Celebrate the World Milk Day (June 1) with Unique Milkshakes

It is often said, “Milk is a complete food”. Milk contains calcium that promotes healthy bones and teeth. It is a great agent for skin rejuvenation. It protects us against heart attack. It helps in hydration. It also acts as resistant to fight against the deadly diseases such as cancer. It also prevents us from osteoporosis. This is a disease of bones that make our bones weak and fragile.

A baby lives entirely on mother’s milk. Just see how pure and rich this milk is! I love milk products such as cheese, butter, buttermilk, curd, yogurt and you know what milk recipes are my all time favorite. Hope you enjoyed rabri, the Indian recipe. So I thought of adding unique milk shakes to your life to celebrate the World Milk Day to the fullest.

• Lemon Meringue
  
   
  In a blender, mix 1 cup of each lemon sorbet and vanilla frozen yogurt with 1/4 cup milk along with 2 tablespoons of lemon curd. Pour the mixture into the glass. Beat 2 egg whites and 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff and soft peaks is obtained. Spoon onto the shake. Celebrated world milk day with this heavenly treat!!

• Corn Cereal Milkshake
  
  
  
  
  
  Add 1 1/2 cups sweetened corn cereal to 1 1/2 cups of hot milk. Keep stirring for 30 minutes. Strain it and freeze in an ice cube tray. Blend the frozen milk cubes, in a blender along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1 cup of cereal. Add more cereals on the top. Serve the chilled treat!!

• Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
  
  
  
  Broil 8 marshmallows in foil, turning them from time to time, until brown. Blend milk, adding 5 of the toasted marshmallows. Top with the remaining marshmallows. Serve chilled or warm, the choice is yours.

• Acai Milkshake
  
  In a blender, add 1 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup acai juice, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries along with 2 tablespoons of protein powder. Blend well. Top with ice if desired. Enjoy the delightful treat!!

• Fig and Port Milkshake
  

Simmer 1 cup of port. To it add 1/3 cup of chopped dried figs. Keep stirring until the liquid is reduced by half. Now cool it. Then blend with 1 tablespoon port again. Mix milk and sugar, layer in glasses with the port mixture. Beat the scorching summer with cool milkshake.

Tips to Quit Smoking - Anti-tobacco Day (May 31)

Thank you for loving my blog “tips for healthy teeth and gums”. I wanted to write something on Anti-tobacco Day as well. Tell me, how much we love our father? And why not? He is our Idol. Is he really our idol. Yes, we learn from our idols. But what if he is a chain smoker? Isn't it disgusting?

My friend, Jane was very disturbed by the smoking habit of her dad and nearly every day there used to be a fight in their house lest I suggested her some food that would lessen the craving for smoking. Within a month after taking this food plan, my friend’s family was a real happy family. I wanna share with you the list of diseases and consequences that generates while smoking:-

• Bronchitis and Emphysema
• Impotence
• Lung Cancer
• Mouth Diseases
• Heart Disease
• Strokes
• Miscarriage

On the Anti-tobacco Day, I would like to share some food items that will help to quit smoking. And the best part is that it really works if the diet is taken seriously and regularly. Tobacco contains nicotine. You are right, the nicotine in tobacco is what people are addicted to. Many people like Jane’s father can quit smoking, then why not you or your loved ones. Impossible is nothing, it’s just about the will power and the magic of the selected food.

1. Milk - Milk is very effective in quitting the smoking habit. Drinking a glass of milk every day an hour before the normal smoke time will do you good and also keep you healthy.

2. Omega-3 fatty food - Certain food textures like fish etc. can also help chain smokers to fight the craving to smoke. Crunchy food tends to be more satisfying for a quitter. Food like beans, fish and flax seeds are rich in Omega-3.

3. Popcorn - It is strange but true, popcorns play a vital role to quit smoking. You can have popcorns, without butter, to help stop those nasty urges of smoking. Popcorns give you that salty taste which does not tastes good while smoking. 

4. Salt - Try eating a lot of salted food inorder to quit smoking. The salt content in the food will help curbing the desire to smoke.

5. Turmeric - This is an Indian spice and is one of the best ingredients to add to any dish, especially if it is a South-Asian cuisine. This spice lowers the smoking urge for chain smokers.

6. Water - Drinking lot of water will to keep the body hydrated. It will keep your tummy full. This in turn will prevent you from urge to smoke.

7. Blueberries - Not only blueberries, but any type of berry will help you to stop smoking. Strawberries, cranberries, mulberries are some of the berries to help you quit smoking.

8. Cheese - Grab a piece of cheese to curb the urge to smoke. Salty cheese does wonders for people who want to stop smoking.

9. Celery - You can chew on fresh celery leaves to help you to quit smoking. Try variant vegetable salads containing celery for an otherwise healthy lifestyle also.

10. Cinnamon - Just inhaling deeply a cinnamon stick, mimics the deep drag on a flavorful cigarette. What a natural way! Chewing a small piece of cinnamon stick is very beneficial to curb your craving.

