Two days, two smoothies: Recipes inside

With the cold winds picking up, weekend laziness is setting in. And it's a good thing the husband and I are not averse to a liquid diet. So it's time to bring on the smoothie experiments!

Started the weekend with hot lime water and a fruit, while waiting for the husband to wake up.

And then head to the fridge, scour for fruits and chop-chop, put them in the blender!

Very berry smoothie -
Strawberries, blueberries, black grapes, 1 big apple and coconut water. Whizzzz and drink up!

Fibrous and filling smoothie -
2 apples, 1 big pear, 2 heaping spoons Greek yogurt, 1/4 glass milk. Whizz it.

Two smoothies for two days of the weekend!

Have a great week ahead everybody... And a Happy Diwali!!

Smoothie surprise: A recipe

Simple, instant, filling, nutritious, delightful, breakfast in a glass.

That's a smoothie for you!

Ingredients

• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• 1/2 apple cut into cubes
• Honey
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Cinnamon stick

Preparation

Chop the fruits into chunks. Place in a blender.

Add honey

Add yogurt

Add milk

Add cinnamon stick broken into several pieces. Blend!

 

Breakfast in a glass... all good things!

 

Yogurt Delight: An easy and delicious breakfast!

Like flavoured yogurt? Make it at home!

For you lovers of yogurt, fruits and breakfast, here is a simple, delicious yet energising start for your day!

This easy breakfast can be made the night before and stored in the fridge till such time you want to eat it.

Here goes the recipe!

What you'll need -

Low fat yogurt, blueberries, chopped strawberries, cornflakes, muesli, raisins and honey.

A juice glass

Step-by-step preparation:

Put two spoonfuls of yogurt in the juice glass

Put a layer of muesli and raisins on top of the yogurt

Top with a layer of yogurt

Top yogurt with chopped strawberries

Add a layer of yogurt

Add a layer of cornflakes - I use Kelloggs K yogurt and berry flavour

Top that with a layer of yogurt

Throw in the blueberries (you can also use banana, payaya, mango - any seasonal fruit that you like!) and add a little muesli

Add another layer of yogurt, that's the last layer

Take care that the layers are visible

 

On the top layer, lay down the strawberry slices, add 3-4 blueberries, sprinkle some cornflakes for the crunch and drizzle with honey.

Voila! Breakfast is ready!

The best part about the Yogurt Delight - you can make it as many layers, in any order with any fruits that you like. The idea is to have a breakfast which looks pretty and keeps you going on a long day!

Stocking for typhoon - a list

Super Typhoon Usagi is raging out there and might hit HK in the next few hours. Strong winds are blowing, it's started to rain. And super market shelves are being wiped clean.

I realised rather late in the day that one should stock for a typhoon and made a run for the supermarket. Only to find it super crowded - don't know if it was the Sunday effect or the Usagi effect!

My typhoon rations list (besides milk and vegetables) included -

Water - Always, always, the first thing to have on your list in times of emergency. Loads and loads of water!

Fluids - Lots of fluids including juices, iced teas, milk/ coffee etc to supplement water and fill you up.

Bread - My best friend when hunger strikes. Picked up raisin and cranberry bread - don't need anything to have it with. It's great by itself and even better with butter!  

Snacks - Lots and lots of snacks including 3 minute noodles and soups. These will see you through the times when the cold wind is roaring and shrieking outside and keep warm inside.

Fruits - Fruits for those mid-meal snacks. Fruits to fill you up. Fruits to snack on through the long day cooped up indoors. 

Kebabs - Frozen, pre-cooked kebabs are a staple in the freezer. Defrost and eat or make it as a side with bread or naan or rice or even pasta! 

Wine - A little help goes a long way in calming nerves when sitting at home while nature rages outside!

And after all the groceries have been bought, I rush back home. The wind seems to have a life of its own, pushing me forward, making my clothes flap around my middle. In an absurd way, it makes me feel alive. But not for long. Soon it's time to head upstairs, open that bottle of wine and write this blog as I watch nature run it's course behind the safety of my window. And wait for the husband to come home safe and sound.

Stay safe everybody. Prayers.

Shopping: Top 5 things for the weekend grocery list!

The weekend is finally upon us!

While it's all about the Friday night, the weekend is also about catching up on your weekly shopping. To help you keep track of what goes on that list, here are the Top 5 things you'll need this weekend -

Fruits, lots and lots of them! Yum yum.

