Raspberry and Persimmon Juice

Ingredients :
Persimmon : 1
Raspberry : 1/2 cup
Water : A little
Sugar/ Nectarine/ Honey : Optional and can be adjusted according to your preference of sweetness

Procedure :
1. Grind the Raspberries in a blender and strain the juice to remove the seeds.
2. Peel the persimmon and grind it again with a little water.
3. Add the strained raspberry juice to it. And blend it with any sweetner.

Prune and Date Roll

A simple no sugar dessert. Can grab it on your way out as a snack bar for breakfast.

Ingredients :
Date : 1 cup
Prunes : 1 cup
Pista : 2 tbsp
Cashew : 2 tbsp
Almonds : 2 tbsp
Walnuts : 2 tbsp
Raisins : 2 tbsp
Cranberry : 2 tbsp
Shredded Coconut : just for rolling the dry fruit roll
Coconut Oil/ Clarified butter : 1 tsp (Completely optional)

Procedure :
1. Chop the date and prunes into tiny pieces.
2. Heat a pan and add coconut oil/ clarified butter and add the chopped dates and prunes. This step is purely optional. If using soft dates to can just mash them in a bowl using a fork. Just so that the chopped nuts stick to them.
3. Add the chopped nuts, raisings and cranberries.
4. Mix them well and make a dough and then shape into a cylindrical roll.
5. Roll them over shredded coconut and cover them with a parchment paper and place it in the refridgerator.
6. Cut them into tiny pieces and serve.

Peach and Carrot Juice

Another simple fresh fruit juice for your mornings.

Ingredients :
Fresh Peach : 1
Carrot : 1 small
Water : a little
Nectarine/ Brown Sugar/ Sugar : depending on your preference of your sweetness

Procedure :
1. Deseed and peel the peach and cut the carrot into small cubes.
2. Add a little water and blend them all together by adding the prefernce of your sweetness.

Date with Avocado

Avocado milkshake is one of my favourite smoothie to go with my my breakfast. Usually for sweetness I substitute agave nectar or sugar. But for this I added chopped Mejdool dates.

Ingredients :
Avocado : 1/2 of a medium sized Avocado
Dates : 2 to 3 (I used Mejdool dates)
Milk : 1 and 1/4 cup (Can vary according to the thickness you prefer)


Procedure :
1. Blend all of the above in a blender.
2. Serve it with ice cubes.

Peach Lassi

Who doesn't like this yoghurty drink. The best lassi I have ever had was the one in Mumbai. My dad was posted in Mumbai for a short duration. And there was a small dhaba around the corner where we stayed. I still remember the yummy drink.

Ingredients :

Peach : 1

Yoghurt : 1/2 cup

Nectarine/ Sugar : According to taste

Saffron : a pinch (optional for a rich flavor)

Procedure :

1. Peel the outer layer of peach and deseed it.

2. Now puree the peach pieces and yoghurt in the blender along with sugar/ Nectarine. Add saffron if adding and pulse for 15 seconds.

3. Serve with ice cubes and garnish with almond slivers. 

Cantaloupe and Cranberry Popsicle

Cantaloupes are in season. And I never knew what to make out of them. Other than the milkshake. Then I found there are so many things you can cook out of cantaloupe.

Ingredients :
Cantaloupe : 2 cups
Milk : 1 cup
Cranberry : 1/4 cup
Almond : 2 tbsp
Agave Nectar : according to taste

Procedure :
1. Soak the almonds in hot water for half an hour so that they become soft and easy to grind.
2. In a blender grind the cantaloupe, almonds and milk (you can avoid the milk completely if you are a vegan) and add the required amount of agave nectar.
3. Now fold in the dried cranberries with the cantaloupe paste.
4. Now add them into the popsicle moulds and freeze for 4 to hour hours.

Mango Barfi

Well summer time is my favorite, not for the like of the weather but for the like of Mangoes. One of my favorite. I recently found yummy Mangoes in Fry's store. 3 mangoes for $1. And I was not sure how they would taste. So I bought 6 of them. And later I went on to regret why I didn't buy more of them. Well I came across this yummy recipe in one other food blog.

Ingredients :

Khoa/ Mawa : 3/4 cup (Softened and grated)
Sugar : 1/2 cup (According to the sweetness of mango)
Mango Pulp : 1/2 cup (Or from one large mango)
Saffron : A pinch
Milk : 1 tbsp
Ghee : 1 tsp
Cardamom : 1 (Crushed)


Procedure :
1. Keep the mawa/khoa at out of refrigerator to bring it to room temperature.
2. Heat a pan add ghee and add the crumbled khoa/mawa.
3. Add the pureed mango and mix well with khoa/mawa and cook it well.
4. Add a pinch of saffron in warm milk and add it to the khoa mixture and cook till it starts releasing ghee from the sides.
5. Add the cardamom pods (I skipped this step).
6. Pour it in molds and refrigerate for some time.

Pear Rabdi

The pears that I found here are so sweet that you could make a dessert out of it. And no sugar made it even more attractive. I found this recipe from Chitra's Healthy Kitchen.

Ingredients :
Milk : 2 cups (2% fat)
Pear : 1 (Grated)
Honey : 2-3 tbsp (According to Taste)
Bread Slice : 1 (optional)
Saffron : A pinch
Cardamom : 1
Chopped Nuts : Almond & Pistachio


Procedure :
1. Boil the milk in a deep bottomed pan and once it comes to a boil, simmer and add the crumbled bread.
2. Grate the pears and add them to the milk, till the milk thickens.
3. Add saffron and cardamom and chopped nuts and give the pan a stir.
4. Once it cools down add honey according to the level of sweetness you prefer.

Avocado and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients :

Milk : 1 cup

Banana : 1/2

Avocado : 1/2 

Sugar according to Taste or Agave Nectar

Procedure :

1. In a blender mix all the ingredients. 

Strawberry Kiwi Chia Seeds Pudding

A healthy food item after lunch. Or for a brunch. I used low fat yoghurt and agave nectar as subtitute for yoghurt and sugar.

Ingredients :
Strawberry : 3 (Chopped into tiny pieces)
Kiwi : 1/2 (Chopped into tiny pieces)
Yoghurt (Low Fat) :  3 tbsp
Chia Seeds : 1 tsp(Soaked in water for 15 min; they will puff up)
Agave Nectar : 1 tsp

Procedure :
1. Beat the yoghurt well.
2.  Mix all the ingredients and serve.

P.S : Can substitute other fruits as well.

Watermelon yogurt popsicle

Kala khatta.... The name brings saliva in my mouth. Spicy, tangy popsicle. A similar tangy and sweet popsicle.

Ingredients:
Yogurt : 2 tbsp
Watermelon piece : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 tbsp

Procedure :
1. Mix the ingredients in a mixer.
2. Can substitute sugar with honey.