Avocado Kiwi Smoothie

I know I go on long unannounced breaks, but that has become completely unavoidable these days.. So what am I back with? It is another refreshing and healthy smoothie for all fruit lovers out there. Trust me, this combo tastes great and I just couldn't resist making them over and again..  And for those who do not like to eat fruits raw, what better way to take in those nutrients, than with this sugar free smoothie?

I Took : 10 minutes

Serves : 2 tall glasses

I Used:

Avocado	-	½ of a large one
Kiwi	-	2 nos
Milk	-	¼ cup
Almond powder	-	2 tbsp
Honey	-	2 tbsp
Mint leaves	-	A sprig
Ice cubes	-	3-4 cubes

The Way:

1. Place milk, almond powder, honey, mint leaves and ice cubes in blender & blend smoothly.
2. Now add the scraped avocado and cubed kiwi and blend again till smooth & creamy.
3. Serve chill for the refreshed feel !

Cheers,

Chitz

Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

Some days I do not like to cook elaborate meals. Then I stick on to easy, ready to make dishes. This basil pesto sauce is one among them. I mostly use it for pasta but you can very well use them in a variety of ways. Spread it on a bruschetta or as an appetizer dip or use it as a spread or chutney for your sandwich. You can also mix it up with some mayonnaise to use up as a salad dressing or use as a spread or dip for your grilled chicken !! The uses are many & it's an effortless recipe :) Great right? 

I have some freshly growing basil sprigs on my window sill & I had been waiting for them to grow up to a considerable height so that I can use them. And now my emotions are that of a happy little kid :D This pesto sauce can be refrigerated for a week. Store them in air tight containers then. Alternately, it can also be freezed for upto six months.

Recipe Source: Adapted from here

I Took: 10 minutes

Makes: ¼ cup

I Used:

Fresh Basil leaves	-	¼ cup
Walnuts/Pine Nuts	-	4 tsp (I used Walnuts)
Garlic	-	1 clove
Grated Parmesan Cheese	-	2 tbsp
Olive Oil	-	2 tbsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Add walnuts/pine nuts & garlic in a blender/mixer. Pulse it till crushed
2. Add the fresh basil leaves to it & blend again
3. Add olive oil and give it a quick pulse. Finally add the grated Parmesan cheese & salt and blend or pulse to your desired consistency
4. I like it smooth rather than crunchy, so I blend it to a smooth paste. You can add water if necessary for the consistency 

Use as desired :)

Cheers, 

Chitz

Cream Fruit Salad

Assorted fruits & nuts in Cream

This is a post that has been in my drafts for a week, the one which I had planned to post before I started to India. But in the hurry burry of the packing & cleaning & last minute shopping & preparations, I did not get time. Yes, this was a sudden twist in the normal vacation plan of ours. We had to start 2 weeks ahead of our anticipated plan & that too in a notice of 5 days.. So u can imagine the work package that come with it :D But anyways happy to get an extended vacation & enjoyment in the scorching heat of South India !! 

So back to the post, this is a very simple & quick dessert that can be prepared with the available fruits & nuts at hand. I had it at my friend Rameena's place & immediately fell in love with it. And so one day when I had a craving I messaged her for the recipe.. I knew it was a simple one, but wanted to get it right, exactly like hers ;) You know, this is an easy way to feed fruits to kids & also even adults too !! So, off to the recipe ;)

I Took: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 ppl

I Used:

Cream - 300 ml Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp Sugar - 3 tbsp or As Needed Mango - 1 no Apple - 1 no Honey dew - ½ a normal sized fruit Almonds - As Needed Cashews - As Needed Raisins - As Needed

The Way:

1. Whip up the cream with sugar & vanilla essence till it gives a nice foamy texture
2. Cut the fruits into cubes as for fruit salad and add it to the whipped up cream
3. Add the chopped nuts and give a mix. This tastes more heavenly when you roast the nuts in a little ghee before adding to the whipped up cream
4. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight as time permits & serve chilled

Notes:

You can use any fruit & nut of your choice. I used the ones that I had available that day !!

