Stawberrry Jam (No Pectin)

There is always a bottle of strawberry / grape jam in my refrigerator since they happen to be my favorites to pair with my toast though husband votes for orange marmalade. I thought of therefore including a jam recipe this week as part of my 'spreads' theme in the blogging marathon. I had tried preparing jams a few times before and decided to do a version without pectin this time. I saved a pack of strawberries for this purpose though I had a bottle of strawberry spread in the refrigerator staring at me. It would have given me an evil eye if it could emote. That's how ridiculous I become when it comes to blogging and luckily, my husband didn't notice that I spent time on cooking something, which is already lying in the refrigerator. 

This is one of the recipes to try when one has a bounty of berries or berries are selling cheaper. This home version jam contains only three ingredients and contains no pectin. Pectin is added in jam preparation for thickening and without pectin, this jam is slightly on the softer side. Sweet ripened berries, sugar and lemon juice are the only ingredients that went into this jam preparation. I didn't add the quantity of sugar mentioned in the recipe on purpose and made somewhat sweet - tart tasting jam. This makes a small quantity of jam and mine was gone in less than a week. 

Ingredients:
2 cups strawberries (roughly a pound)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar (or adjust to the desired sweetness)

Directions:
* Freeze a couple of metal spoons.
* Wash the berries and chop the stems. Chop / blend the strawberries to your desired consistency. I pulsed them in a food processor to a coarse mush along with sugar.
* Add all the ingredients to a medium sized pan and stir to combine. Cook on medium flame until mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
* To know whether the jam is done, dribble some hot jam onto a frozen spoon and wait for a few seconds for it to cool. If you run a finger through the jam and if it makes a clear path through the jam and doesn't fill in, it means the jam is set. Continue to cook if the jam is not yet set.
* Remove the jam from the heat when it is set and transfer to a clean jar. Refrigerate it when it completely cools down. 


This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #102 under 'Spreads' theme. Check what other marathoners are cooking, clicking at the link.

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A Simple Strawberry Trifle

Here is a simple to put together but a delicious trifle under '3 ingredients based recipes'. I left out the pudding / custard part from the trifle to limit the ingredients' list. Also I used the chocolate cake crumbs to finish off a leftover birthday cake I had.

Though this trifle doesn't need any recipe, here is what I did. Arrange cake crumbs, hulled and halved strawberries and whipped cream in layers in a truffle bowl and serve immediately.

This post goes to Blogging marathon #85 under the theme "Recipes using three ingredients". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
 

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Chia Seed Pudding

I have been noticing the health buzz that is going on about chia seeds for years now and decided only recently to join the band wagon. I had stuck mostly to breakfast puddings or shakes using chia seeds until now and decided to post today one of those as part of the blogging marathon under the theme of  'puddings'. This is not one of those traditional puddings but an uncooked one that takes about two minutes to put together and can be eaten as a healthy breakfast or even a hassle free dessert.

My daughter just stepped into the kitchen the night I was putting together this pudding for my next morning's breakfast. She took a look at chia seeds and asked what those were and then started to freak out. Turns out that she had assumed that they were not edible, thanks to those TV commercials of foliage heads. 😊

A chia seeds' based pudding is quite flexible and can be customized according to one's diet preference or the ingredients on hand. For today's version I have used milk and yogurt as the base and added strawberries and almonds.
 
Ingredients: (Yield 1 serving)
1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup Greek style yogurt
or
1 cup diary or non dairy milk 
2 tbsp. chia seeds
Vanilla extract for flavor
Sweetener to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup hulled and chopped strawberries 
1 tbsp. slivered almonds.

Method:
* Blend milk, yogurt and vanilla together. Add chia seeds and stir. Refrigerate the mixture for about 4 hours or overnight.
* Before serving, taste and add sweetener as needed and stir in berries and nuts. 
* Or all ingredients can be blended together and refrigerated.

This goes to Blogging marathon #74, under the theme 'Are you Pudding me' Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Strawberry Sauce

 
My post today is a simple yet yummy sauce made with strawberries. This fruit based sauce works as topping for pancakes/crepes, waffles, ice creams, cakes and much more. It is a beginner recipe where you can dump everything together into a pot and stir intermittently until the sauce of desired consistency is reached. My daughter eats this sauce with pancakes where I enjoy it as it is sometimes.
 
Ingredients:
1.5 cup hulled and sliced strawberries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (or adjust to taste)
2 tsp. corn starch 
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence (optional)
(Corn starch and vanilla can be replaced with vanilla flavored custard powder.)
 
