SAVOURY,  VEGETARIAN

Smoothies … Change is the only constant, and it sure feels good!!

2013/06/26 / 12 Comments

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”
Dr. Seuss

SmoothiesSMOOTHIES! A word set to change the way we look at food. This is a change that I’ve seen creeping in and leaving it’s ‘footprint’ wherever it goes. I wasn’t a smoothie person. For some reason I didn’t experiment. Sometimes it felt too cumbersome {can you believe that?}.

Smoothies My first real interest in smoothies was spiked thanks to a series of attractive and colourful posts by Sylvie. I was instantly smitten. That was my chosen path. Every morning the kids were woken up to veggie detox smoothies. Initially they got talked into it, but soon they just pretended they were too tired to wake up and have my detox concoctions! This was in the winter that went by.

SmoothiesMy real tryst with fruit smoothies began this spring with frozen strawberries and mulberries. The mango-peach and strawberry versions have been in place for years. The kids grew up on banana smoothies. The first 10 years of their life, they woke up to a banana smoothie every single day. Unfortunately, they both detest bananas with a vengeance now. I think I overdid it!Summer fruitThen came summer and with it truckloads of summer fruit. The season began beautifully and smoothie-ly! Changes come about when you least expect them to. Banter with local foodie friends more often than never veers towards ‘who’s doing what‘ with which local produce. I am inherently a very very fruit centric person.

Chicken wrapsSummer in North India is full of fatigue. Hot, humid, dusty … relentless. Quick cooking is the call of the day. Quick stir frys, grilling, air frying, bbq, wraps and quesadillas all work well for the kids. Salad on the side is understood, and the sauteed beans or broccoli part of the ‘deal‘. Is regimental! The Air Fryer offers french fries whenever desired so the teens are pretty much catered to!

Smoothies That leaves me and Mr PAB who gladly {or not} eats drinks what I do. With grateful thanks to friend, food blogger and nutritionist Sangeeta, I’ve  discovered a whole new world. A world of delicious smoothies, both sweet and savoury! The mind thinks non stop now. Herbs, fruit, veggies, nuts, oats, yogurt, soy milk …

SmoothiesThese are what fill my world now. Every morning is dedicated to a good 45 minutes of Thermomix-ing! I churn out one smoothie after another. The kids line up to guzzle chilled tall glasses of watermelon peach smoothie, and literally race for the pineapple ginger. The peach mango is for the diva who sits up half asleep and happily goes through the glass. For me, ginger and curry leaves hold new meaning!

fermented pineapple peel drink ...'kanji'Oooh and before I forget, I even made a lip smacking good fermented pineapple peels drink, kanji. The credit goes to Sangeeta as well. Who would have known that pineapple peels were packed with so much flavour and happiness? To quote her about the food value of this wonderful decoction – “The skin and the pith of the pineapple is quite rich in Bromelain, the digestive enzyme that helps digest dense proteins easily and the vitamin C and Manganese content of the fruit is very high hence the anti oxidant property of this fruit. Manganese helps absorb and utilise many other nutrients and it makes pineapple one of the healthiest foods.” You can find the recipe on her blog!

Are you part of the smoothie gang? What’s your favourite smoothie to go? Tell me, I’m hungry  for ideas! The more I experiment, the happier I get!

Smoothies

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Recipe: Pineapple Ginger Smoothie

Summary: Most of the smoothie recipes following suggestions from Sangeeta @ Health Food Desi Videshi. Sugar can be decreased if fussy kids aren’t on the horizon!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pineapple, peeled, chopped
  • 1 litre of water
  • 40g sugar {decrease or substitute with honey}
  • 1tsp rock salt

Method:

  1. Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
  2. Strain and chill, or serve over ice.

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Recipe: Watermelon Peach Smoothie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 1 small watermelon {1.5kg approx}, peeled, flesh roughly chopped
  • 4 peaches, scrubbed well, pitted, chopped
  • Juice of 1 large lime
  • 40g sugar {as required}
  • 1 tsp rock salt

Method:

  1. Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
  2. Chill and serve.
  3. Note: I do not strain it, but you can for a ‘smoother’ smoothie.

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Recipe: Mango Peach Smoothie 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 2 large mangoes, peeled, flesh chopped
  • 4-5  peaches, scrubbed well, pitted, chopped
  • 10-15g sugar if required
  • 750ml milk
  • 4-5 cubes of ice

Method:

  1. Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.
  2. Serve immediately or chill until served.

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Recipe: Buttermilk Currypatta Lassi/Chaachh

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 900ml cultured buttermilk
  • 200ml yogurt
  • 3-4 green hilies {decrease if required}
  • 1″ piece ginger
  • 20 sprigs curry leaves / curry patta {just le
  • 1 tbsp roasted cumin powder / bhuna zeera powder
  • Rock salt to taste

Method:

  1. Place everything in a blender/Thermomix. Blend until smooth.

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About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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