PINK SORBET (SUMMER DESSERT)

 

Bonjour! Wonderful people.

How are you? Vous allez bien?

Well summer has arrived in Dubai. The super hot days are longer than the quiet peaceful nights. That time of the year has arrived when you just happen to stand out for a few minutes and the weather is trying its very best to make a  grilled hot kabab or tikka out of you. Its that kind of heat, where you just feel like your soul is melting away and you are left looking like a scarecrow. Damn, I painted some picture in your mind didn’t I ? 😀

On a more positive note, it is the time for ICE CREAM!  Repeat after me: I  scream, You scream, We all scream for…for …ICE CREAM! Yes  Bravo 🙂 No one is too old to say that!

So inspired from the colors of summer, our Recipe of the Day is PINK SORBET. A delicious fruity sorbet. The sorbet sold commercially has lots of sugar in it. The one we are making today is refined-sugar free, it has only pure, natural fruit sugar in it to sweeten it.

It’s a great treat for this boiling heat to cool down. It is great for those days when you just want to eat ice cream all day along, also a great accompaniment to your breakfasts/desserts. Yummy! So here we go.

TIME TO PREPARE: Half a day

Makes 1 box

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Raspberries-15 Frozen for a few hours

Pear-2 small ones, chopped and frozen

Almonds-chopped

Water- 1 cup-per requirement

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a blender, blend together pear and raspberries until smooth. As shown in the images above. Keep in mind, you do have to blend well, so that would take some time. Add some water in to get a smoother texture.

But don’t add too much, you have to check continuously. Once you get a sorbet like texture, you can add in a few almonds, to give the sorbet a little crunch. Add in the sorbet in  a box, sprinkle in the almonds, cover the lid and freeze for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove it out and enjoy with family, friends or even just your own awesome self. Maybe you can try adding it on some hot pancakes, like below.

These are the famous and delicious 2 ingredient pancakes- just mashed bananas and eggs and some coconut oil and VOILA!

Enjoy my sugar-free sorbet. You can add your own toppings too if you like. I particularly think chocolate chips would go well too. Enjoy your summers and don’t forget to share your love. ❤ 🙂

Merci beaucoup et Salut! (thank you and bye 🙂 )

MACCOLI (LUNCH/DINNER)

Hello wonderful people! May I say I am pleased to meet you in 2017 🙂

A new year filled with new possibilities, new chances and new outcomes. How many of you have made new year’s resolutions ? How many of you are STILL being able to follow them? If you are, kudos to you, you are very strong ! Me on the other hand, just like the others, gave up on the last day of the first week. (I am guilty but not charged -_-)

All is not lost my friends! Let us not give up, let us get stronger. The fact that we realise that maybe we are falling back to our old self,is a great start to something different. We just have to take a step back, look at our actions and distractions and make the necessary changes accordingly.

Trust me I am at that stage myself, fighting every second to make the better choice. For me it involves, eating healthier, fighting fear and anxiety , motivating myself to make choices that scream self-love and self-respect. What does it involve for you? 🙂

On that exciting note, let me present to you our first food post of 2017 YAY!! 

MACCOLI. It is a quirky name, I know. 😀 It is whole wheat delicious macaroni with spicy broccoli and garlic sauce on the side. Yummy, comfort food for the sort-of cold weather we have here in Dubai, with a little fiery kick. So here we go.

Serves 1

TIME TO PREPARE:

15 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Whole Wheat Macaroni-cooked (You can use the brand that is easily available to you)

3/4 cup Broccoli-chopped into small florets (You can eat them raw or steamed- I used raw for a good crunch).

1 tbsp Dried Parsley

1/2 cup Jalapeno Chili-chopped

3/4 cup Black Olives-sliced

1 big tbsp Fresh Garlic Sauce-I bought it fresh from Spinneys’ supermarket. Point is it needs to be fresh, not the pre-packaged ones.

Salt(Optional)

A squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice(Optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Once the macaroni is cooked. Strain it and keep aside. Let it cool for a few moments.

Take a bowl, add in all the ingredients including the macaroni.

Mix well and serve. Enjoy!

