Nuts - Dry Fruits Milkshake

Here is a rich, creamy and nutritious milkshake that can be put together under five minutes. It is prepared using a combination of nuts and dry fruits which makes it a yummy drink. This milkshake can be used as a breakfast or brunch beverage or even as a quick fix energy booster anytime of the day. This is apt for kids like my daughter who drinks only milk and never eat any breakfast. 

I keep the recipe simple by grinding nuts and dry fruits with just milk. I used dairy milk but it can be made vegan by substituting any non dairy milk like almond, soy or coconut based one. I add about 1/4 cup each of nuts and dry fruits for each cup of milk used. Any combination of nuts and dry fruits of one's choice can go into this drink. I added almonds, cashews, pistachios, raisins and dates here. There is no need to add any extra sugar in the recipe as the sweetness lent by dry fruits is enough.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon and check what other marathoners are cooking, clicking at the link.

Comments 

Chikoo - Nuts MilkShake

I cooked some protein based dishes to post this week in advance but at the last minute decided to put them aside. I instead opted to post some super easy and quick dishes which would be way more than welcome during this season. I posted uddina hittu yesterday which was a 5 minute yogurt based, south Indian side dish. Today's recipe is for a nutritious, yummy and rich milkshake can be whipped up in a couple of minutes. 

I had used store bought almond milk, frozen chikoo / sapodilla pieces, almonds, cashews and soft pitted dates for my milkshake. Cow's milk, coconut milk, oat milk or any other kind can be used in place of almond milk. Fresh chikoo are easily available in India where as frozen chikoo can be found in the freezer section of Indian grocery stores in US. I would recommend freezing the chikoo pieces if one is going with fresh ones to avoid adding ice cubes which dilutes the shake. I added nuts to make it protein rich drink but that can be avoided all together. I did not feel any need to add sweetener because of the dates I used. 

This creamy, rich and very tasty milkshake can be a part of a breakfast / brunch platter or a quick breakfast on it's own.

Ingredients:

2 cups chilled almond milk

1.5 to 2 cups of fresh / frozen chikoo / sapodilla pieces
1/4 cup almonds & cashew nuts

8 -10 pitted dates

Directions:

* If using fresh chikoo pieces then freeze them in advance. 

* Chill the almond milk as well if using home made almond milk.

* Blend together all ingredients to a thick puree and enjoy.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon under the theme 'Protein rich dishes'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

Comment

Protein laddu

My parents used to subscribe a variety number of magazines while we were growing up. The subscription also extended to some of the kids' classics like chandamama and balamithra in Telugu versions  which were exclusively for me. Remember this was way before the kids started to glue on to television sets and I was content with my books and the neighborhood friends. Probably in guise, my parents were trying to see if I can pick up reading and writing skills in Telugu which eventually I did though I have never lived In Andhra and besides ended up being a bookworm. Meanwhile, my young and energetic mother would try the recipes from those magazines which caught her attention. Nowadays she sticks mostly to tedious, tried and tested traditional kind of snacks / sweets when it comes to festivals which I don't even dare to try. 

Nowadays she has this habit of noting down making my father note down any interesting and easy recipes that she come across on cooking shows or any magazines. It is done, keeping me in my mind as she knows that I like to try new dishes as long as they are easy and quick ones. This laddu recipe was one among the bunch that came from her a while ago. I tried a couple and this laddu was surely a winner in terms of taste and nutrition though they look rustic. They faintly reminded me of sunnundalu which are dear to me. I don't need to go on singing the virtues of these laddus as the ingredients speak for themselves. My daughter who doesn't like sweets in general had liked these and that is surely a winner recipe to me. As far I go, I am unable to stop myself from popping one into my mouth every time I am near the laddu container. 😋 Try these easy, yummy laddus for this Diwali and I promise that you wouldn't be disappointed.

I tried a small portion of the recipe and still got about 16 standard size laddus. The new peanut packet was misplaced and had only a handful in the bottle which filled up to 3/4th of a 1/4 cup measuring cup. I therefore measured my ingredients based on that but interchanging quantities slightly shouldn't affect the final product. If one is confused with the measurements I have provided, just use one measure each of lentils, peanuts and nuts and double the flours' measurements. Use jaggrey and ghee accordingly.  Also I need to mention that the jaggery I used was a sweeter variety and the laddus were sweeter with the amount of jaggery I used. One may need to adjust the jaggery quantity since the amount of jaggery used in the recipe depends upon the sweetness of the jaggery being used and the preferred sweetness of laddus. 