Cheers,

Chitz

Oreo Milkshake

Milkshake with Oreo biscuits

This one had been bookmarked for quite a long time now. Actually I wanted to make this when we had some kiddo guests the other day. I got the inspiration from my niece who loves the Oreo biscuits like anything. Even if she doesn't get any food, she will be more than happy to adjust (winks) with the Oreo biscuits. So I knew that my kiddo guests would love the drink. But somehow it didn't materialise that day !! 

  And I was in a mood for a chilled chocolaty drink after my lunch one fine day. So here it goes, tada... Happy drinking guys !! Hope you too will enjoy this :-)

I took: 10 minutes

Serves: 2 glasses

I Used:

Oreo biscuits	-	4 nos
Ice Cream	-	1 cup
Milk	-	2 cups
Chocolate	-	4 cubes
Vanilla Essence	-	1 tsp

The Way:

Blend together all the ingredients in a blender. Refrigerate the shake and have a chilly treat :-)

Cheers,

Chitz

Pineapple Delight

Pineapple Biscuit Pudding

Colorful, cheery looking dessert :D, rite ?? This was yet another favorite childhood snack of mine. I was not much a fan of biscuits or fruits back then. But this pudding used to set my spirits high. And I still don't remember where my mom got this recipe from, but her making them and me and my sis ogling at it is still etched in my memory. My mom used to save the cream which she got from boiling milk everyday. And when it was of a considerable amount for the pudding, we would have a pudding day !! Wow.. I simply love those days. 

This one is definitely easy to make and requires no cooking. So if you want to try out some  new dessert for your weekend party, here goes the recipe.

I Took: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-5 servings

I Used:

Pineapple	-	½ a medium sized one
Sugar	-	¼ cup
Marie Biscuits	-	16 nos
Cream	-	300 ml
Cashew nuts	-	15-20 nos
Almond	-	15-20 nos
Pista	-	15-20 nos
Glazed Cherry	-	To decorate

The Way:

Prep Part:

1. Cut pineapple into square pieces, preferably around the same width as that of the biscuits.
2. Mix the sugar and water in a pan and boil till the sugar melts. Add the pineapple pieces to the sugar solution and keep for a while for the pineapple to absorb in the sweetness.  
3. You can ignore the above 2 steps and use tinned/preserved pineapples
4. Chop the nuts finely using a knife or a blender.

Assembling Part:

1. In a pudding dish, line the pineapple pieces. 
2. On top of it, line the biscuits after dipping them in the sugar solution. Use the sugar solution used for the pineapple or the sugar syrup in the tinned pineapples.
3. Add cream on top of that and sprinkle in the nuts.
4. Repeat the above order and decorate with chopped cherries on top.

Refrigerate the pudding for about 2 hours. Serve cold :-)

Slice out a full portion of pineapple-biscuit-creamy nuts and enjoy the treat.

Cheers,

Chitz

Pineapple Cheese Sticks

'Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise'. But what if you are not an early bird? Now obviously I am not one. And that comes with serious consequences for my food timings :-( Yeah, I don't like to skip a meal.. But at times weekends make me do that. And that's one lazy eve, I was struck with the idea of making these pineapple cheese sticks.

I remember having them as starters in an eat-in (forgot the name, maybe I should ask my mom, she will know!!) in Trivandrum, when I was a child.. I loved to wriggle them in my mouth for the perfect blend of the sourness of the pineapple, the salt of the cheese and the sweetness of the cherry.. Oooh.. That was quite a feast those days :-) 

So here is the recipe of the starter that did make me hungry after a while and lo, I was set off cooking the dinner :)

I Took: 10 minutes

I Used:

Pineapple (Canned or Normal)

Cheese

Glazed Cherry

Tooth Picks

The Way :

Cut pineapple into small cubes. I used the middle portion of the pineapple as they are more stiff and less sour. Cut the cheese also in the same shape as that of the pineapple. Cut the cherries into half. Onto each toothpick, insert the pineapple, followed by the cheese and then the cherry.

The sticks are now ready to be served :-)

Cheers,

Chitz

Sending to Nivedhanams - Know Your Dairy – Cheese event and Jagruti’s Cooking Odyssey"