Great for lunches and dinners with family. Absolutely perfect for work.Just prepare it a night before or even in the morning and take it with you in a pretty lunch box or a grown-up bento box.Love those!  Happy 2017 once again!

Share your love.

🙂 ❤

 

P.S-Credit for second image-http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/i-pasta-elbow.jpg

CHUNKY LEMONADE (Beverage)

Hello folks.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays and the last few days of 2016. When I look back at this year, its been crazy for me. Mentally, emotionally,financially, physically challenging to say the least. It has been the end of a lot of things for me, that’s for sure i.e end of giving way too much love to people who don’t deserve it or value it.

2017 will be the start of many new things, such as directing the love towards myself, valuing myself, learning to respect myself in every form. I know it doesn’t happen in just a day, but its a promise, lifelong promise to yourself.To keep working at yourself, for yourself.

All in all, I would say it has been a sweet and sour year for everybody.

Inspired from that sweet & sour feeling, is our last post of 2016, CHUNKY LEMONADE Yay!

It is this amazing refreshing drink, it first hits you on the sweet spots of your taste buds, then Bam! hits you with its zingy sourness. It is like eating candy only healthy and doesn’t give you a sugar high 😀

So let’s get started.

TIME TO PREPARE:

10 to 15 mins.

Makes 1 Jug.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup fresh berries (strawberries,blueberries,blackberries)

2 big tbsp Honey

2 big yellow Lemons

1/2 tsp Dried Mint

4 cups of Water

Jug

HOW TO PREPARE:

Wash and squeeze out the juice of the lemons. Be careful about the seeds.

Roughly chop/mash the berries with a fork.

In a jug, add in the lemon juice, the mint and the water. Mix well.

Add in the honey and ice cubes. Adjust taste according to preference. Add more water if needed.

Keep chilled in the fridge. Just before serving, throw in the berries.Smoothly mix and serve.

It is a great party pleaser, great for a morning routine drink or just to give you a wake-up buzz during those lethargic afternoons. Take it with you in those pretty to-go bottles with the attached straw.You can discreetly show-off your awesome new drink 😉

Enjoy.

P.S:

HAPPY NEW YEAR. HAPPY 2017 RESIDENTS OF PLANET EARTH.May this year be filled with positive thoughts and awesome experiences 🙂 😀

Share your love ❤ 🙂

 

CHICK BITES (Snack)

Good afternoon everyone! Hope everyone is doing wonderful, if not then don’t worry it will get better 🙂

As the weather is FINALLY changing a little bit here in Dubai, I am sure you will understand my cravings for some hot comfort food.Cooler weather means hotter food. Nothing better than some deep-fried pakoras or chicken popcorn or just the good old jalapeno poppers, right? I know I understand.

However we all know the harm that does to our body inside and out. Transfatty oil clogging up our arteries.You know, most of the deep-fried vegetarian food that I come across has potato as its base and there is no nutrition in that. That is why I let my creative juices on intense mode and came up with our recipe of the week, my CHICK BITES (quirky name I know 😀 )

They are mildly spiced chickpea & veggie fritters. Nutrition check, Craving check, absolute deliciousness check check.It is deep-fried but you can also bake them. Still great and yummy. You can add these to salads or sides to your main meals or just snack on them when those ‘munchie cravings‘ arise.

Makes 10-12 pieces.

TIME: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 can Chickpeas-wash them thoroughly

1/2 cup Carrots-grated

1 big tsp Garlic powder

1 big tsp Cayenne Pepper powder

1 tbsp Dried Parsley- you can use fresh if you have

2 tbsp Cornflour

1 clove Garlic-chopped

Coconut Oil for deep-frying

Salt(optional)

Indian Chaat Masala(optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a deep bowl and add in all the ingredients, except the chaat masala and oil.

Mash and mix well. Heat the oil for deep-frying on the side.

Take a little oil in hands and make balls, keep aside.(See image reference)

Make sure the oil is hot enough by adding a piece of the batter and see if it cooks. Deep-fry the chickpea bites till golden brown in color. Soak excess oil on tissue paper.

