrigerate.

Fill ice cubes in a mason jar or glass and pour the tang milkshake.

Serve chill.

Mango - Dates Syrup Milkshake / Summer Specials

Mango milkshake is one of our common breakfast drink during summer season. To make it more healthy and yummy, I have included dates syrup instead of regular sugar. The addition of dates syrup not only gives a beautiful colour, it also enhances the taste of the drink. The preparation is quite easy as the ingredients are just blended together to get a creamy and smooth texture milkshake.

Check out my Co-bloggers page to view more summer special recipes..

Click HERE to view Sujitha Ruban's Blog page.

Click HERE to Shobana Vijay's Blog page.

Ingredients :

1 1/2 Cups Mango Pulp
3 - 4 Tbsp Dates Syrup ( Adjust the quantity according to brand. I have used Ambrosia Date Syrup ) 
1 Cup Milk
Mango Pieces, Chopped for garnishing 

Method :

Add mango pulp in a blender along with dates syrup and milk.

Blend it till the milkshake turns smooth and creamy.

Once done, transfer it to a jug and refrigerate for an hour.

Pour dates syrup in the sides of a serving glass and pour the refrigerated mango milkshake.

Garnish with mango slices and serve chill.

Notes : 

Ice cubes can also be added while preparing the juice.

To make it more creamier and rich, add vanilla or mango flavoured ice-cream while blending.

Iced Tamarind Juice Green Tea / Summer Specials

After Soup series, me and Sujitha from "Sujitha Easy Cooking" have joined together again with an another wonderful blogger Shobana from " Shoba's Delight " to post lots of summer special drinks for a month. After so many discussions, we have decided to post summer special series since the heat waves are rising to peak. Everyone must be familiar with an Iced tea which is usually prepared using tea or green tea and lemon. But as a twist, I have used tamarind extract instead of lemon juice which was inspired by a Mexican drink. I have used green tea in this recipe but the regular ones can also be used to prepare this cool refreshing drink. This is the best way to beat the heat instead of having a regular tea or green tea. I have used coconut flavoured palm sugar to enhance the taste of the drink which can also be substituted with a regular sugar or Brown sugar or plain Palm sugar.

Click HERE to view Sujitha's Summer special post.

Click HERE to View Shobi's Summer Special Post.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Water 
1 Tbsp Green tea leaves
3/4 - 1 Cup Coconut flavoured Palm sugar ( Brown sugar, regular sugar or palm sugar can also be used ) 
Few Mint leaves
Small piece of Tamarind ( Small gooseberry sized ) 
Ice cubes

Method :

Soak tamarind piece in a 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes.

Extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside.

Boil water, add green tea leaves and let it boil for a minute.

Switch off the flame, cover the bowl with a lid and let it stand for couple of minutes.

Filter the leaves and cool the green tea.

Add tamarind extract to the tea followed by palm sugar and mint leaves.

Mix well and refrigerate the drink for couple of hours.

Add 1/2 - 1 cup of Ice water if the drink is concentrate or fill the glass with ice cubes and pour the iced tea.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve chill.

                                                         Beat the heat with this Iced Tea !

Roasted Beetroot Lassi / Summer Special

Lassi is an excellent option to consume during summer days and it is nothing but the blend of yogurt with spices and water. Fruits can also be added to make it yummy and in my today's recipe, I have included healthy veggie beetroot. Instead of cooking the beets, I have roasted it in an oven by wrapping it using aluminum foil and made it as a savory lassi. The color itself makes the drink appetizing and absolutely nutritious. Green chillies can also be added while grinding beets to make this a spicy beetroot lassi.

Ingredients :

3 Beetroots, medium sized
2 1/2 Cups Thick curd 
1/2 Tsp Jeera / Cumin powder 
Salt to taste 
1/4 Cup Water 
Few fresh mint leaves 

Method :

Wash beetroots and wrap it in an aluminum foil.

Brush it with olive oil and seal it tightly.

Roast it for 50 minutes at 180 degree C or until the beets turn firm.

Once done, remove from the oven and cool it.

Peel the skin and chop them into pieces.

Add the chopped beets along with mint leaves, cumin powder, salt and water in a blender.

Blend it to a fine paste and strain the juice.

Add thick curd to the strained juice and churn it using manual or automatic churner.

Transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it to serve chilled lassi.

Serving Options :

Serve it in a tall glass with hot samosa.

Carrot Walnut Smoothie topped with caramelized walnuts

Smoothies are always the best option to serve as a breakfast during busy mornings as it is healthy and also keeps our tummy full. Got a lovely chance to prepare this delicious smoothie for a group shhh secret challenge. I am excited to be part of this group after a long gap and according to the rule, every month, members will get paired and two secret ingredients will be shared among them. And for this April month, the group decided for the theme "smoothies" and I got paired with Mayuri from mayurisjikoni.blogspot.in. she gave carrot and walnuts as my two secret ingredients. Using those couple of ingredients, prepared this yummy and tasty smoothie. To enhance the taste and flavor, I have used walnuts in a two ways. The crushed caramelized walnuts gives a crunchy taste while drinking and also makes the smoothie rich. This can be served as breakfast or mid morning or evening drink.