11. Dark Chocolate - If compared to milk chocolate, dark chocolate is the best for you to quit smoking. Munch a heavenly dark chocolate if you get the urge to smoke, you’ll love it.

12. Dried Fruits - Aroma of dried fruits help to lower the cravings to smoke. Consuming them on regular basis will also make a difference to stop smoking.

13. Ginger - Ginger is a natural agent to curb all urge for smokers. If you cannot consume a piece of ginger, grind it and mix it with a spoon of sugar and have it. It will help you to forget about the thought for smoking.

14. Herbal tea - There are various herbal tea available nowadays. Sipping on a hot glass of herbal tea of your flavor will help you in reducing the urge to smoke a cigarette.

15. Lean Meat - Do you know that all types of lean meats will help you quit smoking? Enjoy lean meat topped over bread or with mashed boiled potatoes and steamed rice. 

Stay fit and quit smoking!!

Chill with 6 Grills

Here are some unique food which you never thought could be grilled.

1. Potatoes - Potatoes are everyone’s favorite. We love potato fries, stir-fry, potato hash etc. Potato grill? It might sound strange but it’s true. There are 3 methods to do this.

a. Parboil the potatoes. Add coating of mustard plus mayonnaise of your choice to keep the potatoes moist. Grill and serve.

b. Take raw potatoes. Prepare the grill in such a manner, that it serves as heating agent from medium to high heat. Arrange the charcoals within the griller in such a manner. Cut slices of potatoes, neither too thin, nor too thick and grill. Enjoy the unique grilling experience.

c. One of best ways to cook potato on the grill is wrap them tightly in foil. Cover the grill. Your dish is ready within 40 minutes. Enjoy with lemon and pepper!

2. Eggs - We boil eggs, fry them, bake them but grilling eggs? Yes, we can certainly grill eggs. There are two methods to do this:-

a. If you are grilling eggs in the shell, place them over a hot grill. Cook until the shell is browned, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes and there you are.

b. Another method is to grill the eggs inside something else that will go on the grill. Crack the eggs into a halved bell pepper, portobello mushroom or a small muffin aluminium cup, then place it on a hot grill. Cook.

3. Octopus - You love grilled fish isn’t it? Have you thought of grilled octopus? The smoky flavor of a charcoal is what gives grilled octopus the real flavor. The time to grill depends on the thickness of octopus meat, you can check with knife. 

Grilling creates crispy exterior bits while the inner portion of the amazing seafood remains tender. Cut tentacles when ready. Serve with with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.

4. Watermelon - You may be a bit leery about grilling a watermelon, but trust me it is a must try for summer. Make a mixture of lime juice, honey, cayenne pepper and salt. Remove the seeds from watermelon. Cut into triangular pieces. Baste the mixture on the melons and grill 3 minutes per side. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Similarly you can grill peaches and strawberries.

5. Cake - This even surprised me when i first heard of it from a friend of mine. Grilling cake may sound odd but it gives a toasty texture. Pound cake or polenta cake are the best options. Enjoy the warm cake with your favorite ice-cream or maple syrup.

6. Cocktails - It is very common to add herbs like mint, citrusy bergamot or lavender. Grilling the herbs for a few seconds will bring out the herb's floral quality. Wow, aromatherapy in a glass.

Enjoy the summer with grilled food!

Smoothies for Weight Loss

1. Kale smoothie - Hope you liked my blog Crispy Kale Chips. So lemme start with the kale smoothie treat as well, coz I simply love it. Kale is known as the queen of greens. It helps in lowering cholesterol level and of course reducing weight. It makes a great smoothie too, lets see how. 

Ingredients:-

½ pear,

½ lemon,

1 cup kale,

¼ avocado,

½ cucumber,

½ inch ginger,

handful of cilantro,

½ cup coconut water,

1 scoop protein powder,

1 cup pure drinking water.

Method - Blend all ingredients for the refreshing smoothie.

2. Spirulina Smoothie - Cut down your fat with this unique smoothie. Spirulina is an algae, but can be consumed by animals and human beings, infact it’s very beneficial. It is rich in protein and boosts up immune system, regulates cholesterol and controls blood pressure.

Ingredients:-

½ banana,

¼ avocado,

½ cup blueberries,

½ cup almond milk,

1 teaspoon spirulina,

1 cup pure drinking water,

1 scoop vanilla protein powder.

Method - Blend all ingredients and enjoy this unique smoothie.

3. Belly Soother - As the name indicates, if you really wanna have a flat and sexy belly, go for this heavenly drink. Tummy can be treated by healthy dose of probiotics that is found in tangy kefir.

Ingredients:-

1 cup papaya,

1 tablespoon raw honey,

2 tablespoon lime juice,

1 cup coconut kefir or coconut milk.

Method - Blend all ingredients and enjoy the coconuty drink.

