Make the best coffee smoothie with instant coffee! This delicious smoothie is a simple recipe with just four ingredients that makes the perfect morning boost or post workout snack.
Continue reading “Almond Butter Coffee Smoothie”
Growing up in an Indian household meant turning to natural and food remedies for minor ailments. If you had a tummy ache, Mom made us eat carom seeds or even cumin seeds. If we had a cold sore in the mouth, she would make us keep a clove on the sore for a few hours. There are so many more remedies that my mom and grandmother used but the one I remember and is most popular these days is turmeric.
As soon the cold weather set in or the first cough or sneeze of the season was heard, my mother would add turmeric to everything we ate. She would also make us drink Haldi Doodh or turmeric milk before bed each night. As a child, I hated this. As an adult and a mom, it is now my go to. Over the years, I’ve changed it from the basic turmeric and milk to adding a few new ingredients. Take a look!
Basically, every spice added to this recipe has anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties or both. I normally use cow’s milk when I make this for the kids but I have made it with almond milk and it has turned out just as good. I do recommend not to use sweetened milk if you are using a plant based milk as it changes the taste of the final product.
Here’s to wishing a healthy winter and a Happy New Year with my first recipe this year!
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
A DECADENT Date Smoothie that is creamy, healthy, naturally sweetened and vegan!
Continue reading “Date Smoothie”
If you know me, you know I love my chai. I love exploring different types of chai flavor combinations. When I had this Kashmiri Pink Chai the first time many years ago at a friend’s house, I became obsessed. I had tried intermittently over the years to recreate this delicious chai but was unsuccessful.
A few months ago, I was talking to my friend, R, and she and I relived memories of us drinking this Kashmiri Chai at her place. She gave me a few tips to make this chai successfully, which I will be passing on to you. Check out the recipe card below, as I’ll include the tips in the notes section.
As I practiced and made this chai, I adapted the chai recipe a little. For starters, I cut down the amount that is traditionally made. Since it takes up to an hour and sometimes more to boil the tea leaves and each ingredient added at a different stage, many people tend to make a large quantity of the Kahwa (the boiled tea before the addition of milk which many people also drink), I cut down the amount. Being the only tea drinker in my house, I didn’t see the need to make so much.
Also, I put my own little touch on this delicious chai by adding rose petals to the chai at the end after serving it into teacups. Usually you will find the chai garnished with nuts, almonds or pistachios.
WHERE DOES THE PINK COLOR COME FROM?
Believe it or not, from the reaction of baking soda added to the green tea leaves. What I found is that the color became deeper when I added the sugar to it. This was absolutely the highlight. So much fun to see the chemical reactions (science lover in me).
The first sip that I took reminded me how decadent it is, that I instantly knew this had to be one of my Valentine’s specials. This is a very creamy chai but a little savory too. As I’ve been taught, a bit of salt is added to the chai towards the end.
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this delicious Kashmiri Pink Chai!
**You can strain the tea right before adding the milk and store it in a jar in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Just add milk and boil when you are ready to drink this!
**I used Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves which came with cinnamon in it. You can omit the extra cinnamon if it is not to your taste.
**If you are not able to get Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves, any good quality of green tea leaves will still work.
**The constant scoop and pour is important to making this chai. Traditionally it is done by pouring from one vessel to another from a significant height to give it the froth. I didn't feel comfortable doing so which is why I used a ladle for my technique.
Here are the tools that I used to make this recipe:
**This recipe was originally posted Oct. 2015 and updated Jan. 202**
I first had this smoothie when I was single in San Francisco living with one of my favorite roommates, Mamta. It actually originated from her when she made it post workout. I had it and fell in love instantly (though I did think she was a bit crazy for putting an avocado in a smoothie, now I think I was crazy for thinking that!).
This smoothie is a perfect post workout, morning breakfast, or afternoon snack option. It’s filled with energy and protein (a little over 13 gm!), and plenty of macro and micronutrients. And what a healthier alternative to a glass of juice that is probably more heavy on the sugar.
Since first having Mamta’s smoothie, I’ve made it countless times, adjusting the ratios and slightly changing the original recipe to suit my taste. I don’t use any sweeteners in this smoothie. Instead, I save my extremely ripe bananas and use them to naturally sweeten this drink. If you don’t have a ripe banana, feel free to add 1-2 tsp of maple syrup or honey.
I really hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy this Avocado Banana Smoothie!
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
The one thing I have trouble with is drinking plain water. I normally drink carbonated and flavored water to meet my daily requirement (which is suggested to be about half your body weight in ounces), but what happens when you run out of your favorite carbonated water and don’t have a chance to run to the store for it?
Yep, that was my dilemma last week so I created my own infused waters in 8 different flavors and used those to meet my daily water intake. The added benefit is that you can get some delicious fruit in too though it may not taste as juicy or sweet. Also, when I make a few jars ahead of time as I did here, I know exactly how many ounces I have had and how many more I need.
WHAT CAN I USE TO MAKE INFUSED WATER?
Honestly, most any fruits and herbs. I used a various combination of mint, lemon, lime, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, ginger, basil, rosemary, thyme and mint. I love having the variety of options because I can get so creative or keep it simple.
HOW LONG CAN I STORE IT?
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend keeping them longer than 24-48 hours. You can actually start drinking these waters 2-4 hours after making them so you don’t have to wait too long.
So what are you waiting for? Try these out and get your water intake in a delicious way!
From my kitchen to yours, enjoy this delicious way to hydrate with my 8 Fruit & Herb Water Infused Recipes.
The tools that I used for this recipe are:
Growing up, mango lassis were one of my favorite to order when we ate out at Indian restaurants. The sweet mangoes, the tangy yogurt, and the hint of rose at the end of each sip…. oh so delicious! The fact that mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit just adds to my love for this lassi!
A summer time must have, even my girls look forward to having a glass almost daily which just makes my heart happy. Easy to whip up, you don’t need much. A blender and the ingredients are all you have to use. I did use a dash of rose syrup to give it a summer-y floral hint which takes this lassi to a whole new level.
Have this delicious mango lassi as an afternoon snack to cool down in the heat, or pair it with some delicious Indian food. It pairs well with Masala Omelette for breakfast, or even a lunch time drink with a Desi Masala Bowl or with dinner when you try out this Instant Pot Chole.
From my kitchen to yours, enjoy this delicious treat!
This is the most perfect afternoon drink on a hot summer day. We’ve had temps in the high 90’s and low 100’s lately so we’ve been making ice cold drinks to stay cool. One of our favorite is this Tropical Fruit Smoothie. Though we can’t be in the tropics, the girls and I decided to bring the flavors of the tropics home. Continue reading “Tropical Fruit Smoothie”
One of my favorite memories is coming home to a nice cup of hot cha (as many Indians call it, but also famously known as Chai) and hanging out with my mom talking about our day. It didn’t matter if I was coming home from high school, college, or once I moved out, coming home for the weekend – cha was our time. Especially during the cold, snowy winters, that cup of chai just worked wonders. Continue reading “Cha (Chai) Yum “
