Strawberry Smoothie

This one sounds like a no-brainer, but the secret ingredient makes it super awesome


Whizz together:
10 strawberries, destalked
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup yoghurt
1 tbsp cream cheese
1/4 cup water
5-6 ice cubes

Adjust yoghurt and water to the desired consistency. Use sprinkles if you want to brighten up the day further.

Makes 2 large glasses

Dum Aaloo (Potato Curry)

I try to avoid potatoes in my everyday meals but that doesn't mean we don't love it. I found this recipe that is a great hit when you have people over. It goes well with pulao or rotis.

For the Masala:

1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander seeds (it has more flavour than the powder)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 green cardamom, whole
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cloves
1/4 cup cashew nuts

Grind these together and keep aside.

You'll also need:
8 medium-sized potatoes boiled and peeled
1 onion, chopped

Paste of 1/4 inch ginger and 4 garlic pods

3/4 cup yoghurt
1 bay leaf
1 pinch asafoetida
1/4 cup cooking oil

Salt to taste

1/2 cup water

1/2 tbsp kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Coriander leaves, chopped to garnish

Halve the potatoes if they are too big, and shallow fry them in a pan till lightly browned. Add some salt and keep aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat the oil and temper with the bay leaf and asafoetida. 

Then add the onions and stir fry. Once they start turning translucent, add the ginger and garlic.

Add the dry masala and cook for about a minute.

Add the yoghurt and mix well, stirring at all times.

Finally add the cooked potatoes, salt to taste, and the kasturi methi.

Add water and let it cook till the gravy is reduced to a desired consistency.

Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Freeze!

I get lazy most evenings especially in the summer and end up ordering food from outside. But I've recently tried to fight the urge and have started to freeze as many items as I can to make it easier to prepare dinner.

When I get some time and patience I prepare the item to be frozen so I don't need to do it all at once. It has helped reduce our eating out on weekdays (weekends I like to take a break from the kitchen).

I prefer to divide it in 2-3 boxes or zip-lock bags by portion size usually needed for one meal so that I don't need to thaw the whole box when I only want some of it.

I also keep nuts like walnuts and almonds in the freezer because they stay crisp and don't get rancid. Same with spices that are not used frequently.

1. Pesto - When I make pesto at home, I usually make enough to be used twice. So half of it goes in the freezer for a quick meal some other day.

2. Spinach - This is best frozen on the day it is bought to avoid loss of nutrients. Boil water in a saucepan, and blanche the cleaned leaves for about 30 seconds, then remove on a sieve and immediately put under running cold water (or in a bowl of ice water). This will stop the cooking process and the spinach will not turn blackish. Chop it up or blend it in and put it in the freezer once cooled.

3. Avocado - Once the avocado ripens, scoop it out, mash it up, and add the juice of 1 lemon, or 1 tbsp vinegar for each avocado. It won't blacken.

4. Yoghurt - I wanted to make frozen yoghurt, so I let regular yoghurt sit on a fine sieve (or cheesecloth) for about 30 minutes to let the whey drain out. Then box and freeze.

5. Banana Ice cream - I had made this ice cream earlier, but added some chocolate in the mix as well.

6. Green Beans - I just washed, de-stringed, and froze the beans, but you could even blanche it as with the spinach and store.

7. Kidney Beans - Soak the kidney beans (1 cup) overnight. The bowl should be big enough as the beans with get bigger in size, and the water should be triple the quantity of the beans. Drain the water the next day. In a pressure cooker, cook the beans on medium for 10-12 minutes with half a cup of water. Add a teaspoon of salt if you are sure you'll need the beans only for savoury items.

8. Strawberries - Wash and remove the stems of the berries. freeze whole. Use it to make milkshakes, frozen yoghurt, or just have them whole once thawed.

Frozen Strawberry Yoghurt

This summer, there will be no store-bought ice-cream (ok, maybe just a few).

You'll need:
8-10 strawberries (cleaned and de-stalked)
2 cups yoghurt (put in a cheesecloth or fine sieve and let the whey drain out for 30 min)
3 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Blend all, and freeze. Repeat 2-3 times.
Add more honey or sugar as per taste.