Ingredients: (Yield - 16 laddus)
3 tbsp. moong lentils (yellow moong dal) 
3 tbsp. black lentils (urad dal with husk)  
3 tbsp. peanuts 
3 tbsp. almonds
3 tbsp. cashews (I replaced half with pistachios.)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. wheat flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. finger millet flour / ragi flour
1 and 1/4 cup powdered jaggery
4 - 5 tbsp. melted ghee
Directions:
* Toast lentils in a pan individually on low flame until moong starts to turn slightly reddish and the black lentils start to change their color as well. Transfer them onto a plate.
* Next toast almonds and cashews individually. Transfer them to the lentils' plate.  
* Next add peanuts and toast on low flame until done. Let them cool and rub between your palms to remove the skin. Or for a quicker version, toast them in a microwave as I did. It takes around 3 to 4 minutes in a microwave to roast this small quantity but giving one or two intermittent breaks is recommended to avoid them from burning. This step can be avoided if using toasted and skinned peanuts.
* Toast flours individually on low flame until they start to change color slightly. I toasted them without adding any ghee but if preferred, it can be done so. 

* Let all the toasted ingredients come to room temperature.
* First the lentils need to be ground since they take longer than the rest of the ingredients. We like to keep our sunnundalu a tiny bit coarser and so I opted to do the same here as well. They can be ground very fine if one chooses to do so. It depends upon one's preference how the texture of these laddus should be. (I did use my blender for this part and continued the next steps in my food processor.)
* Next finely grind peanuts and the other nuts that are being used. Add the flours at the end and just pulse to combine.
* Finally add the ground jaggery and run the blender / food processor until the mixture is combined well.

* Transfer the mixture to a wide plate and run your hand through the mixture and break any lumps if present.

* Add ghee in increments to the mixture and keep working it into the dough. 

* Mix well so that ghee uniformly coats the mixture. Stop adding ghee when a small portion of the mixture can be easily shaped into a ball without breaking. (Initially about 3 tbsp. of ghee can be added and then the rest in increments and as needed. Mostly 1/4 cup should be enough.) 
* Make lemon sized balls out of the mixture and store in an airtight container. 

Comments

Stuffed Dates

Stuffed dates are bite sized appetizers that are quick and easy to prepare and look quite attractive. They can be easily customized according to one's tastes and make a great snack that is not on the sweeter side. The filling can be made sweeter by whipping the cream cheese with a small amount of sugar or honey. I have used salted pistachios though almonds, walnuts, pecan or any other nuts can be substituted. Similarly any variety of cream cheese or mascarpone can be used.

Ingredients:
Pitted dates (I used deglet noor variety.)
Cream cheese
Chopped, salted pistachios or any other nut

Directions:
* Open up the pitted dates without slicing them into two, to create pockets. 
* Fill them with cream cheese.
* Sprinkle chopped nuts over the cheese.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #100 under 'Stuffed Dishes' theme.

Comments

Jowar Flour Laddu / Sorghum Flour - Nut Laddus

When I recently was discussing about travel food with my daughter, she gave me a list of foods that she would prefer to eat on a trip. It occurred to me that those are our family favorites I pack when we take long road trips and I realized with surprise that unknowingly I have created a tradition of our own. My kids one day probably would get nostalgic about our trips and reminisce about how their mom would stuff any vacant space in the car with food and other paraphernalia while dad is watching with dismay. 😇. 

Anyway while we were at it, the girl requested me to make some laddus. My daughter is not big on desserts but prefers a few selected ones like these peanut laddus for instance. I carry a load of homemade spicy snacks, energy bars and other sweets to munch on, especially if we are going to be on the road for a week or two and those laddus are a must for her. She got these energy balls to try this time which we all enjoyed. These laddus are loaded with healthy ingredients like jowar flour, raisins, a medley of nuts and jaggery which all contribute equally to make these laddus delicious and rich. The laddus do not need any ghee and the moisture from the ingredients used is enough to shape them. The laddus are firm though they look moist in the images. Try these easy and quick laddus on a festival day or as a after school treat for little ones. 

