Banana Date Smoothie

Another smoothie with ingredients that are available through all the seasons - Banana, Dates and almonds. Soak the almonds for at least 6 to 8 hours to be able to grind smoothly.

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Dates - 4 to 5
Almonds - 15 to 16 soaked

Grind the almonds to a fine paste, add about 1/2 to 3/4th cup water. Deseed the dates and roughly chop them and grind them along with the almonds. When completely ground, add the banana, chopped to the blender and give a quick run. It is ready to be poured out. 

Notes: Use a just ripe banana for this recipe to get an exact sweet smoothie else it will turn out over-sweet.

Apple Date Smoothie

Continuing with my smoothie / shake series.... this is a new one. The other day when we were in the market and saw our fruit vendor had some good wet dates. They were cleaned ( though I do still rinse them before using) and packaged in neat 500gm packets. I took a liking to dates from my mother-in-law; she would buy it from the local market and would give us about 4-5 cleaned ones most days. Then later when I started baking I loved the idea of adding dates in cakes not restricting myself to only the date and walnut cake. So, unexpectedly, we bit into a sweet as ever piece of date when eating my pound cake as well :)

 

And now to get back to my smoothie, this is a great smoothie to have for breakfast or even as that mid morning or evening pick me up. Instead of giving into the temptation of a snack or chocolate or even coffee try this smoothie, it will assuage the hunger pangs and sweet cravings. The apple, dates and almonds (how could I leave it out!) blend really well making this a tasty smoothie. As for the benefits, it's numerous, find the benefits for the apple and almonds here. And the dates, it is rich in fiber, iron, calcium, fluorine, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, Vitamin K  and Vitamin B6. It contains simple sugars like fructose and dextrose which replenish the energy and revitalize the body instantly being one of the reasons that it is used to break fasts. Dates promote digestive health and relieves constipation thereby promoting colon health. It is also believed to boost heart health and reduce the risk of stroke due to the presence of magnesium in it. Magnesium is also believed to help in controlling blood pressure and dates have a high content of it. Vitamin B6 is shown to boost brain performance increasing test scores. Dates also contain antioxidants known as Tannins, known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic properties. But yes, be warned of the high sugar content, it has an unbelievable 66.5gms of sugar per 100gm serving. So watch the amount of intake.

 

Ingredients

Almonds - 8 to 10

Apple - 1

Dates - 4 to 5

Milk - 3/4 cup

Soak the almonds for about 4 to 6 hours. Deseed and chop the dates and soak it in the milk for a couple of hours in the frig. Refrigerate the apple.

Discard the water in which the almonds were soaked and grind it to a fine paste. Then add the dates soaked in milk and again grind it finely. Next chop the apples and add it to the blender. Once finely blended pour it into a glass and it is ready to serve.

For a vegan version, increase the amount of almonds and grind it finely with water to make almond milk. Substitute the milk with the almond milk and a vegan version of the same smoothie is ready.

Blend the apples last just before serving to avoid browning due to oxidization.

P.S. And I forgot to take pics!

 

(Information on benefits sourced from: http://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-dates-7-reasons-eat-date-fruit/ & http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html)

Semiya Upma / Vermicelli Upma

 

At home, we had a different breakfast every morning, it could be any of these - idli, dosa, appam, puttu, rawa upama, semiya upama, daliya upama, chapati bhaji, dal dosa, bread and eggs, veg sandwiches. Mom had to think of different dishes to make everyday else my sister and I would complain about eating the same stuff over and over. Add to that I would refuse to eat some of these - like idli and rawa upma / upama. My mom would make every effort to have another option for me on those days. But on some days she insisted I had what was made, so upma was eaten with my favorite elaichi kela / small banana or a little sugar sprinkled over it. Today, when I am the one cooking I realize the trouble my mom took to make sure each of ate well.

This one of the breakfasts I like to make - semiya upma or vermicelli upma. The recipe is very similar to rawa upma.

Ingredients

Vermicelli - 1 cup or 1 katori

Onion - 1 medium

Green chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 8 to 10

Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp.

Water - 2 cups or 2 katori

Coconut - 2 tbsp.

Oil - 1tbsp

Salt to taste

Heat a pan and dry roast the vermicelli on low heat till light brown. Take it off the heat and keep aside. Chop the onion and green chillies finely.

Heat the oil in a kadai add mustard seeds and once it has spluttered, add the green chillies and curry leaves, a second later add the chopped onions and stir fry. Saute the onions till light brown. Add the water and salt, mix well and let the water boil. Lower the heat and add the roasted semiya to the water. Cover the kadai with a deep plate and add some water in the plate. This will help in cooking the vermicelli. After about 10 minutes take the plate off and check if the vermicelli is cooked. If necessary add a little more water and stir it well. Add grated coconut, stir it well and take it off the heat.  It is ready to serve.

Pair the semiya upma with a chaaya and enjoy.

Almonds and Almond milk

Most of us grew up with our moms feeding us almonds / badaam during are growing years. They were said to be good for our brains and of course as children we needed all the help to tackle loads of school work. Mothers were advised to give their daughters a few almonds from the age of 5, it supposedly helped them during their menstruation years. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E and Folate, as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are an excellent source of phytosterols, which reduces the level of harmful cholesterol. Traditionally, it is considered the best to eat almonds raw even roasting it kills some of its nutrients. In fact, most times the almonds we get in stores are pasteurized and the processing has already killed some nutrients. But even after that it is still rich in vitamins and minerals. Soaking is considered good since it helps in activating enzymes aiding better digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Adding almonds into the daily diet is very easy - have a handful of soaked almonds in the morning or add them chopped into cereal, smoothie,  or fruit salad or just keep a boxful in the office to munch on sometime during the day. I have found eating them raw as a snack along with some walnuts and raisins helps in keeping hunger at bay. And lately, I have also added natural homemade almond milk to my diet. Almond milk is very easy to make, take a bowl of almonds and soak it for 1 to 2 days. Change the water twice during this time and then grind it well in a grinder. Soaking helps the almonds soften and it gets ground better. Add a little water when grinding. Strain the mix and keep aside. Grind the strained mix with some more water and strain once again. Water can be added according to how thick you want the milk.