If you want to bake them, pre-heat the oven for 15 mins. Add in a little oil on the tray, add in the balls. Bake at 180 deg. for 30 mins. or till it turns golden brown. Once you start seeing the top getting colored, flip them on the bottom, so even that gets cooked.*Every oven is different.

For an Indian twist, sprinkle a little chaat masala before serving.

Serve with sauce of your choice. I love garlic so I ate it with some garlic mayo, you could also try sweet chili sauce.

You can add these Chick Bites to your salads,add them to wholewheat bread sandwiches, serve them as sides to your mains or just munch on them as tea-time snacks. You can take them to work, get-togethers or even for school as tiffin treats. Enjoy them with your family and friends.

Share your love.

🙂 ❤

SWEET POTATO BOWLS

HELLO LOVELY PEOPLE!!

How art thou? Yes, I know I was missing for a few days. To be honest I was dying to come back. I am actually a mess right now, that is why I needed some time off to focus on dealing with stuff that I was procrastinating to do and just forcing myself to do it and get on with it.

I have a lot of major changes happening in my life, such as trying to remove toxic relationships out of my life(to do so is incredibly difficult and painful), extremely uncertain career changes, trying to control my ever so talkative, confused and fearful mind. Yeah, lots of fun 😀  -_- (*slowly starts to run away)

Considering I love sharing my ideas and recipes with you guys, I am back again. It is kinda soothing to do this with you lovely people. It is easy, certain and fun 🙂

So here we are for the new post of the week i.e my SWEET POTATO BOWLS. I think these are perfect as a side dish or even for mains if you have a light appetite, served along with a bowl of yogurt or organic coleslaw.

These are immensely flavourful, delicious and nutritious. I have to admit they do take some time to prepare, but a little bit of effort in advance will help you satisfy those hanger pangs later (See how I say, Hanger, I know That feeling). So here we go.

TIME: 1 hr

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 Sweet Potato- washed

7 Paneer/Cottage Cheese cubes-crumbled (keep the extra crumbled paneer for garnish)

1 tsp Dried Parsley

1 small Tomato

2 cloves of Garlic

a small piece of Ginger

2 Green chili’s

a pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 Coriander/Dhania powder

Salt (optional)

1 tbsp Olive Oil

a pinch of Dry Mango powder/Amchur powder-for garnish

Lemon juice-for drizzle on top

HOW TO PREPARE:

Step 1–

Cut the sweet potato in half and cut a little piece of the ends/points of the potato, to make it bowl-shaped.See photo for reference. You dont want it to be a wobbly bowl, it should stand tall.

Cook the sweet potato on a pan, till it is cooked and soft. I check it with a knife, if it comes out smooth, its good to go. Remove it from the pan and let it cool.

With a small spoon or if you prefer a knife, scoop out excess sweet potato. A nice thick layer of the sweet potato pulp should be good. See photo for reference.

Step 2–

In a food processor add in tomato, chili, garlic and ginger.Process all the ingredients for 2-4 mins. till the pieces are small enough but not completely minced.

In a separate pan add in the olive oil, add hing and the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for 5 mins. till they cook. Add in the crumbled paneer.

Add in the coriander, garam masala powder.Add 1/2 dried parsley. Add salt. Mix well on slow heat. Remove from the pan.

Step 3–

Add the paneer mixture to the sweet potato bowls. Press the stuffing at the back of the spoon, to fill as much as possible. Bake in oven for 5 mins on 180 degrees. Remove from the oven, let it cool.

Sprinkle crumbled paneer, dried parsley , dry mango powder and lemon juice. Serve with a bowl of fruit yogurt. Enjoy.

Share with family and friends for lunches/brunches/light dinners/breakfasts too! They can be great tiffin treats for you and your little ones.

Share your love.

🙂 ❤

BABY LETTUCE WRAPS

Hey everybody! Happy Halloween!

I have never celebrated it, though I would love to someday. Till then cheers to some trick or treating happening around the world 😀

Hope everyone is doing great.