Ingredients: (Yield 12 laddus)
3/4 cup jowar ka atta / sorghum flour / jonna pindi
1/2 cup mixed nuts - I used skinned peanuts, almonds, cashews and walnuts
1/2 cup grated, dry coconut
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup powdered jaggery
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

Directions:
* Roast jowar flour stirring continuously, on low flame until you notice aroma, about 7 -8 minutes.
* Toast nuts on low flame for about a minute or so. (I just toasted them in a microwave.)
* Let the flour and nuts cool down.
* Pulse the nuts finely in a food processor until they start to clump if possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Then add jowar flour, coconut and raisins to the food processor and grind them fine. Now add back the ground nuts, jaggery and cardamon to the food processor. Pulse a few times until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and finely ground.
* Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and make lemon sized balls from the mixture.
* Store them in an airtight container. Freeze them if wishing to save longer and thaw them before serving.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #97 and BM - 'Kids' Delight' event hosted by Renu this month with 'Travel Food' theme.



Comments

A - Z Indian Street Soods ~ J for Jamun Bun

My husband's hometown is Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh and naturally he has fond memories attached to the place. Y.V. Street happens to be the central point of that town both literally and figuratively. It is the primary business center and the focal point for all the hustle bustle of the town. My husband's ancestral home used to be smack right in the middle of this area and a few steps outside in the evening would land him in the tempting zone of street foods. I guess as a kid, it was definitely enchanting to him considering that the man hasn't changed much at all in his love for street fare. 

This jamun bun seems to be one of his favorite during those times and he wanted me to recreate that magic once more. He remembered what went in though he forgot the name of these delicious sweet buns. He wasn't even sure that any one sold these buns anymore in the town. I had never heard about it before and so, was no help in figuring out the name of this bun. A few calls to his siblings and even a friend in Kadapa resulted in knowing that these buns are still sold in the town. That particular friend had in fact ate that bun the previous day he was called but said that he doesn't recall the name either. 

These buns have gulab jamun stuffed inside. Gulab jamun is a famous Indian dessert where spongy milk-solid balls are fried and dunked in rose flavored sugar syrup. I have never seen anyone in southern India using the rose flavor for the syrup though and so we simply call it as jamun. That's why at last we figured out that these must be obviously called jamun buns. A jamun is placed on one of the half a bun, topped with chopped nuts and sprinkled with cardamom to flavor and then syrup is poured over on the other half. I have a sweet tooth and naturally these buns tempted me as soon as I heard the description and I chose these 'Jamun Buns' for my alphabet 'J' in the 'Indian Street Foods' Series. I used the store bought instant pack of jamun mix to prepare my jamuns. These buns were a real treat and I could understand why my husband would remember these buns after all this time.

Ingredients for each serving:
1 bun
1 jamun
1 tbsp. of chopped nuts (I used pistachios and almonds.)
2 pinches of ground cardamom
2 tbsp. or more sugar syrup (used to prepare jamun)

Method:
* Open the two halves of a bun. (I used the Ham burger buns.)


* Place a coarsely mashed jamun on one half of the bun.

* Top it with chopped nuts and sprinkle the ground cardamom.


* Pour the syrup uniformly (as much as you prefer) on the other half of the bun. 

* Place this syrup soaked half on the other half.

* It can be eaten immediately but I found that allowing it to sit for five minutes makes the bun soak the syrup better and it tastes better. 

So far, on this series,
A for Aloo Kabli
B for Bajra Vada
C for Chooda Matar
D for Dahi Batata Puri
E for Elaichi - Kesar Lassi
F for Fulwadi
G for Ghugni Chaat
H for Hare Chane Ki Chaat
I for Indori Garaadu Chaat

 
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87

An InLinkz Link

Comments

4 Ingredient Recipes ~ Trail Mix

Trail mix, once which was considered to be a food carried during hiking has come a long way to become a popular snack among masses. The ingredients that go into a trail mix can vary depending upon what one have on hand to what one would prefer, if preparing at home. Especially if preparing for kids, it can be easily customized to their preferences using their favorite nuts, dried fruits, seeds and such, like I did today. A trail mix makes a great birthday party snack for kids. A handful portion of trail mix would be a great evening snack even for adults to add a burst of nutrition. Only care need to be taken to not overindulge. The version I am posting today is my daughter's favorite one and sometimes she likes to see chocolate chips also in the mix.