Method:
* Add berries, sugar and water to a pot and bring to boil on medium flame. Lower the heat and continue to cook until the berries are soft.
* Mix corn starch with a tbsp. of water and whisk it to a thick liquid. Add this to the pot, stirring continuously until it is blended well into the berry mixture. Cook for few minutes more until it becomes thick and syrupy. Mash it with the back of a spoon or puree it if a chunky sauce is not preferred.

 
This goes to 
1. Blogging marathon #69.
2. 'Kids' Delight' event hosted by Varada this edition, with a theme of 'Fruit based Recipes'. 

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Detox Berry Shake

 

I picked 'detox diet' as the theme for this marathon more than a month ago but honestly, all I had known at that time was the random stuff I heard now and then on health shows. Diets ranging from juice based ones, apple cider vinegar to weird ones where charcoal is used. I am not an expert on the subject and had to go through several articles and posts online to get the gist of the 'detox diet' idea. I have been a vegetarian all my life and I try to eat balanced meals and stay away from junk food as much as possible. That is the only dietary plan I have been following so far in my life. I did not follow any detox plan this week too but surprisingly I realized that the detox meals can be well balanced ones without compromising on taste or flavors.

Detoxification or detox in short is nothing but a form of body cleansing. This approach is followed to get rid of the supposedly  accumulated 'toxins' from the body which may affect an individual's health in the short or long term. The general idea here being that the food we consume in the modern world is filled with contaminants such as food colors, pesticides, flavor enhancers, preservatives and such which are all nothing but unwanted chemicals. The detox diets which are special dietary plans claim to have detoxifying effects on our body and would aid in getting rid of these toxins. Fasting, dieting, avoiding specific foods and colon cleansing are some of the methods approached in detox diet plans. While the medical experts state that cleansing the body is unnecessary as our bodies are capable of doing the job perfectly. (source:wiki and others)

The recipes I picked for this week's theme rely on the idea of aiming towards the consumption of specific foods that are beneficial to body and avoiding certain ones. I am just giving a list from a vegetarian point of view. The detox plans which follow this idea generally avoid gluten, dairy, eggs, fats like butter & mayonnaise, sweeteners (like sugar, honey, maple syrup),  processed foods, caffeine, chocolate, soy products, alcohol, and such. Much emphasis is given to fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains that are non gluten (like brown rice, quinoa, millets), legumes, healthy nuts and oils. I created recipes based on what foods were allowed in the plan.

My recipe today falls under the liquid cleanse which is the simplest form of cleansing and provides the body with nutrients. Liquid cleanses usually involve consuming water, fresh (organic) fruit / vegetable juices, pureed soups, smoothies, and such. This shake can be included as part of the detox plan or can be enjoyed anytime. The berries are rich in antioxidants while mango and banana are rich in fiber. The fruits I picked were sweeter and I froze them in advance.

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup mango cubes
1/4 cup pineapple cubes
1 small banana
2 tbsp. flax seeds
Coconut water or unsweetened almond milk as needed
(Using organic fruits would be better if following detox diet because of the pesticides.)

Method:
Blend everything to desired consistency and serve.



This is going to be a part of Blogging marathon #64 under 'detox recipes' and check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking today.

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Strawberry Vinaigrette

This post has been long due considering my husband's affinity towards vinaigrette dressings. Especially the raspberry vinaigrette that he absolutely loves, has inspired me to try this vinaigrette albeit with another berry as I had only those stowed away in my freezer.

According to wiki, the word 'vinaigrette' is the diminutive form of a French word meaning vinegar and was commonly known as French dressing during the 19th century. It is used as a salad dressing or cold sauce in classic French cuisine but commonly used as a marinade too. In general, a vinaigrette consists of  3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are the common additions while herbs / shallots go into when used as a sauce for cooked vegetables, grains and the like. 

I see my husband frequently preparing vinaigrette at home for his salads though my attention never has gone towards the preparation and it has never occurred to me to blog about it. When it is time for condiments this week, I thought of giving him a surprise with this strawberry based one besides having a post ready for this week's BM. This is one of the simplest and delicious vinaigrette that goes well as a dressing for a green salad. It was so yummy that I could have drank it straight out of the blender jar instead of using it as a dressing.

Ingredients: (Yield 1 cup vinaigrette)
8 oz. frozen / fresh prepared strawberries or about 10 large sized ones (I used frozen berries.)
2 - 3 tbsp. olive oil 
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/8 tsp. crushed pepper.)

