Nutella Milkshake

Astonishingly fantastic weather and the fag end of the year. Brisk freshness in the air and cool evenings. Spectacular sunsets and cozy blankets. Suddenly the future seems to be filled with a million new possibilities. And so much to do before the summer returns. I know it is still a long way to go. But the days fly by so quickly that you will be left wondering if you really made hay while the sun shone at you. And yes, the holiday season is also nearing. So much to look forward to.

To embrace the autumn days, I have a scrumptious treat for all the Chocolate lovers. A cool treat which will keep your spirits high to enjoy this exquisite weather. It requires only three ingredients that are to be blended together. I call it as a glass filled with pure goodness. Look down for the recipe and you will be amazed as how easy it can be.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup boiled and cooled cold Milk

1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Nutella
1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence (optional)

Icecubes as needed

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Take everything in a blender and blend till frothy. Pour into serving glass and enjoy.

2) You can also whip up some cream and deck the top surface of the milkshake with it. Pour some chocolate sauce on it to make it look gourmet !!! Or add in banana or another fruit to enhance the flavor. Top it with crushed nuts or pistachios.

 

Dry fruit milk shake

I have a summery recipe lined up for today . I felt it was more appropriate to publish a recipe with a bit more substance that is fit for this weather. Something that’s....mmmm,  classy and juicy.

 

With the temperatures soaring, I’ve been on a major chilled fruit juices kick.  This is just a simple, fun way to forget the weather. With different sweet and sensational fruits, we surely can experiment with flavors, color and shapes all summer long. Yes, ingredients vary little from recipe to recipe depending on the choice of your fruits, yet altering the proportions you can surely create surprising variations in flavor.

I believe milk shakes or smoothies are the quintessence of summer. Equipped with either milk or yogurt, these chilled treats are a breeze to make. You just have to plop your favorite fruit into the blender, work it for a few seconds and sip, sip, sip those scorching hours away.

Ready for a fruity  & a nutty plunge? How about a glass of cheerful explode-in-your-mouth juiciness infused with the exotic flare of fragrant rose water, and with a sweetly tart crunch of the nuts?

 

Here’s my version after a few tweaks to the original recipe.  A few dry fruits can be easily substituted with fresh fruits for an equally delicious taste. Also, try swapping milk with yogurt to vary.

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 cup milk

2 tbsp warm milk mixed with 4 to 5 saffron strands (kesar)

2 tbsp fresh rose petals Or dried rose petals

1 tbsp. sugar

10 almonds peeled

6 cashews 

6-8 pistachio

5 - 6 walnuts

2 tbsp. dates (deseeded)

2 tbsp. basil seed (sabja seed) which are soaked in water for 2 hours

Some ice-cubes

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Soak basil seeds in water for 2 hours Or until they swell.

 

2) Soak all the dry fruits in hot water for ten minutes. This helps them get blended easily. Remove them from water before popping them into the blender.

 

3) Combine milk, ice-cubes, saffron infused milk, almond, cashew, rose petals, cashews sugar, almond, pistas and dates . Grind all until they all are blended well.

 

4) Now serve into tall glasses with ice cubes. Top it with soaked basil seed.

 

5) Garnish with chopped almonds, dates, figs  and pistas and a few rose petals for a royal drink.

 

 

 

 

Laban & Roohafza

We have neared the end of the holy month of Ramadan and that means we are so close to the Eid-ul-Fitr that we have almost started some of our preprations also for it. The best part of living in a Muslim country are the week long hols declared by the government duirng the 2 major Eids that we muslims celebrate.

Yes, I am terribly excited that we have just another working day left before we kick start our Eid holidays that are almost 8 long days.We have tons to do before Eid and I have forecasted the next few days to be super busy - and we still have a lot of time left to complete our spiritual activities before this blessed month comes to an end.

I have 2 drinks (Coolers) that I always made them to break my fast with but was not able to share their recipes here due to time constraint. These healthy coolers help to hydrate your body instantly and are one of the best consumptions during Iftar after a long day of fast. Infact, we love to drink these often during usual summer days also as they are terribly cooling to the stomach and are packed with a wide range of nutrients. They are a cinch to make and are a deliciously healthy kick-off start to our Iftars.

Laban  basically is a Saudi Arabian drink which is milky,sour and with a salty finish made up of diluted Yogurt. It can be prepared in a jiffy by just blending some yogurt with water, salt & a bit of cumin powder to glorify its taste. Garnish it with some finely chopped cilantro & onions and serve it often. I prefer drinking this all through the year as it is very effective in keeping stomach issues at bay.

It is very popular in the middle eastern countries and is widely sold in all supermarkets in small packs. With healthy ingredients, it is a rich source of calcium & Vitamin D that helps to strengthen bones and aid in digestion.

