SUMMER COOLER'S (TO BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT)

WATERMELON SMOOTHIE

Prep time: 15 min

Its the season for watermelons.  Blend the watermelon cubes along with fresh mint and serve chilled. Watermelon smoothie is another great summer cooler that is prepared using de-seeded and cubed watermelon, strawberry crush and honey. Simply superb!

Blend 3 cups watermelon cubes, 3 tbsps strawberry crush or (7-8 fresh strawberries), 1/2 tsp ginger juice, crushed ice, 3-4 mint leaves and honey or any sweetener of choice. Serve chilled.

GINGER MINT LEMONADE

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 10 min

Mint, ginger tangy lemonade – one of my favorite thirst quencher for  hot sultry days. Nothing to beat a homemade summertime beverage that is sure to please your family and friends at a picnic or barbeque party.

1. Prepare sugar syrup 

2.Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Turn off heat and add half a tbsp of chopped ginger and 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves. Place lid and allow to steep. After 10-15 min, strain the liquid and cool. Discard mint and ginger.

3. Extract juice from 9-10 limes or approx 1 cup of lime juice. 

4. Take a pitcher and add 8-9 cups of cold water, add the extracted lime juice, cooled sugar syrup and ginger-mint infusion and combine. Add 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves and salt to taste and combine. 

5. Pour into glasses and serve with ice

MANGO COCONUT SMOOTHIE

Prep time : 10 min

A nourishing, refreshing mango drink with the special flavor of rich and creamy coconut milk. Vegans will relish this dairy-free, fiber rich mango smoothie

Blend 2 cups of peeled and diced mangoes, few ice cubes, 1/2 cup thick coconut milk (increase for a thinner consistency) and honey or sugar as required. Pour into glasses and serve.

CUCUMBER MINT SMOOTHIE

Prep time: 10 min

The heat is showing no signs of respite and the humidity levels are at an all time high. On a hot day like today, there is nothing more refreshing than a chilled yogurt based drink. Prepared a smoothie using chilled homemade curd, fresh mint leaves and cucumber. Quick, easy and a healthy way to get calcium into your diet.

Blend 1/2 cup of peeled and diced cucumber, 2-3 fresh mint leaves, few ice cubes, 1 1/2 cups thick low fat yogurt, few tbsps of water (for a thinner consistency) and pinch of chaat masala powder or black salt. Pour into glasses and serve cold.

FACTS ABOUT FOOD ....!!!!

Marketers didn't like the name Chinese gooseberry, so they renamed the fruit “kiwi” after a bird that it resembles.

The chemicals in garlic are so potent that you can suffer severe burns just by placing a garlic clove against your skin.

Eating lemon makes you live longer.

Broccoli is the food with the best anti-cancer properties.

White wine gets darker as it ages and red wine gets lighter.

Onions contain a mild antibiotic that fights infection, soothes burns, tames 

bee stings and relieves the itch of athletes foot.

Coffee is the world's most recognizable smell.

Peanut is one of the most concentrated sources of nourishment.

Cherries ease inflammation and gout; and they may even help prevent 

arthritis.

Microwave popcorn gives off a toxic, lung-damaging gas when cooked.

The seed inside a peach contains an almond-like nut which holds a potent 

anti-cancer medicine called laetrile.

The average apple contains around 130 calories.

Processed cheese is less than 51 percent cheese.

Mangoes treat acne effectively as they open the clogged pores of the skin.

The antioxidant content of oregano is higher than that of blueberries.

MUMBAI SPECIAL.. :)

Modak

A Maharashtrian sweet prepared during the Ganesh festival around August, modak is offered to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, because it is his favorite sweet. Wheat flour dough kneaded with milk, stuffed with grated coconut and mixed with sugar or jaggery. Shaped like a teardrop and steamed or fried. Typically 21 are made as an auspicious offering to the god and tons more for the rest of the family. It's a pity that it's made only once a year and in this region.

Batata vada

Whether it's for breakfast, teatime, or anytime, one thing is for sure, Mumbaikars can’t live without the Batata Vada bite. This well-liked fast food dumpling is made by mashing boiled potatoes with green chilies, ginger, garlic, lime juice, turmeric, and fresh coriander, then dipped in a besan (gram flour) batter and deep fried. It's served either with a green chutney or fried green chillies.

The Bombay sandwich

This street side invention is a combination of the most unlikely ingredients. Lavishly buttered white bread and sandwiched between them thin slices of beetroot, boiled potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion rings, and mint chutney. Cut into four triangles so that you can handle all the layers without spilling them, you get the most refreshing tangy taste, after each bite. A toasted version steams up the vegetables inside and adds another dimension. Truly, there is no other sandwich quite like it in the world.

Bheja fry

Bheja, or goat brain, sautéed with tomatoes, onions, turmeric, green chillies, spices and garnished with fresh coriander, is a staple of all those with hardcore carnivorous leanings in the city. Eaten with a roti (Indian bread) or pao, this melt in the mouth dish has a rich Muslim heritage behind it and you often find that one plate is not enough.

Bhel puri

The most commonly sold chaat on the streets of Mumbai, every bhel walla will have his own matchless blend and a considerable 7pm fan following. While the ingredients -- puffed rice, papadi (small crisp deep fried flour puris), sev, onions, potatoes, raw mango and sweet and sour chutney -- remain the same, it is the proportions in which they are thrown together on the street side that makes the difference.

Falooda

This adaptation of a Persian dessert was brought to India by the Mughals. A rich drink, Falooda is vermicelli mixed with milk, almonds, pistachios, a bit of rose syrup and the key ingredient -- sabza or basil seeds -- topped up with two scoops of ice cream. Refreshing, rosy, energizing, it's a great pick-me-up on a hot day.

Pao bhaji

This specialty dish from the by-lanes of Mumbai has mashed steamed mixed vegetables (mainly potatoes, peas, tomatoes, onions and green pepper) cooked in spices and loads of butter. It is eaten with pao, which is shallow fried in even more butter and served with chopped onions. Sometimes cheese and paneer (cottage cheese) are added. People from all over India come to Mumbai to eat pao bhaji.

!!. Sometimes it's FOOD that SPEAKS..!!

A man's life can be previewed by the food that he eats..

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