Orange spiced iced coffee (Serves 2)

Ingredients

1. Instant coffee powder 2 tsps
2. Ground cinnamon a few pinches
3. Ground nutmeg a few pinches
4. Ground cloves a pinch
5. Half and Half 4 TBSPs
6. Brown sugar 4 TBSPs packed
7. Orange liqueur 1 TBSP, optional
8. Water 2 1/2 cups
9. Orange slices 2 slices
Ice cubes

Directions

Boil water with orange slices and add the instant coffee powder. Stir in ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Mix well and add the half and half and brown sugar.  Remove from flame and add the orange liqueur if desired. Bring to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Pour into tall glasses with ice cubes and additional orange slices, enjoy!

Published in October 2014 edition of Malayali magazine.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Watermelon Float (Serves 2)

Here is a great way to cool you off this summer..Something you crave for more and more…

Ingredients

Watermelon (peeled and seeded) 2 cups
Vanilla ice cream 2 scoops

Preparation

Juice the watermelon using a blender and pour into 2 tall glasses. Top with vanilla ice cream and keep refrigerated for 20 minutes. Mix well using a spoon and enjoy!!!!

Cheers!!!
Suji

Avocado Strawberry smoothie (Serves 3)

A great creamy and healthy breakfast smoothie and the combination is sure to die for. I had some strawberries and an avocado left in my fruit basket and was craving for something yummy yet healthy. Just tried to combine these two and was completely satisfied with the result. This can be served as itself or along side a meal. My toddler daughter had her portion too, so you can definitely include into your kid’s breakfast menu. Hope you all will enjoy!

Ingredients

1. Milk ¾ cup
2. Plain yogurt ½ cup
3. Avocado 1 medium, pitted
4. Fresh/Frozen strawberry 10-12 nos, chopped
5. Vanilla extract 1 tsp
6. Sugar 3 TBSP (optional)

Preparation

• Pour milk, yogurt and avocado into a blender and process till smooth (for 2 minutes or so).
• Add the strawberry, sugar and vanilla extract and blend again for 3 minutes until smooth.
• Pour into serving glasses and enjoy!

Notes:
Sugar is an optional ingredient and I prefer this smoothie without sugar as it is creamy and has a slight sweetness from the strawberries..

Cheers!!!
Suji

Tropical Guava Smoothie (Serves 2)

A great to coll off yourself from the scorching sun. Adding tropical flavors to guava makes it a crowd pleaser for sure, Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

1. Red guava 1 cup, scoop out the flesh using a spoon
2. Banana 1 small
3. Coconut milk/regular milk 1 cup
4. Pineapple essence ¼ tsp
5. Sugar 2 TBSP
6. Ice cubes ½ cup

Preparation

Put everything into a blender and blend till smooth. Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Kashmiri pink tea

Ingredients

1. Water ¼ cup + ¼ cup
2. 2% milk 1 cup
3. Cardamom 2 nos
4. Cinnamon 1 stick
5. Saffron strands a pinch
6. Sugar 1 tsp
7. Honey 1 tsp
8. Almonds 1 TBSP, powdered
9. Green tea bag 1
10. Tea dust 1 tsp/ 1 tea bag

Preparation

• In a saucepan, add ¼ cup water and green tea, cook until 90% water is evaporated.
• Now add ¼ cup more water and tea dust along with cardamom, cinnamon sticks, saffron, sugar and honey and cook till boiling.
• Once boiling, add milk and boil. Once boiling remove from flame and strain into a serving cup.
• Sprinkle with powdered almonds and serve hot.

This recipe was featured on Malayali Magazine’s may edition 2013. Please click here to view.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Creamy Nutella latte

Milk 1 ½ cups
Half and half ½ cup
Nutella 2 TBSP
Instant coffee 1 TBSP (I used Bru)
Whipping cream for topping, optional

Preparation

In a saucepan, add milk and half and half. Allow to come to boil in a medium flame. Once it starts to bubble, add the coffee and nutella. Continue boiling until everything dissolves completely. Switch off flame and strain into coffee mugs. Top with whip cream and enjoy…

Cheers!!!
Suji

Peanut butter hot chocolate (Serves 2)

Here is an absolute addictive hot chocolate for both chocolate and peanut butter lovers. Easy and elegant drink to enjoy on a cold winter morning or any time of the day…Enjoy!!!