Ingredients:
1 cup toasted and salted peanuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 sweetened, dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins

Method:
* (I used store bought salted peanuts which were already skinned.) If using raw peanuts, toast and skin them.
* Dry toast the almonds until crisp either on stove top or a microwave or in oven.
* Combine all the nuts and dried fruits in a bowl and mix. The mix can be prepared in a large quantity and can be stored in airtight container.
 
Check here to find out what the other marathoners are cooking as part of the Blogging marathon #69.

Comments

4 Ingredient Recipes ~ Date & Walnut Laddu

Less ingredients and less fuss. This is what going to be the theme of my posts this week and they are all going to be based on four  ingredients. Cooking with few ingredients automatically implies that less time and less work are involved in the process. These delicious date and nut based laddus here are a fine example for it.

Ingredients:
1 cup soft, pitted dates
1/2 cup walnuts or almonds
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:
* Process walnuts / almonds into coarse crumbs and keep them aside.
* Finely chop the dates and also run them through food processor. There is no need to make them mush. Now add the coconut flakes, nut crumbs and cinnamon and pulse them a few times until the mixture comes together. 
Alternately, the coconut flakes can be left out while pulsing the mixture and later the laddus can be rolled in the coconut flakes instead.
* Transfer the mixture onto a plate and shape them into lime sized balls. 
 
These laddus are going to be a part of the Blogging marathon #69. Check the link to find out what the other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Umm Ali

Umm Ali is one of the cherished desserts in the Middle East, that was supposedly originated in Egypt. This delicious bread pudding uses puff pastry or phyllo pastry or some stale bread, milk, nuts and coconut. One can use / omit whatever nuts they prefer in this recipe. The creamy bread pudding, crunchy nuts and sweetened cream - milk base, make this an irresistible treat. I came across this lighter version using croissants at Nestle website and had prepared it some time back, scaling down the ingredients to serve two. 

Umm Ali literally means mother of Ali and I came across a couple of legendary stories behind the origin of this delicious dessert. One refers to a woman named, Umm Ali who happened to be the first wife of a Sultan named Aybek. His second wife Shajar al-Durr prevented him from seeing his first wife and son and the king happily obliged. However when he got ready to marry another woman, the second wife got so jealous and raving mad that she killed him and proved that he died in his sleep. The first wife who already had a dispute with Umm Ali, got her brutally killed by Shajar's own servants. And then, she celebrated her victory by preparing this pudding and distributing it among the people of the land.

The second one, a less violent version is that it was invented during the reign of Ottoman Turks. A sultan who was on a hunting trip got hungry and stopped by a small village. Umm Ali, the best cook of the village, filled a pan with the ingredients she had - dried wheat flakes (probably leftovers from some stale bread), nuts, sultanas and coconut. She covered it with milk and sugar, put in the community oven and cooked something akin to this pudding.
 
Ingredients for 2 servings:
3 croissants (I used small size ones.)
1 cup water
1/4 cup condensed milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipped cream
1 tbsp. each - coconut, pistachios, almonds and raisins

Method:
* Preheat the oven to 200 deg C / 400 deg F.

* Combine croissant pieces, coconut, pistachio, almonds and raisins in a ovenproof dish. Or divide the mixture among 2 oven proof bowls if you are planning to serve two, individually. 

* Bring condensed milk, water and vanilla to a boil in a sauce pan. Pour it over the croissant mixture and set it aside for five minutes or until the croissant mixture absorbs the maximum of the liquid.

* Place whipping cream in a piping bag and pipe the cream over the mixture. (I didn't use a piping bag and just spooned the cream into the bowls.)

* Place the baking dish in the preheated oven using the grilling part of the oven and grill for 5 minutes or until the cream topping is golden in color. (I turned off the oven and forgot to remove the bowls immediately and hence the darker hue of the cream.)
* Serve it immediately.

This goes to BM #48 for under "1 Cuisine - 3 Dishes" - Arabian Cuisine theme. Check here to see what my fellow marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marath on #48.

Comments