Orange Carrot Moctail

Ingredients:
Orange - 2 nos (Nagpur vareity)
          or 
Mosambi - 4 nos
Carrot - 4 nos
Lime juice - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Honey - 1 tbsp
Mint leaves - 1/8th cup
Lemon slice- 1

Method:
Grind the carrot and make juice out of it. It will be close to 200 ml

Take juice out of mosambi which will be close to 150 ml. 
or
Grind the Nagpur Orange and take juice out of it which will be close to 200 ml
In a tall glass add 3 to 4 ice cubes. Add 100 ml of the carrot juice and 100 ml of the Orange or Mosambi juice and mix it thoroughly. Add 1 tbsp of honey and lemon juice to it and mix well. 

Garnish it with mint leaves and add the lemon slice to the tip of the glass. 
This makes a great party starter and a healthy summer cooler. It also makes a great after school drink for kids too. 

Kaichiya Moru

Kaaichiya moru or Moru kaaichiyathu is a simple recipe from Kerala just like Neer mor made in Tamilnadu. Just like the people of Tamil nadu the Keralites also end thier meal with rice and curd or buttermilk. This is a flavourful and aromatic dish. 

Ingredients:
Curd - 2 cups (Thick and Creamy)
Water - 2 cups
Shallots (Sambar Onion) - 6 nos
Ginger - 1 inch
Green chilli - 1 no
Salt - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Hing - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Red chilly - 2 nos
Coconut oil - 2 nos

Method:
Take the curd in a big bowl and whisk it well. Add water slowly and keep whisking till it gels well and becomes a semi thick consistency.
Heat the coconut oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the methi seeds, red chillies, chop the curry leaves and add it to the oil. To this add finely chopped shallots, green chillies and chopped ginger, turmeric powder and stir it well. Add the beaten curd to it and stir it in medium flame, till it gets warm and starts bubbling up. Dont boil it as the curd will curdle. 
Switch off the flame, add salt and mix well. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and keep it covered. 
This can be served as a summer cooler too.  

Pistachio Milk Shake

Ingredients:
Pistachio - 1/4 cup (unsalted)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
  or
Honey - 4 tbsp
Milk - 3 cups
Ice - 1 cup

Method:
Grind pistachio and sugar or honey. Add 1/2 of the milk and crushed ice and blend together. Add this to the remaining milk and serve chilled.

Vannila Lemonade - An all time favourite recipe

Ingredients:
Lemon - 8 nos
Sugar - 2 cups
Salt - 1 pinch
Water - 1 cup
Mint - a few leaves
Vannila syrup

Method:
Remove the peel of 2 lemons slowly with a sharp knife. To remove the bitter taste, remove the white patch inside the skin. Cut the peel into thin strips.

Boil the peel along with sugar, salt and water for about 5 mins. Close the pan and boil for another min. Remove from flame and add mint leaves. Leave it for about 15 minutes. Drain the syrup and let it cool. (For faster cooling, it can be even placed in freezer).

Squeeze out the juice of lemons. Add a pinch of salt to it. Mix both the lemon juice and syrup and store it in airtight bottle and store it in fridge. (This stays good for about a week to 10 days).

While serving add 5 parts of water to 1 part of sugar or soda. Add one or two drops of Vannila Syrup on top and place a lemon rind on the rim of the glass.

A juice recipe that gives lots of nutrition

Ingredients:

Carrot - 2 nos

Beetroot - 1 

Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
       or
Mint Paste - 2tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar 1 pinch

Cashew - 1 no

Badam - 1 no

Method:

Soak Badam in water for a while and peel the skin. Cut carrot and beetroot into cubes.  Grind carrot, beetroot, cashew and badam in a blender. Add 2 cups of water and strain it. Mix in salt, sugar and the black pepper powder. 

Garnish it with mint leaves and serve chilled. Good to improve the HB count in blood.

Appy Magic - A healthy recipe for Pregnant Women and kids

An apple a day keeps doctor away. A pregnant woman needs lots of nourishment during her entire period of pregnancy. Some women due to their morning sickness will not eat a lot. For them, this drink is a great boon and this can be had immediatly after preparing.

Ingredients:
Apples - ripe and unsour - 4 medium sized
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp (better substitute with Honey)
Lime Juice - 1 tbsp
Ice cubes - 1 or 2 (optional)

How to make Appy Magic:
In a juicer blender, grind the apples (if the juicer have its own filter the better, if not the juice have to be strained using a muslin cloth). Blend it till it is smooth and a fine paste. Add the lemon juice, sugar or honey and mix well. Serve with the ice cubes.

This juice is to be made immediatly after cutting the apples so as the nutritional value in it is not lost. The dash of lime juice will help in getting releived from morning sickness. Honey will help in increased strength(as it have iron content in it). Ice cubes also help in reducing morning sickness.

Too good for kids and Pregnant women. It will help a lot during the first trimester, if the women sips the juice slowly.

Gingerly Tomato - An energizing recipe

Every one wishes to have a healthy glowing skin. Tomatoes gives that glow to any kind of skin type. I am highly fond of this fresh juice recipe that whenever I feel a bit low of energy, I take it as we have all the below ingredients at home ever. Even if there is no lemon available one can have it without that and can feel a definite refreshing just in a few mins after taking it.

Ingredients
Tomatoes - 4
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Sugar - 1 Tbsp
Lemon Juice - From one medium sized lemon
Ice cubes - 2

Method
Grind tomatoes along with ginger and sugar. Blend well and add the lemon juice and ice cubes. It is the best drink to have to have in summer.