So todays’ food post is our BABY LETTUCE WRAPS. It is this incredibly healthy and extremely delicious finger food or party food as they call it 😉 . Considering it is still summer, here in Dubai, it is  a light and refreshing appetizer. Did I mention that it is also really easy to make ? Well.. Yeah it is! 🙂 So let us begin.

Serves 1( 5 pieces)

TIME: 10 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

Green Lettuce: washed and cut to 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup Red Kidney Beans: (you can use the ones available in tins, you just need to wash them thoroughly)

1/4 cup Broccoli: cut into tiny florets

1/2 cup Tandoori sauce

Salt (optional)

Ingredients for Tandoori sauce:

1 big tsp Ginger:finely chopped

1 big tsp Garlic: finely crushed and chopped

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tsp Red Chili Powder

1 cup Fresh Yoghurt: well beaten to remove any lumps

3 tsp Tandoori Masala Powder: (you should have this as a staple in your kitchen as you can make many dishes with this, i.e fish, vegetables, meat etc.)

Salt (optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a big bowl, mix in all the ingredients of the tandoori sauce. Adjust flavors according to taste buds. Add in the red kidney beans and mix.

Take a serving plate, place the crisp lettuce leaves on it.

At the time of serving, take a spoon of the tandoori mix with beans and add to the lettuce. Do it for the rest of the lettuce leaves.

Garnish the broccoli florets on the baby lettuce wraps.

Serve.Enjoy.

Share with your family and friends. Great for snacking on something refreshing and crunchy!

Share your love.

🙂

 

 

 

MONKEY BREAKFAST

Hola lovely folks! Como Estas?

(yes i know, that’s as far as I could go with speaking a different language  )

no worries practice makes a woman perfect 😉 )Hope you are 1 step further into good health and nutrition.If not, well you can start today!

As I am sure all of you know,it is vital to have a good breakfast to start your day, its mentioned ample number of times in all kinds of media. However, in my personal experience, I used to end up skipping it or eat food that has no nutrition whatsoever, making me feel hungry again and again.

At the end of the day, I used to feel guilty because I had promised myself to try those delicious looking breakfast recipes I had saved on my desktop, only to feel lazy or just out of time to prepare something fancy in the morning.

So one day I just forced myself to wake up a few minutes earlier, went to the kitchen and found whatever I could put my hands on and came up with our recipe of the day, which is *drum roll, the MONKEY BREAKFAST (maybe add an echo too!)

It’s nutritious as it’s filled with nuts, seeds, fruits, healthy carbs and lots of fibre. It’s insanely filling so you won’t feel hungry for junk. Most Importantly it’s EASY TO PREPARE, one quick bowl of this and you are good to go. It’s incredibly delicious, which puts you in a good mood to start your day with.

As it’s a hearty and satiating breakfast, you have the energy needed to jump around your busy schedule, just like a monkey (not suggesting you will turn into one 😀 ). So here we go.

TIME:5-10 min.

Serves 1 (Double quantity to share for whole family)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Banana-chopped into coins(see image for reference)

5 Pecans

Big Handful of Medium Black Raisins-(doesn’t necessarily have to be black, choose what is easily available to you)

2 Big Tbsp of Dorset Cereals in Fruit, Nut & Fibre Muesli- (I like Dorset, you can chose the muesli that is easily available to you, as long as it has seeds and nuts)

1 Cup Low-Fat Milk-chilled (It’s hot in Dubai that’s why I prefer chilled, you can opt for warm milk)

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

Cinnamon-a big pinch

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a bowl, add in all the ingredients, one by one except milk.

Add in the milk and mix. If you feel you need more milk to get a better consistency do so, but not too much, you should get a nice bite of everything when you eat.

Serve and Enjoy with family.

Share your love.

🙂

 

 

P.S-Credit for second image and emoji: Google Images and http://www.dorsetcereals.com/recipes/fruit-nut-fiber-muesli/

 

BERRY BANANA BREAKFAST(3B)

Hola everybody!

How is everyone? I have missed sharing my posts with you guys. Yes, I know you must be wondering why was I MIA for all this time. The reason is, I was in India for the past 2 weeks.I had gone to this nature care institute, where they use natural treatments to detoxify your body as well as cure certain ailments.