Milk 2 cups
Water ½ cup
Peanut butter 6 TBSP, I used smooth reduced fat
Cocoa powder 2 tsp
Sugar 2 tsp

Preparation

In a sauce pan add milk and water and cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes. Add the peanut butter and boil until dissolves. Next add the cocoa powder and sugar. Bring to a boil and switch off flame. Pour into cups and enjoy with a dollop of whip cream or just by itself .

Cheers!!!
Suji

Citrus ecstasy

Wishing all Pazham Pappadam Payasam readers and well wishers a

very very HAPPY NEW YEAR..

Lets start to 2013 with a fresh, simple and elegant recipe….

Orange juice 1 cup
Unflavored gelatin 1 TBSP
Sweetened condensed milk 1 can (14 oz)
Heavy whipping cream 1 can

Preparation

Soak gelatin in 1 cup orange juice and stir until dissolved. Next in a bowl add the heavy whipping cream and using an electric blender whip it until its fluff and smooth. Now add the condensed milk and orange juice to this and mix gently. Now transfer the mixture to individual serving bowl and refrigerate for atleast 8 hours. Garnish with orange slices and serve chilled…

Recipe courtesy: MISHMASH

Cheers!!!
Suji

Spiced up–GRAPE JUICE (Serves 6)

A perfect way to stay cool in this scorching heat. Regular grape juice spiced up with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger which perfectly balances each other. This recipe was shared by one of our good friend and well wisher, VIBHA and according to her, this is her uncle’s way of making grape juice which is always a big HIT at parties. Thanks to vibha and her uncle…

Red grapes 2 lbs (I used Welch’s red seedless grapes)
Water 1 liter/4 cups
Sugar 1 cup or use accordingly (use less if grapes are sweet)
Cinnamon sticks 1 one inch stick
Cardamom 2 nos
Ginger 1 TBSP, chopped

Preparation

Wash the grapes well and add into a pan. Mash the grapes slightly and add 1 liter/4 cups water. Allow this to come to a boil at medium high heat and once it starts to boil, leave it for 10 minutes. After this, add 1 cup sugar, cinnamon stick, cardamom and ginger and mix well. Lower the heat to SIM and keep it for another 15-20 minutes. Switch off flame and strain into a bowl. Once cooled, store it refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. The juice itself will be a little concentrated, therefore, when ready to serve, fill half of the glass with the grape juice concentrate and fill the rest with ice. Allow ice to melt for sometime and ENJOY!!! Alternately you can mix equal amount of cold water and juice and serve..

Cheers!!!
Suji

Summer milkshakes..

Here are two mouth watering  chilled treats from us to keep you cool in these blistering hot and sunny days of summer. These are simple and easy to make recipes and would make the kids scream for more!!!

Banana mango milkshake (Serves 2)

Banana 1 no, cut to chunks
Mango puree ½ cup
Milk ½ cup
Sugar 2 TBSP
Ice cubes a few

Preparation

Blend everything together until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy. Top with whip cream or ice cream for more taste.

Strawberry dates milkshake (Serves 2)

Strawberry 8-10 nos
Dates 8-10 nos
Chilled milk ½ cup
Sugar 1 TBSP (use according to your sugar preference level)

Preparation

Soak the dates in milk for about 30 minutes. Now add all the ingredients into a blender jar and blend till smooth.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Pineapple lassi (Serves 2)

Here comes another summer drink from the kairali kitchen. Like mango lassi, this one with pineapple also tastes awesome and is a sure thirst quencher. You can use either fresh or canned pineapple for making this lassi, but keep in mind that when you use fresh pineapple, drink it within 15 minutes or at the earliest, as it gets bitter over time. Enjoy!!

Pineapple 1 to 1 ½ cup, cut to small chunks (fresh or canned), I used fresh
Plain yogurt ½ cup
Ice cold water ¼ cup
Sweetened condensed milk 3 TBSP (alternately you can use sugar)
Ice cubes a few

Preparation

In a blender jar, add all the ingredients and blend till smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy!!!

Notes: Serve immediately, the more this lassi sits, bitter it gets.