Almond milk has a natural sweetness and can be had straight with no additions. Or blend a fruit or 2 in to make a very healthy smoothie. In fact if using the almond milk for a smoothie, don't strain after grinding it. The leftover strained mush can be added to cereal, smoothies, parathas, etc. Almond milk is a great option for the lactose intolerant and vegans.

Banana Apple Smoothie

Or should I coin the term Banapple for this Smoothie! I am taking small baby steps to lose some weight and I started with lessening my intake during lunch. Somehow, reducing my food during the day was always easy for me but come evening and I really wanted to eat. So today, I tried to completely cut my carb intake during lunch and thought of this smoothie. Like I wrote previously, I am more inclined to fruits in smoothies and would need time to graduate to vege smoothies. My stock of fruits included apple, banana and safarjal (yet to search the English name for it). There were some almonds as well which I planned to grind into the smoothie, it added to the consistency and to the health benefits.
Long back, I ground up some almonds rather than slicing them into my drink. And from then on I got hooked on to the taste of almond milk although I did not know then it was used widely in place of regular milk by vegans and people with lactose intolerance.

Banana Apple Smoothie now officially Banapple Smoothie at home!

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Apple - 1
Almonds - 15 to 20
Milk - 1/2 cup

This makes exactly 1 glass of smoothie. For this recipe you need to soak the almonds for at least 4 hours, the best is if you manage to soak them for 10 - 12 hours. Grinding almonds is easy once it is soaked for a long time. You can peel the almonds and use if you like, I preferred mine with skin. A lot of recipes suggest freezing the banana for a chilled smoothie plus it gives a shaved ice effect. Grind the soaked almonds with 1 or 2 tbsp. milk. Then add the sliced apple and banana give it a run again. At this time if you think you need to add milk to get the consistency right add milk 1 spoon at a time. The smoothie is ready.

Optional: You can add a drop of natural vanilla essence or a couple of vanilla bean seeds if you like.

I popped my Banana Apple Smoothie into the freezer for a nice cold drink and topped it with a spoonful of soaked sago or sabudana which I had handy.

 

Replace the regular milk with a few more almonds and a little water and you have a Vegan Smoothie recipe!

This smoothie's Awesomeness table:
Banana - contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium and of course fiber. It may be the best source of potassium which helps in lowering blood pressure. Bananas are also known for its antacid effects which helps in keeping stomach ulcers at bay. It also contains pectin a fiber which helps in easing bowel movement alleviating constipation.
Apple - contains Vitamin C and lots of fiber. Apples also contain phytonutrients which help in regulate blood sugars and an unusual mix of polyphenols which help lower the total cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol. The apple is also purportedly said to lower the risk of asthma and certain kinds of cancer. It also has anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.
Almonds - now this one is a long list - Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Phosphorous, Calcium, Potassium, Tryptophan and copper. It helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Almonds contain nutrients that help boost brain activity and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And something we all love it for - skin and hair!

(Benefits information from : www.whfoods.com & www.care2.com)

Of a Summer Sunday lunch - Aamras Puri

As children, summers meant enjoying the vacation with cousins and eating a lot of mangoes, jackfruits and banana and tapioca chips! Today, those lazy summers spent with cousins wandering through the grounds, fields and village lanes  exist in memories only. Some cousins are not even in the same country, they are spread across the globe. As for us, we stay in a city where you don't get ripe yum jackfruits easily and the most important thing - summer no longer means vacation. What's available are the mangoes, lots of them. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't love mangoes. And consequently Aamras... katories and katories of aamras till the stomach is close to bursting !!!

So come summertime, we get our old fruit vendor to send petties of mangoes, 2 dozen each at a time. Some are ripe, ready to eat or tayaar as he says and the others ripen in the hay over the next few days. The whole house has an aroma of ripening mangoes and everyday mom goes through a ritual of checking the box for the most ripe mangoes.  This keeps a continuous supply of mangoes on our table served up in different ways. So mangoes are diced and cooled to be eaten after lunch and dinner, some make it to milk shakes and some others to Aamras which is best enjoyed with Puris.

Starting at 12 o'clock: Methi Alu Rassa, Aamras, Puris and Salad

 

We Bombayites know only one mango, the Aapus aka Alphonso & Haapus,  all others are secondary mangoes to be had only once the King has retired for the season! The Aapus makes its entry after mid-March and continues to come into the market till about mid-June. We normally start buying Aapus in May that's when the price have dipped. And the minute it rains, we stop buying them because the mangoes then somehow taste diluted as if the rain water has seeped in :)  

Aamras

Making Aamras is the easiest, peel and dice Alphonso mangoes (aka Aapus / Haapus) and puree it in the blender and you are done :) How could something so simple be so tasty, right??

There are some people who like to add a few tablespoons of milk when blending to a more pourable consistency. Still others are known to add a pinch of kaala namak to it and one family I know adds a pinch of pepper powder.

Me, I like mine Unadulterated... as pure as I can get. Fry some puris and enjoy a beautiful meal.