Ingredients :

1 Cup Milk 
2 Carrots, chopped 
2 Walnuts 
1 1/2 Tbsp Honey 

For Caramelizing walnuts :

1/2 Cup Sugar 
5 walnuts 

Method :

Heat sugar in a low flame and let it caramelize.

Brush little oil on a plate and arrange the walnuts without gap.

Now pour the caramelized sugar on the walnut and leave it aside till it gets set.

Boil the measured amount of milk and switch off the flame.

Add the chopped carrots along with walnuts, close it with the lid and keep it aside for 10 - 15 minutes.

Transfer the carrots along with walnuts, honey and milk to the blender and blend it to smooth paste.

Meanwhile, take the caramelized walnuts and crush it coarsely.

Transfer the smoothie to a glass jar and top it with the crushed caramelized walnuts.

Serve chill.

Minty Mango Lemonade / Summer Special

Quench your thirst with this flavorful refreshing tangy drink prepared using raw mango and lemon. The mango and mint leaves are pressure cooked and made into smooth puree is further mixed up with fresh lemon juice and sugar syrup. This can also be refrigerated in a glass bottle to beat the heat anytime of the day.

Ingredients :

1 Raw Mango ( Large size )
1 Lemon ( Large size ) 
1 Cup Sugar 
2 Cups Water for boiling mango 
1 Cup Water for sugar syrup 
Handful of Mint leaves
 
Method :

In a pressure cooker, add raw mango along with mint leaves and 2 cups of water.

Pressure cook it for 2 whistles and switch off the flame.

Once the pressure gets released, peel the skin of mango and grind the remaining ingredients into smooth puree.

Strain the puree and keep aside to cool.

Meanwhile, add sugar and water in a bowl and boil it for couple of minutes or till the sugar gets dissolved and gets thick consistency ( not string consistency ).

Once done, remove from the flame and cool it completely.

Add lemon juice to the raw mango - mint puree along with sugar syrup and mix well.

Transfer it to a glass bottle and refrigerate.

To Serve :

Fill the glass cup with 3/4th of mango lemonade and fill the remaining with chilled water to serve.

or

Fill the glass cup with ice cubes and pour the mango lemonade to serve.

Note :

While serving, adjust the water quantity according to taste bud.

Iced Lemon Green Tea / Summer Special

The best way to drink tea in this hot season is by making it as a refreshing chilled drink. Quench your thirst anytime of the day by drinking this yummy drink and if the green tea cubes are prepared ahead, it saves lots of time too. Apart from getting refreshed, this iced tea helps in digestion too as it has handful of fresh mint leaves and lemon juice along with the slices.

Ingredients :

2 Cups Water 
2 Green tea bags
1/2 Cup Brown sugar ( can be substituted with white sugar and adjust according to taste ) 
1 Lemon
Handful of Mint leaves 

Method :

Squeeze juice from the lemon and keep aside.

Boil the measured cups of water and switch off the flame.

Add the green tea bags and brew it for 5 minutes.

Discard the tea bags and add brown sugar to it.

Bring it to boil again till the sugar gets dissolved.

Remove from the flame and cool it completely.

Add the squeezed lemon juice and mix well.

Divide the juice and transfer one half to a pitcher along with the fresh mint leaves and refrigerate it.

Pour remaining half of the juice in a ice cubes tray and freeze it.

To serve : Take a tall glass or glass jar and add fresh mint leaves followed by green tea ice cubes, lemon slices and the refrigerated iced lemon tea juice. Serve chill.  

Note :

I have used green tea bags which can be substituted with green tea leaves too. If using leaves, brew and filter the leaves before adding sugar.

Adjust the brewing time according to the taste bud. 

Brown sugar can also be replaced with white sugar or honey.

Ginger - Elachi Tea / Ginger - Cardamom Tea

Ginger - Elachi tea is a flavorful aromatic tea which also has lots of health benefits. Since the ginger has calming properties, it helps to reduce the stress and tension. Apart from this, it strengthens immunity, reduces the menstrual discomfort, improves digestion and relieve nausea. The flavor of elachi gives a lovely aroma which is refreshing and healthy as well. I have included elachi powder in this recipe which can also be substituted with the crushed elachi. The ratio of water and milk can be adjusted according to one's taste bud. If one prefers the tea to be watery, just equal the ratio of milk and water.

Here comes the recipe of flavored tea...

Ingredients :

3/4 Cup Milk 
1/4 Cup Water 
1/2 Tsp Elachi powder / Cardamom powder
1 inch Ginger piece, grated 
2 1/2 Tsp Tea powder 
2 Tsp Brown sugar ( Normal sugar can also be used ) 

Method :

Boil water and add the grated ginger along with elachi powder.

Let it boil for a minute and add milk along with tea powder and sugar.

Simmer the flame and boil it till the color of tea changes.

