Smoothie

Hello friends

The climate has been super sunny  for the past few days which means super cool smoothies are back in season.Healthy and refreshing , smoothie is the best way to keep our bodies hydrated but some store bought ones can seriously shoot up the sugar level and have lots of artificial flavoring .This recipe is an attempt to make a lighter version of the entire nations favorite summer drink-Fruit Smoothie 

Makes two Tall glass 

Ingredients:

blueberries :            1/4 cup

Strawberry :            1/2 cup

banana :                  1 

milk :                       1 cup

vanilla essence :       1/2 tsp

agave/honey /sugar :as per taste 

One can easily add or omit  fruits as per preference but remember some fruits ,citrus in particular don't go well with milk .The sweeting part also is totally up to one's taste.In this recipe i have used agave nectar because it is very low in GI ,you can substitute with honey or any other sweetener or none at all.

Recipe:

1)slice the bananas and strawberries and place in the blender

2)add blueberries ,chilled milk and vanilla

3) pulse on and off till well blended

4)add the required amount of sweetener

5)pour in a tall glass 

for the topping on glass

6)slit a strawberry on the end and fix it on the rim of glass 

7)serve chilled 

The milk used here is fat free ,as I earlier mentioned this is a lighter version but you don't have to be paranoid like me use whole milk if you wish that will make the smoothie even more tasty ,also I cheated with the blueberries and banana both were frozen but they tasted none the less .I hope that you enjoy and try this recipe out, to beat the heat off -all summer long!

thank you for visiting my blog 

IT'S FREEZING

Hello friends,



 Growing up I always liked to snack on plantains ,especially a particular variety that thrives in southern part of India called karpurai vazhai -just yumm!.The once we get here in U.S may not be as delicious but are great in smoothies and cakes.

 I remember, back in India we never ran out of plantains and always ended up having more than we actually could eat,which still is the case ,and I believe most of us plantain lovers experience the same every now and then .Tell me, seriously, who wants that last piece of really ripe and sweet smelling fruit?, "you try to feed it to your sister ,brother or husband "telling them it's really full of fiber,believe me they ain't buying it! They never do



So Here is a quick trick that you can do to avoid wastage and save that extra penny !
Freeze it in 6 easy steps
Step 1 : take a cookie sheet and layer it with aluminum foil
Step 2 : cut the plantain into round pieces about an inch wide
Step 3 : line up the pieces on the try
Step 4 : freeze the tray for minimum 4 hours,I froze mine overnight.
Step 5 : Take out each piece carefully and ziplock it.
Step 6 : label it and put a date on the pack



You are a genius !
The reason why we cut them and freeze individually is to avoid lump formation .
The end product has an excellent shelf life .believe it or not I have read ,if frozen they can be used for 1year to 18months ,so don't forget to put the date on the ziplock also I read that a full freezer works better than an empty one because there is more insulation and Thats why I would never post a snap of my freezer ,it's super packed ! Last week I tried freezing spinach which turned out well,Right now sleeping in my freezer are: artichoke hearts ,sweet corn,blueberries,strawberries,green peas ,spinach ,thyme and oregano from my herb garden and some chicken. Looking forward to freeze more in the future: ),so  that's all friends for this time.
Find recipe for frozen plantain :
http://eshkrish2009.blogspot.com/2011/03/smoothie



Thanks for joining me!