Cheers!!!
Suji

Cappuccino frost (Serves 2)

An ultimate treat to coffee lovers! Its easy to whip up with very few ingredients and is a nice refreshing drink to welcome  another SUMMER…

Cold water ¼ cup
Instant coffee 1 TBSP
Sweetened condensed milk ½ cup
Milk ¼ cup, cold
Ice cubes ½ cup

Preparation

Combine water, coffee and sweetened condensed milk in a blender jar and blend until the coffee is completely dissolved. Add ice cubes and blend till smooth. Pour into glasses and top with whip cream. Enjoy!!

Recipe courtesy: www.folgers.com

Cheers!!!
Suji

Mixed fruit Juice punch

Though the intensity of Summer heat is slowly and thankfully coming down, its still sweaty summer time in Louisiana. How else to celebrate the imminent end of another bright summer season than a cold, colorful and easy to make fruit juice punch…..

For the Concentrate

Apple juice 1 gallon
Pineapple juice 1 quart can
Welch’s white grape juice concentrate (frozen) 3 (11.5 oz) cans
Kool-Aid lemon/lime unsweetened soft drink mix 8 pkts (.13 oz)
Sugar ½-3/4 cup
Sprite/ any kind of clear lime soda

Mix all these together in a big vessel and keep refrigerated. This will yield around 1.5 gallon of the fruit juice concentrate and can be stored in the fridge for at least 6 months.

When ready to serve, dilute the concentrate with sprite or clear soda in the ratio of 1:4 respectively i.e. take ¼ of the concentrate and add ¾ sprite or any clear soda and enjoy!!!!!!!!

This is a great party drink…

Recipe courtesy: Latha chechi

Choco Banana Milkshake (Serves 2)

Choco-Banana milkshake- another mouth watering  chilled treat from us to keep you cool in these blistering hot and sunny days of summer. The flavors of chocolate and banana compliment each other perfectly as evident from the various shades of their combinations seen in the frozen treats section of the supermarkets. This recipe is simple and easy to make and would make the kids scream for more….

Frozen milk 1½ cups
Banana 1 big or 2 medium, cut to small pieces
Chocolate ice cream 2 big scoops
Sugar 2-3 tsp

Preparation

In a blender, add the frozen milk, banana and sugar. Blend this well to a smooth consistency and then add the chocolate ice cream. Blend everything once more and pour into glasses. Serve with whip cream on top and enjoy!!!

We are submitting this to the ongoing contest “Sizzling Summer contest”- Summer drinks category at Spicy tasty.

Sambharam/ Morum vellam/ Spiced buttermilk (Serves 5)

Sambharam/ Spiced buttermilk, the traditional-all-purpose-drink of Kerala, is a living testimony to the fact that our older generation was much wiser in using the natural products around to make one of the healthiest and cheapest drinks ever made. This drink is still the best weapon to compact the sweaty, humid summers of Kerala. Its thirst-quenching, rehydrative and medicinal benefits together with the taste make the modern aerated beverages look like costly-bottled poison.  So, try out this recipe and chill out with a big glass of  sambharam/morum vellam (as we call it in Kerala) !!!

Buttermilk 1 cup
Water 2 cups
Ginger ½ ‘ piece
Green chilly 1 big, roughly cut
Salt as needed
Curry leaves a handful, chopped

Preparation

With the help of a motar and pestle, crush together ginger, green chilly and curry leaves.

In a blender, add buttermilk and water and pulse for a couple of times (You can also mix the water and buttermilk vigorously with a spatula to get the same effect). Add salt and the crushed ginger, green chilly, curry leaves. Mix well to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes and refreshing sambharam is ready. You can make big batches and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!!!

 Tips

Substitute buttermilk with lemon/lime juice, you will get lime/lemon Sambaram
Add beetroot juice to the buttermilk, to make rose buttermilk
To make beetroot juice, grate beetroot and squeeze the juice, alternately you can grind the beetroot and extract the juice. Add according your liking (2-3 TBSP for 2 cups will be good enough).

We are sending this to 'Show me your Smoothie' event at Dil Se by Divya (http://divya-dilse.blogspot.com/2010/05/show-me-your-smoothie.html)