Once done, strain it using tea strainer and serve hot.

Serving Options :

Serve hot with biscuits. 

Barley Buttermilk / Diet Friendly Recipe

Barley is one of the healthy ingredient which is helpful in weight loss because of its highly fiber content. In addition, it stabilize blood pressure, reduces the symptoms of arthritis, reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer, lowers bad cholesterol and many more. Including this our regular meal makes us energetic and also keeps our stomach full longer. This is one of the drink, I used to take during dieting days to control the hunger pangs. Addition of roasted seeds also helps in weight reduction as it is rich in  proteins and minerals, good source of fiber and rich in omega 3, fatty acids and antioxidants.

Ingredients :

1/2 Cup Thick curd 
1 1/2 Tbsp Roasted Barley powder 
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp Roasted seeds ( Watermelon, Flax and Muskmelon seeds )
2 Cups Water

Method :

Take thick curd in a bowl and add the roasted barley powder.

Whisk well without any lumps and add the required amount of salt and water.

Crush the roasted seeds and add it to the buttermilk.

Mix well and serve chill.

Note :

Increase the quantity of the curd if you prefer to serve thick and creamy buttermilk.

If mixed roasted seeds are not available in the market, dry roast all the seeds separately and use it.

Roasted barley is readily available in the market. If not, just dry roast the barley in a medium flame and grind into fine powder.

Lemon grass & Galangal Tea

I had few leftover fresh Galangal and Lemongrass after preparing Thai curry paste, so thought of using in our regular tea as the both ingredients gives a refreshing aroma. The tea tasted flavorful and very refreshing as my expectation. Lemon grass and Galangal is widely used in Thai cuisine and apart from culinary uses, both has  has lots of medicinal values. Lemongrass, also called as fever grass is a herb is widely used in soups, curries and tea. This has a subtle citrus flavor and also available in both dried and fresh form. Lemongrass helps in digestion, controls cholesterol levels, cleanse and detoxify the body, heals cold and flu, fights cancer and reduces arthritis pain. Galangal is from ginger family and also known as Siamese ginger. Like lemongrass, this also has lots of health benefits like relives stomach discomfort, improves blood circulation and acts as anti-inflammatory. While surfing about the medicinal values, also got an amazing information that chewing few slices of galangal gives an immediate relief from diarrhea.

So, here comes the recipe for refreshing and healthy tea...

Ingredients :

2 Tbsp Lemon grass, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Galangal, finely chopped
2 1/2 Tsp Tea powder ( I have used Red label brand )
3 - 4 Tsp Brown sugar
1/4 Cup Water 
1 1/2 Cups Milk 

Method :

Boil milk and keep aside.

Boil water along with the chopped lemon grass and galangal in a low flame for couple of minutes.

Add tea powder along with the boiled milk and brown sugar.

Let it boil in a low flame until the color of tea changes.

Once done, strain it using tea filter and serve hot. 

  
Serving Options :

Serve hot with biscuits.

Elachi & Saunf Tea

When it comes to tea, we love to have with lots of flavor and variations. My today's post is one of my recent favorite tea prepared using elachi and saunf. Instead of boiling tea powder with milk, I use the below method for all varieties tea to get a perfect color and taste. Resting time after adding tea powder, enhances the flavor and taste. This can be served along with breakfast or cookies and personally, I love it with Marie biscuit.

Ingredients :

1 1/2 Cups Milk 
4 Tsp Tea Powder ( I have used Red label in this recipe ) 
3 Tsp Brown sugar ( Can be substituted with regular sugar ) 
1/2 Tsp Saunf ( Perunjeeragam ) 
2 Elachi / Cardamom

Method :

Crush elachi and saunf using mortar and pestle and keep aside.

Boil the measured cups of milk and switch off the flame.

Add the crushed elachi and saunf along with tea powder and brown sugar.

Close it with the lid and keep aside for 5 minutes.

Now switch on the flame and boil it for 3 minutes or till the color changes according to your taste.

Once done, strain the tea using strainer and serve hot. 

Serving Options :

Serve hot with Marie biscuit or cookies. 

Carrot & Tomato Juice / Diet Friendly Recipes - 10 / #100dietrecipes

Vegetable juice plays a vital role in dieting as it is consumed raw and healthy. When there is no sufficient time to include veggies in your daily diet, just blend the veggies and consume it without straining. Varieties of vegetable juice can be prepared with the different combination of veggies and my today's healthy juice is prepared using carrot and tomato. Very easy to prepare and tasty too. A glass of vegetable juice along with morning breakfast gives an instant energy and also helps to shed some weight.

Ingredients :

2 Tomatoes, chopped
4 Medium sized Carrots, chopped ( If big size, use2 )
1/2 inch Ginger piece, chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 Tsp Crushed pepper
1 Cup Water 
Few Mint leaves, for garnishing

Method :

Add everything in a blender / mixie and grind it into fine paste by adding water.

Strain it using strainer ( optional ).

Pour it in a serving glass and garnish with mint leaves.

Serve.