Method:
* Just whiz everything in a blender and use as needed.
* Refrigerate until use, if not using immediately.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

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An InLinkz Link-up

Strawberry Smoothie

Thanks to my husband, one of my refrigerator bins is always filled with a variety of colorful fruits. However I tend to reach out for humble bananas or juicy strawberries whenever I think of preparing shakes/smoothies. Somehow they are my favorite choices and no surprises there considering that how popular are those smoothies over the blog world as well. Here is my version of one of our favorite smoothies made with plump, sweet strawberries. A refreshing and filling drink for a muggy day like the one we had today or for a quick breakfast option.

Just blend the following ingredients for a yummy drink.
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup chilled yogurt
1/2 cup chilled milk
6 ice cubes
Sugar to taste

This goes to BM #43, for the "smoothies" theme.

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Chocolate-Nut Covered Strawberries

Though today's post looks like catering towards a valentines day treat, it is actually not. It is for the "iron rich foods" based theme of this week's blogging marathon. Believe it or not, dark chocolate with at least 70 cacao solids is a rich and an unexpected source of iron. Our body can absorb iron better in the presence of vitamin C, for example like citrus fruits. So this dark chocolate covered berries happen to be a good source of iron. I rolled them in crushed peanuts for an extra dose of iron. It can be substituted with other iron rich nuts like almonds, cashews, etc. Sweet, plump strawberries paired with chocolate and nuts is a delicious treat and a kid approved one at my home.

Ingredients:
About 4 - 5 oz of bitter chocolate, chopped
A pint of strawberries
1/4 cup of crushed nuts

Method:
* Wash the berries and pat them dry.
* Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.Stir until chocolate is smooth. 
* Holding the berries by stem, dip them in the molten chocolate one by one, about 3/4th of the way to the stem.
* At this point if you prefer, roll them in crushed nuts.
* Place the berries stem side down on parchment paper lined plate or on a paper plate.
* Chill in refrigerator until hardened.

These go to the following events.
1. Blogging Marathon #41
2. Srivalli's "Kids' Delight", hosted this month by Kalyani with the theme "Iron rich recipes". 

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Fresh Fruit - Pudding Milkshake

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mothers out there!

Milkshake was the last thing I had in mind when I was planning for kid friendly dishes this week, though they are a great way to include fruits and dairy in one's diet. I was very much pleased by the bright sunshine outside today after several gloomy days in a row and woke up with a feeling that it was my lucky day. Only to feel that I woke up on my wrong side of the bed when I ended up with two baking disasters, a couple of hours later. A fruity roll ups recipe from a magazine literally was a disaster. The other turned out kind of OK and I even got decent pictures but however I decided to give it another try before I post it. And so, here is a healthy, delicious and flavorful milkshake that can be whipped up in no time.

Ingredients: (3 servings)
2 cups milk
1 cup strawberries
1 small banana
3.4 oz vanilla flavored pudding (or vanilla flavored instant pudding or pie filling)
Sugar to taste

Method:
Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.

This goes to "Kids' Delight" event, hosted this month by Pavani with the theme "5 Ingredient Fix".
Check out here to know what other participating marathoners are cooking. 

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Ice Cream Sandwiches

I prepared a couple of vegetable based sandwiches in advance this time for blogging marathon only to come up with other posts at the last moment. So much for advanced planning. I didn't bother even to use the initially planned ones. :) I wanted to include a dessert as well in the "Sandwiches without using bread" theme and so here is this drool-worthy confection. These are perfect for kid centric parties as they can be made in advance and the assembly literally needs no time. 

Ingredients:
Cookies
Ice cream of your preference
Chopped M&M' s (optional)

For each sandwich, use 2 large cookies and about 1/4 cup of ice cream, slightly softened. Usually chocolate chip cookies / wafers are used for sandwiches and vanilla ice cream is the popular one used for the stuffing. I had run out of both and so went with shortbread cookies and strawberry ice cream though I would have preferred vanilla flavored ice cream. I used pecan shortbread cookies which are not large sized and so used about 2 Tbsp ice cream for each sandwich. 

Assembling the sandwiches:
* Leave the ice cream on counter for about five minutes to soften it. Using a big spoon, spread the softened ice cream across the flat side of one cookie.

* Place the flat side of the second cookie onto the ice cream and press gently. You can even roll the ice cream edge into chopped M&M's. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze for about 15 minutes or up to a week.

This is my Day 3 post of Blogging Marathon #26, under the theme "Sandwiches without using Bread". Check what other marathoners are cooking during this BM#26.