Veggies - all colours, all varieties!

Eggs - what would we do without them, I wonder from time to time...

And of course, our dairy champion, Milk!

Sausages - ready in under 15 minutes to go with that leisurely brunch or with those drinks!

Have a great weekend you guys!! Happy Friday night... and Happier Saturday night. Woohoo!!

Apples galore!

I love fruit based recipes! Just saw some really interesting apple recipes on The Frugal Girls website. Can't wait to go and buy tonnes of apples and get cooking! Especially excited about the Spiced Apple Cider; watching the rain from a window with a steaming mug of hot cider... perfect!! Find more apple recipes from The Frugal Girls on the link below -

BIG List of Amazing Apple Recipes! http://t.co/6f5CZUgL1g #frugalgirls
— Heidi @ Frugal Girls (@frugalgirls) September 11, 2013

Recipe: Chilli grapes and cheese

We hosted our first lunch at home in HK yesterday. While it wasn't the way I usually do things i.e., cook everything myself, it was fun nonetheless! 

We ordered in some Indian food and did the starters at home. I was delighted that nobody had to go running to the supermarket to get ingredients, everything was available at home! Starters included nachos and home made salsa dip, onion flavoured macadamia nuts, roasted almonds, fresh fruits and my favourite, chilli grapes and cheese.

Came up with the chilli grapes idea while staring at a box of grapes... very simple, very spicy, very fun.

Here goes the recipe -

Ingredients -

• Washed seedless grapes, green or black
• Assorted cheese, we used to smoked cheese and emmental
• Olive oil
• Paprika
• 1/4 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• Pepper
• Lemon pepper

Method -

• Take 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Add paprika, granulated sugar, salt, pepper, lime juice, pepper, lemon pepper to olive oil and mix
• Let sit for 10 minutes and then pour over grapes
• Toss the grapes in the oil mixture and put in the freezer about an 45 minutes before serving
• Keep cheese in the freezer as well, this will make the cheese easier to cut
• Before serving, take out grapes, toss again and serve with cheese on the side!
• Make sure you pour out the remaining oil mixture on the grapes - this will really bring home the tanginess and the cheese will pick up the flavours too! 

Do let me know if you liked this quick and easy snack! Did you make any changes to it?

Presentation makes all the difference!

Presentation surely does make all the difference! It can make humble smoked cheese, grapes and olives look really appealing; everyday pancakes seem exotic; an ordinary pear unique and make a mundane activity like tea drinking, exciting!

Do share your thoughts and tips on presentation! What are the tricks and tools you use to make your food look fancy and appealing?

Recipe: Orange icecream in orange

Some of my happiest childhood memories are associated with this orange ice cream in orange peel. My sister and I would look forward to these post dinner treats with great anticipation and clean out the orange shells while watching DD.

I tried my hand at my mother's recipe a few months back and am happy to report that it tasted just like I remembered it. And it is oh-so-easy to make!

Here's the recipe (with my mother's permission and consent) for those of you who like nothing more than the sweet sour tang of an orange!

Ingredients:
1 litre milk
Sugar, as per your taste
4 oranges, preferably the ones with the slightly lose peel

Preparation:
Put the milk to boil and thicken on low heat
Once the milk is nice and creamy, add sugar to taste
Take the milk off the heat and let cool
In the meantime, cut a small hole on the top of the orange and gently yet firmly, scoop out all the pulp using a knife and spoon. Do not discard the part you've cut out, it'll serve as a 'cover'.

Make sure that the orange peel doesn't tear much
Once you've separated the peel from the pulp, put the empty orange shells in the freezer

Add sugar and juice the pulp using a blender. While adding sugar, remember that you have already added sugar to the milk as well.

Once the milk is cooled, add the juice to the milk

Take out the empty shells from the freezer and pour the milk and juice mixture into each shell. Cover each shell with the top which was kept aside earlier.

Arrange the oranges on a plate and freeze for 4-5 hours.

You can either serve each orange as a whole (my favourite!)

Or, you can cut each orange into slices and serve 

Add in some berries and you're ready! 

Infact, if you think this is too much work, just scoop out the pulp, juice it with sugar, add it to milk and refrigerate. Have it like you would kheer or any cold liquidy dessert! It tastes great too! ;-)

Do let me know if you liked this recipe. Leave any queries in the comments below and I shall be happy to answer them at the earliest!

Happy cooking!! :)