This is how we make Laban at home:

INGREDIENTS :

3 tbsp thick yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp finely chopped onion & cilantro  to garnish

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Blend together yogurt, water, salt and cumin powder for less than 10 seconds in a blender.

2) Pour in glasses and garnish with onion & cilantro.

3) Serve. (makes 2 glasses)

Roohafza

Sometimes, we like to drink something sweet and instead of grabbing unhealthy readymade juices, we opt for the Roohafza made with milk at home.

Roohafza is a Pakistani product and is made with concentrated sugar syrup with a lovely rose aroma. We add this to plain or slightly thickened milk and garnish with nuts of our choice. Another great addition to this is the Sabza seedsor the basil seeds (tiny black seeds available in Indian supermarkets that swell when soaked in water for 20-30 minutes). Sabza seeds have several health benefits and they are very refreshing too. Sabza seeds help aid digestion, strengthen the immune system and also fight off to remove stress and anxiety.

Sometimes, I like to add a dash of Roohafza in milk shakes & smoothies for variations in taste.

Now coming to the recipe for a sweet plunge of the most refreshing drink called Roohafza

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp Roohafza syrup
2 cups milk
2 tsp sabza seeds (basil/water melon seeds they call it)
Sliced nuts of your choice for garnishing (I use pistachios, almonds usually)

Note - Sabza seeds should be soaked in some water for atleast 30 minutes before using it in any drink etc. The sabza seeds will swell after this.

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Bring milk to boil and continue to cook till it it thicknes to consistency as desired. Let it not be too thick as the drink becomes heavy.

2) Cool the milk and then add the Roohafza syrup.

3) Add the Saza seeds and mix well.

4) Garnish with nuts of your choice (this step is optional) and chill it before serving.

Icecream Smoothie

The chicken week series has ended. A total of 7 delicious and easy-to-make chicken recipes had been posted on this series.
 

Now, to Kick Start the summer, I tried a yummy & a refreshing smoothie last week called the Icecream smoothie. Its a perfect treat for the scorching summer heat. What I liked the most about this is that the same recipe can be used with different flavours of icecream to produce varying tastes. I have just posted the basic recipe here. But dont be hesitant to try variations for this as you can never go wrong in any step. Its so damn easy-cheesy !!! Its ready in less than 5 minutes :)

INGREDIENTS:
 

¼ cup chilled skimmed milk

1 cup vanilla ice cream/any flavoured ice cream

1 teaspoon chocolate syrup

Some crushed nuts of your choice - cashews, pistas, almonds etc. (Crush them in a food processor/chopper)

3 biscuits/oreo cookies, broken into small pieces

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Pop in the milk & the ice cream into a blender.

2) Beat them until soft and just combined and the mixture in the blender looks frothy.

3) Add a few crushed biscuits & pulse again for 5-6 seconds to fold them in the icecream mixture. Do not over blend as the frothiness will disappear.

4) Scoop into two glasses and sprinkle with remaining biscuit crumbs. Sprinkle the chocolate syrup over it. Serve chilled.

 

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    10/10**

I tried 2 versions of this smoothie. I also sprinkled some grated chocolate/chocolate powder for a more chocolaty flavour.

Apple smoothie

So here I have a lovely but simple smoothie to sip, sip, sip ....  & pep up your mood to get back into the swing of things. Its super duper easy to prepare this smoothie and imagine how healthy it can be !!!!

Smoothies can be very filling and they are the best way to cool your system. They are a treat to health conscious people and they appeal to all age groups mainly because of their fresh fruit flavour & nutritional value. They taste fabulous and are enjoyed best when chilled.

So why I chose to prepare the apple smoothie is because whenever my stomach churns due to any gastric issues, apples make me feel best once I consume them. Apples mixed with yogurt/milk will keep your stomach issues at bay and give you a refreshing feeling. This vitamin & mineral packed smoothie will surely tantalise your taste buds with its soothing flavour. So what are you waiting for? Just rush to your kitchen, grab your blender, dump the apples and beat away to glory.

So here is the recipe for a glass of fruity goodness- The apple smoothie:

INGREDIENTS:

2 Apples
1 Cup yogurt
1 tsp Lime Juice

HOW TO MAKE:

1)   Peel and core the apple. Then, cut the rest of the apple into pieces.

2)   Put the apple, yogurt & the lime juice into the blender. Blend till smooth.

3)  Pour into glasses & Chill. Serve Chilled.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY
              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

**   Adding ice will dilute the drink, instead use chilled glasses and refrigerate fruits and yogurt until ready for use.
**  Lime will stop the apple juice from browning quickly. drink the juice immediately to avoid loss of nutrients