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Granola - Strawberry Smoothie & Blueberry Yogurt

Finally , the summer seems to be here and suddenly we are craving for cooler things. The two ideas, a smoothie and a yogurt posted today were prepared to beat yesterday's heat. They use the store bought granola bars and yogurt and suit my BM theme of "Food prepared using ready made stuff".
Check what the other marathoners are cooking during BM#17.

Ingredients: (2 - 3 servings)
1 cup or 6 oz strawberry yogurt / Plain yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup strawberries, halved
1 small banana
2 granola bars (I used Nature Valley' Oats n Honey bars.)
Sugar or any sweetener if using plain yogurt

Method:
* Place yogurt, milk, fruits, 3/4th of the granola bars and sweetener if using in a blender. Blend until smooth.
* Pour into glasses. Crumble the remaining bars and sprinkle in each glass. Garnish with strawberry slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Yogurt

Another cool snack idea for these sultry days. Though I am not a yogurt - granola parfait eating person, a fruity yogurt sprinkled with a small quantity of nuts and crumbled granola bar is appealing to me. Here is blueberry Greek yogurt sprinkled with almond and crumbled granola.
Either get blueberry yogurt from the store or prepare your own. Using Greek yogurt is the shortcut version but straining the yogurt in the refrigerator for a few hours will also give the same results. For each cup of Greek yogurt, pulse about 2 Tbsp of blueberries coarsely. Add crushed berries and sweetener to the yogurt and stir. 4 - 6 fresh berries can be added as well. Sprinkle with nuts and granola bar pieces if desired and serve immediately.

This goes to Priya's "Veggie / Fruit A Month" event hosted this month by Harini-Jaya  with the theme Blue berries.

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Strawberry Scones

My blogging marathon for this week under the theme "Eggless baking with fruits / nuts" ends today and on the final day, here are some yummy strawberry scones with bread like texture.

My posts so far this week have been
1. Banana - Chocolate Chip Bread
2. Eggless Apple Muffins
3. Mexican Wedding Cookies
4. Eggless Orange - Nut Cake
5. Chewy Granola Bars
6. Eggless Apricot Jam Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I substituted 1/4th quantity with wheat flour.)
1/4 cup sugar (They are subtly sweet and so the quantity can be increased by 1/4 cup more.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp milk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup strawberries - washed and chopped

Method:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* Sift together dry ingredients. Add vinegar to milk in a separate bowl.
* Mix together wet and dry ingredients and the strawberries until mixture leaves bowl and is easy to handle.
* Form dough into a flat round; press by hand until about 3/4-inch thick. Divide into 6 - 8 wedges.
* Place on baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Check out the page to see what other marathoners are cooking during this BM#14.

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Strawberry Yogurt

My second day "Fruits" themed post for the blogging marathon # 9 is this yummy and healthy strawberry yogurt. Check what my fellow marathoners are cooking here.
We love fruit yogurts and I prefer homemade ones over the store bought ones. Obviously the latter ones are loaded with sugar and other artificial, unwanted ingredients while the homemade version needs primarily two ingredients as it should be - the fruit and yogurt.

Ingredients: (2 - 3 servings)
2 cups hung yogurt (I use homemade, fatfree yogurt.)
1 cup strawberries + extra to garnish
Sugar to taste (optional)

Method:
I hung the yogurt and then blended it with fruit since I used yogurt made with skim milk. If the yogurt and fruit are blended directly, the mixture would be runny and you would end up with a  smoothie instead of a fruity yogurt. :)
Note: Use Greek yogurt if you are in a hurry or want to skip step 1.

1. First prepare the hung yogurt. Place the yogurt in a muslin/ thin cotton cloth covered strainer or colander and place a bowl underneath to catch the drips. Keep it in the refrigerator covered for a couple of hours or until a creamy consistency is reached. No need to wait until a solid mass is formed as in shrikhand. If it becomes thicker, add a few drops of milk.
2. Wash the strawberries and remove the stalks. Blend the yogurt and strawberries together. Add sweetener only if needed. Pass the mixture through a strainer and chill if necessary. Garnish with strawberries and serve.

This goes to Raven's Cook Eat Delicious -Desserts, guest hosted this month by Kalyani with theme Strawberries.

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Custard Fruit Salad

A bowl of colorful fruits is definitely an eye candy and of course beneficial when consumed. :) An addition of creamy, sweet custard takes it to a whole new level. Fruits and custard together form a delectable combo, I would love to say.

Custard fruit salad / fruit custard is a simple and easy option when looking for hasslefree, quick desserts or when you are bored to eat plain old fruits. Custard can be made in a jiffy; it can be made ahead and refrigerated for a couple of days.