Check the health benefits of ginger

Best summer drink
Fights Cancer
Helps skin glow

Home Made Badam milk mix recipe

CBadam Milk is one of the favourite drinks in our household. To make any occassion special, either Badam Kheer or as a dessert Badam milk is served. This is one recipe that I learnt from one of my friend's mom which can be stored in fridge and use whenever needed.

Ingredients:
Almonds - 1 cup
Saffron - 1/2 gm(fresh)
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 1 1/2 cups
Badam essence - 1 tsp (optional)

How to make Badam Syrup:
Soak almonds in hot water and peel them. Add 2 tbsp of warm water to saffron. Grind both almonds and saffron to a very fine paste. Better to avoid water but if needed, a little water can be added. In a heavy bottom pan add sugar and add 1/2 cup of water to make sugar syrup. Add the paste when the syrup starts boiling. Keep stirring so as to no lumps are formed. (Essence can be added when the mixture starts boiling again).

Let it cool and refrigerate it.

How to make Badam Milk using Badam Syrup:
Add 2 tsps of syrup to warm milk. (Though no sugar is needed, if you have a sweet tooth 1/2 spoon of sugar can be added).

How to make Badam milk shake:
In a blender add Badam syrup, ice cubes and milk and whip once or twice. Pour in a glass and add Vannila or Butter Scotch Ice cream. Serve chilled with Wafer Biscuits

Rich and Royal Milkshake

A very rich easy to make milkshake. This gives instant strength and energy too.

Ingredients:
Badam - 10 to 12 pieces (soaked and skin peeled)
Crushed Ice - 4 cubes
Pista - 8 to 10 pieces (unsalted)
Butter Scotch Ice cream - 3 scoops
Kesar - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 2 nos
Milk - 1 cup

Method:
Add milk, 2 cups of butter scotch icecream, badam, cardamom, pista and 4 cubes of ice. It is better to use a whipper rather than grinding it. Garnish it with pista pieces and Kesar strangs.

This makes 2 glasses of milkshake. While serving add the remaining 1 scoop of icecream, (half scoop in each glass) and serve chilled.

Pomegranate Milk Shake

Ingredients:
Pomegranate  - 1 no (big and ripe)
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Milk - 3/4th cups
Ice cubes - 2 nos

Method to make Pomegranate Milk Shake:
In a juicer, add all the ingredients together and grind well till it frosts.

Pour in a tall glass. Serve with a twig of mint leaf.

Choclate Milk shake - Kid's favourite recipe

This is one milkshake that can be had either cold or hot. I dont make it with the coco powder that we get in the supermarkets, they give a bitter taste, instead I use a combination of choclate drink and Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

Ingredients:
Milk - 2 glasses
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Boost - 4 tbsp
Dairy Milk Bar - (the Rs. 5 bar is enough for 2 glass)
Water - 1/4 cup
Ice cubes - 2

Method:
Warm the water add boost to it and mix well. Scrap the Dairy Milk into pieces and add that to the warm water. Take a hard bottom vessel and add the milk, sugar and the choclate mixture and keep stirring till everything blends together. Remove from flame, let it cool. Take half of it and blend in a blender till it frosts. Mix it with the remaining. If you want it hot, heat the remaining mixture before adding the forsted mixture to it.

If you are serving it cold, blend both together, add ice cubes and serve chilled.

Alternatively, you can add choclate ice cream while blending. But avoid Dairy Milk.

Carrot Kheer

A healthy and tasty drink. Make it plain or make it as a milkshake, kids will love for sure. Drink that people of all ages can have.

Ingredients:
Carrot - 2 cups grated
Milk - 4 cups
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cups
Cardomom - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 24 nos.

Method:
Pressure cook carrots in one cup milk and one cup water. (Just one whistle is enough). Let it cool. Grind half of the cashew nuts with the cooked carrot to a fine paste. Bring the remaining 3 cups of milk to a boil. Add the ground paste to it and cook till the entire mixture forms a thick paste. Add sugar after reducing the flame. When the sugar dissolves remove from flame, add cardomom powder and cashew nuts roasted in ghee.

Serve chilled. (If you want it as a drink, add half cup of this kheer to half cup of milk before serving).

Mango Milkshake

Ingredients:
Mango Puree- 1/2 cup
Milk - 3/4th cup
Mango Ice cream - 2 scoops
Sugar - 2 spoons

Method:
Blend mango puree and milk and one scoop of mango ice cream along with sugar in a blender. Serve in a tall glass with the remaining scoop of ice cream.

Healthy drink for exam goers - Soya bean milkshake

Ingredients:
Soyabean powder - 100gms
Milk Powder - 100gms
Baadam, Unsalted Pista - 50 gms
Sugar - As per taste
Cardomom - 2 to 5
Milk - 1 cup chilled

Method:
Mix and seive soya powder and milk powder to blend well. Dry roast baadam, pista and cardomom and grind them in a dry mixer. Mix it along with the soya bean mixlk powder mixture and blend well again.

Add this powder and 1 tspn of sugar to one glass of chilled milk. Beat it in a juicer or hand blender and serve cold.

Alternatively, it can be had in a glass of warm water and this helps in keeping a person awake but alert when studying for exams.

Healthy drinks for exam goers - Nuts Thandai

Early in the morning, the brain is fresh after a good amount of sleep, to make it more energetic, a glass of milk that is added with nuts helps.

Ingredients:
Cashewnut, Baadam - 50 gm each
Walnut - 20 gm
Khus Khus - 2 tbsp
Cardamom - 2 pieces
Kesar Strands - 5 gms
Sugar - 100 gms

Method:

Dry roast all the nuts and powder them. Grind the kesar strands separately. Grind the sugar separately. Mix all the three ingredients together and store it in a cool dry container.

As sugar is added to it already, it is better to avoid sugar while preparing this drink.