Watermelon Juice

      This watermelon slushy is just perfect for hot summer days, as this fruit contains 92% of water. Watermelons are ideal for health as they do not contain any fat or cholesterol and are high in fiber content and vitamins A and C and are also a good source of potassium.
      There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelon worldwide. Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds.
      I would also like to share about the watermelon snow in the Sierra Nevada of California. This phenomenon is especially common during the summer months where snow has lingered from winter storms, mainly at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. The snow turns pink because of microscopic algae known as Chamydomonas nivalis, leaves and pollen of the white bark pine.
      Now let's get straight to the recipe of this irresistible thirst quencher. It was a very big hit in my house.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Watermelon - 5 cups (deseeded)
Sugar as per taste
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Chat masala - 1 tsp


Recipe

1) Cut the watermelon into chunks and place them in your blender with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
2) Serve chill and enjoy.

Tips

1) Personalize your juice to suit your palate. Replace water with sparkling water, decorate with mint leaves, watermelon chunks or simply freeze them into ice cubes.

Apple Banana Milk Shake

        Apple and Banana Shake is an wonderful thirst quencher for summer and it is also quite nutritious which really keeps you full for a long time.
        There are more than 10,000 varieties of apples grown all over the world and around 25% of an apple is air. Apple trees take four to six years to produce their first fruit and they can live for hundreds of years. Next time try throwing an apple in a bag of potatoes to keep them fresh and away from sprouting. 

        I am going to share two different ways in which I make this shake.

Method 1
       
Ingredient (Makes 3 glasses)

Banana peeled and chopped- 1
Apple chopped- 2
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar as per taste
Cashew nuts - 5
Strawberry - 5 (optional)
Water - 1/2 cup

Recipe

1) Blend all the ingredients nicely.
2) Serve chill

Method 2
       
Ingredient (Makes 3 glasses)

Banana peeled and chopped - 1
Apple chopped - 2
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vanilla ice cream - 2 scoops
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Sugar as per taste
Water - 1/2 cup

Recipe

1) Blend all the ingredients nicely.
2) Serve chill.

Almond & Saffron Milk Shake

  Almonds are one of the most delicious nuts. They are enriched with many health benefiting nutrients that are essential for optimum health.
  The almond that we think of as a nut is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree.
  I am very happy to share a delightful summer treat here.

Ingredients

Almonds - 20
Milk - 4 cups
Saffron - 1 pinch
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Rose essence - 2 drops
Cardamon powder 2 pinches

Recipe

1) Soak the almonds in water for two hours.
2) Then peel the skin off the almonds  and grind it to a very fine paste with sufficient milk and keep aside.
3) Add the almond paste to milk and boil for 10 - 15 minutes by stirring continuously.
4) Put saffron on a ladle and heat it on the stove, then powder it with your hand and add this to the boiling milk.
5) To this add sugar and once they dissolve nicely mix in rose water and cardamon powder.
6) Allow to cool nicely.
7) Serve cold by garnishing with saffron strands and chopped almonds.

Tips

1) You can adjust the consistency of the Almond milk by adding cold milk.

Sprinkles Cupcake

 Here is the perfect palate pleasing cupcake recipe. These are the ultimate party food. Make some for your next party and I am sure people will rave for these mini treasures.

Ingredients

For the cup cake

Granulated Sugar - 1 cup
Butter unsalted (Room temperature) - 1 stick (1/2 cup)
Eggs (Room temperature) - 2 (Room temperature)
Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
All Purpose Flour - 1 1/3 cup
Whole Milk - 1/3 cup

For the Frosting

Butter unsalted (Room temperature) - 1 stick (1/2 cup)
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp
Powdered Sugar - 16 oz (2 cups)
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Whole Milk - 3 tbsp

Recipe

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
2) In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and  cream together until you get a smooth mixture.
3) Add the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, baking powder, salt) and with the speed on low mix together and slowly add the milk and just mix everything to combine.
4) Scoop the batter into your lined cupcake tin, make sure its only filled 2/3 of the way up because they will rise. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool for about 45 minutes before frosting.
5) To make the frosting combine together all the frosting ingredients and mix together to combine. Add the frosting in a piping bag or just apply a scoop onto the cupcakes and spread evenly.

Tips

1) Don't over mix your batter. This will cause your cupcakes to be rather chewy instead of perfectly moist.
2) Bake your cupcakes at the proper temperature. Preheat your oven to the correct temperature before you put your cupcakes in the oven.
3) Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are made. Undecorated cupcakes can be frozen up to 3 months.
4) If you find the frosting to be loose refrigerate it for some time before piping it on to the cupcake.

Barley - The drink of the God's

Barley water is an ancient refreshing drink. They believed that Barley is the drink of God's.
Barley water is a good remedy to fair up skin complexions and prevent wrinkles. It is a great source of magnesium, which reacts with many different enzymes that involve glucose levels in the body. This can help to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The fiber that comes from barley water is also known to lower cholesterol. The insoluble fiber is beneficial to women in preventing the formation of gallstones and infection in the urinary tract during pregnancy. It contains a nutrient Lignans that help in preventing cancer.
Many scholars say regularly drinking two-thirds of barley and water solution can be an antidote to the many possible diseases the body can have and help us live a healthy life.
The following recipe has been handed over generation to generation in our family. So let's jump straight to this simple yet healthy drink recipe.

Ingredients

Barley - 1/2 cup
Water - 10 cups
Salt as per taste

Recipe

1) Place the barley in a sieve and rinse under cold water until water runs clear.
1) In a large bowl place the barley and water and bring it to a nice boil. This take about 30 - 40 minutes.
2) Once done set aside to cool by itself for 8 - 9 hours (This is done to ensure we get all the nutritive value)
3) Strain and serve in a glass adding little salt to taste.

Tips

1) You can also make your own specialty drink using lemon zest, lemon juice and honey/sugar for a different taste.
2) Try using the barley pearls into your other recipes like soup, salad etc
3) There are also quick barley packets available in the market, as they are already steamed and dried they will cook in less then 10 minutes.
4) You can also pressure cook the barley and let them sit aside to cool (1 cup barley and 8 cup water).

Sending this to the event by Sumadhura : Cooking with whole foods