Ingredients: (6 servings)
2 cups milk
2 cups fruits (chopped into cubes)*
2.5 - 3 Tbsp Vanilla flavored custard powder
Sugar to taste
* I used apple, banana, pear, strawberries, nectarine and jackfruit. Any combination of fresh fruit would work but try to use a colorful mixture for the fruit custard to look appealing. 

Method:
* To a bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk (that is at room temperature). Or if the milk is cold, just warm it in the microwave. Add custard powder to it and mix well so that it blends well with out any lumps. Don't try to add custard powder to cold milk. It just doesn't blend.
* Meanwhile, bring the rest of the milk to a boil. Add the custard - milk mixture and sugar to it. Lower the heat and go on stirring since the mixture starts to get thickened. Keep stirring till a creamy consistency is attained and the raw smell disappears.
The custard further thickens after refrigeration and hence stop cooking a little before the desired consistency is reached. And no need to panic if it thickens. Just add extra milk to it.
* Let cool the custard. Add the prepared fruit and chill the mixture before serving.
* Add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream for a pleasant surprise while serving.

This cool salad is going to be my 5th day entry of blogging marathon - 9th edition. I am also sending this to "Soups & Salads Mela" by Srivalli.

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Ghugra (Baked) & Strawberry Lassi

 

These have been on my 'to do' list ever since I saw this post and the time had come now at last. Though they reminded me the delicious South Indian kajjikayalu, the filling of these ghugras was interesting. I gathered from Jugalbandi that ghugras are traditional Gujarati snacks that are usually deep-fried. They are crescent shaped, all purpose flour shells with a savory vegetable (check the list below) filling inside or a sweet filling of dry fruits and nuts mixture.

I used to prepare a similar version for my son when he was younger so that it was easier for him to eat at school. It used to be a mixed vegetable filling in wheat flour shells but it involved deep frying. These ghugras had instantly attracted my attention since they were a baked version.

I tried them today and they turned out pretty good. The only drawback is that they need to be eaten fresh from the oven. The outer shell remained crispier only for a few hours and then turned softer.

Ingredients (makes 10)

For the covering:

1 cup all purpose flour / maida

(The original recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour. All purpose flour / chapathi flour can be substituted.)

Salt to taste

A pinch of baking soda
2 Tbsp ghee or melted butter

2 Tbsp yogurt
2 Tbsp melted ghee / butter for brushing.

For the filling:

1 cup tuvar lilva / fresh pigeon peas (fresh or frozen peas/whole green grams /chopped green beans/corn can be used.)

One inch piece of ginger

2 -3 Green chillies (I used Serrano peppers)

2 tsp oil

1 tsp carom / cumin seeds (I used both)

A pinch of asafoetida

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

2 Tbsp minced cilantro

1/4 cup grated, fresh / dry coconut (I did not use it.)

Preparation of the dough:

Combine all the ingredients mentioned under covering in a mixing bowl. Gradually add water and make a soft, pliable dough. Let it rest while the filling is prepared.

Preparation of the filling:

* If using frozen beans, microwave them for a couple of minutes without adding water. Grind it along with chillies and ginger into a coarse paste. I used food processor to grind.

* Heat the oil and add carom / cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds start to splutter, add the bean paste and salt.

* Cook covered for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and add the sugar, lemon juice, sesame seeds, cilantro and coconut if using. Mix well and let the mixture cool.

The ghugra preparation:

* Divide the dough into 10 equal balls and the filling into 10 equal portions.

* Preheat the oven to 375 F.

* Dust the work surface with some flour and roll out a dough ball into a thin disc of about 4 -5 inches diameter. Wet your finger and run it along the entire circumference. Spread a tablespoon of the filling on one half of the rolled out disc and fold over to the opposite end, enclosing the stuffing to form a semi-circle.  Press the ends firmly to seal, twisting the edges with your thumb and fore finger or with a fork or best of all, use a mould. Check this post for an idea.

* When all are assembled, brush them with ghee / butter. Place them on a baking sheet.

* Bake them for 15 minutes. Turn around the baking sheet and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown.

These ghugras are going to be a part of cooking with whole foods - toordal event, guest hosted by me and originally started by Kiran.

For the past three days, it has been around 90-95 deg F and feels like Summer is here at last. I therefore did not prefer to serve coffee / tea with these ghugras and went ahead with a yummy strawberry lassi to beat the heat. 

Strawberry Lassi:

Ingredients: (For 2 servings)

12 strawberries

1.5 cup yogurt (chilled)

Sugar to taste

Method:

Remove the stalks and wash the strawberries.

Blend the ingredients together and serve.

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