A lot of people would probably shy away from it, but I’d like to admit that I have chronic lower back pain.I have taken a lot of medicines/western ointments to cure it, but its just a temporary fix.It was good to know that there are natural methods to gradually make your back strong, yoga being one of them.

It was a great break from online and offline stress and just to rejuvenate and come back much stronger and healthier.It was a great trip, I am blessed to have gone to it.

The most essential thing I bring back from that trip is that, the natural organic food that mother nature has to offer us, really does cure most of your problems. This inspired me for our Berry Banana Breakfast, the first ever 3B dish, you get it ? not 3D (3B) :D. Wholesome, nutritious, organic and insanely delicious! Yum Yum 🙂

TIME: 8 mins

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:

1 Fresh Coconut Water

1 Ripe Banana-chopped

3 big Strawberries-chopped

1/2 cup Oats

5 Walnuts

A big pinch of Cinnamon

A handful of Blueberries

5 Pecans

5 Macadamia Nuts

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a bowl. Add in the coconut water, it could be chilled or at room temperature.

Add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and serve. Enjoy.

Share your love.

🙂

 

 

WHITE GARBANZO SALAD(Lunch/Dinner)

Everybody! How art thou?

Hope everyone is doing amazing in their lives.I am just boiling away in the heat right now :P. As it is really hot in Dubai,standing in the hot kitchen,deciding what to eat is the last thing I want to do or if I could just sit in the freezer with decadent chocolate ice cream keeping me company. This dilemma has led me to make the food post of the week, White Garbanzo Salad.

Nutritious, light on the body and  ridiculously easy to prepare, I mean I am talking about wash wash, toss toss and eat eat!That simple, here we go.

Serves 2

TIME TO PREPARE:10-15 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups White Garbanzo Beans-boiled

(Tip: Pre-boil beans (any kind) and keep them in the fridge, they always come in handy, when you can’t decide what to eat)

1 cup Spring Onions-greens and whites washed and chopped

1 cup Black Olives-sliced

1 Cucumber-chopped

4 Lettuce leaves-roughly chopped

1 big tsp Dried Oregano

1/4 cup Lime Juice

Salt (optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a big bowl. Add in all the ingredients.

Mix well and Serve.

Great for summer lunches/dinners. Packet it for work/picnics/at home cozy dinners.Share it with your friends and family.

Share your love.

🙂

 

DAL CHAAT(Snack)

 

Hello World.

Today’s post is going to banish your Monday blues away!

I love spicy food.Period.Being an Indian and eating spicy food since childhood does have something to do with it  🙂 and you also know my love for snacks.So food such as CHAAT my friends is the perfect mixture of them both.

Chaat is a MAGICAL blend of savory, tangy,sweet,spicy flavors bursting in your mouth and just waking you up with happiness and energy.

However, the chaat available in restaurants/food stalls/street vendors is filled with excess salt and excess carbs and mind you is also expensive if you, like me,have regular cravings of it.

Which leads us to my DAL CHAAT, a crazy, yummy snack filled with nutrition and pure deliciousness.

Serves 2

TIME:20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Haldirams Chana Dal (You can use any brand you like or which is available to you)

1 cup Corn-boiled

1 cup Pomegranate (richer color is always better)

3/4 cup Onions-chopped in long slices

3 Lettuce leaves-chopped in bite sized chunks

2 tbsp Lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp Chaat Masala(available at Indian stores or online markets)

1 Green Chili-chopped(Optional)

2 tbsp Fresh Coriander/Cilantro for garnish

Salt (optional, as the chana dal already has salt in it, so it balances the rest of the dish)

HOW TO PREPARE:

Take a big deep bowl, add in the chana dal, corn, pomegranate, onions.

Just before serving, add in the rest of the ingredients.Mix and serve.

Enjoy your snack just as it is or something to munch on just before your evening tea.

You can also pack it to go for summer picnics with your loved ones or even for quick lunches.

Share your love.

🙂

 

 

 

 

Source credit-http://www.itadka.com/haldiram-chana-dal-200g.html