4. Strawberry Goji Smoothie - Beat the scorching summer with this smoothie. Natural goji berries is not only advantageous in reducing weight but have overall health benefits also. Goji berries is also used in making herbal tea, wine and medicines. It promotes longevity.

 Ingredients:-

1 frozen banana,

3 tablespoon Goji berries,

1 cup of coconut kefir water,

¼ cup frozen strawberries blueberries.

Method - Blend all ingredients together, relieve yourself from summer and also reduce weith with this tasty and healthy drink.

5. Fat Flush Smoothie - If you desire to have a flat belly, this ultra-cleansing smoothies is must for breakfast. Bit spicy due to garlic but it’s an absolute tangy treat. The results will keep asking you for more and more of it.

Ingredients:-

1 radish,

2 garlic cloves,

3 medium carrots,

1 medium red beet,

large handful of parsley.

Method - Blend all ingredients. Stained if desired. Have a pulpy treat for better results. Enjoy!

Grilled Vegan Sandwiches - The Vegan Recipe

Are you fond of vegan sandwiches? You need to delete cream cheese. Hey, not really!! There is non-dairy vegan cream cheese available that will satisfy your tingling taste buds and blend very well with the veggies. You’ll find the recipe below.

Grilled Vegan Sandwiches are my all time favorite. Zucchini lowers the cholesterol and helps in weight management. It is good for heart and also prevents cancer. Varieties of mushrooms are available. Anyone would do whether they are enokitake, buna-shimeji, bunapi-shimeji, king oyster mushroom or shiitake. Red bell peppers are excellent source of fiber, folate, vitamin K and minerals. Tomatoes are not only tasty but they are rich source of potassium and vitamins.

They reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They are filled with nutrients and antioxidants. Basil is an amazing healing agent. You can also use whole wheat bread instead of the normal one. And the best part is that these sandwiches can be served hot or cold. You don’t even need to disturb your sleep. Your hubby can grab the sandwich directly from the fridge. They are excellent lunch box delight and a good way to feed your kids. They can be carried away for picnics as well. Beneficial ain’t they? Here we have the mouth watering ‘Grilled Vegan Sandwiches’, absolute delight..

Ingredients:-

1 small zucchini,

1 red bell pepper,

5 sliced mushrooms,

1 medium sliced tomato,

1/4 teaspoon salt,

1/4 teaspoon black pepper,

a few leaves dried basil,

2 tablespoon vegetable cream cheese,

a few leaves spinach,

4 slices brown bread lightly toasted.

Preparation Method:-

1. Cut zucchini lengthwise into 4 (1/4-inch thick) slices. Cut pepper in fourths, remove seeds. Coat both sides of zucchini, pepper and mushrooms with cooking spray.

2. Place zucchini and peppers on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and broil for 2 minutes. Remove from grill; sprinkle with salt, pepper and sweet basil leaves.

4. Spread cream cheese on toast. Layer zucchini, pepper, mushrooms, and tomato on two slices of toast; add spinach if desired.

5. Top with remaining toast slices. Cut each sandwich in half!!

Ingredients for homemade vegan cream cheese:-

1 block organic extra firm tofu,

1 cup organic raw cashews,

1/4 cup hummus,

2 tablespoon lemon juice,

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar,

2 tablespoon agave.

Preparation method for homemade vegan cream cheese:-

1. Wrap tofu in a towel and press out moisture.

2. Soak cashews in water for at least 30 minutes. Add all ingredients into blender or food processor.

3. Puree on high for about 3 minutes. Chill for a firmer texture. Enjoy vegan cream cheese.

Stay fit!!

Eggplant Wrapped Mushrooms - Vegan Recipe

Have a look at an interesting vegan recipe. Since the Barbeque CookingCompetition is approaching in Panama, I wanted to share this vegan recipe of mine with my folks. Though non vegetarian skewers are heart of any party, vegan delights will equally add to the mood and that is for sure. This is a healthy treat as I have used Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce and the best of oil, olive oil.

Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce is made up of whole soybeans and no wheat at all. It has richer and milder taste compared to the ordinary soya sauce. King oyster mushrooms are really yummy and have proved to be great antioxidants. They are rich in vitamin C, B1 and B2. They have good amount of zinc, iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Olive oil prevents deadly diseases like cancer and cardiac arrest. It is helpful if one is suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes or stress. Have a look at this vegan delight!!

Ingredients

For Eggplant Marinade:-

1 sliced eggplant,

1/4 cups olive oil,

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar,

2 tablespoons brown sugar,

2 teaspoons smoked paprika,

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin,

2 cloves garlic minced.

2 tablespoons organic tamari gluten free soy sauce,

For the King Oyster Mushroom:-

3 King Oyster Mushrooms sliced,

2 tablespoons olive oil,

2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce,

1 teaspoon agave or brown sugar,

1/4  teaspoon garlic  powder,

1/4 teaspoon onion powder.

Preparation Method:-

1. Mix all the ingredients (under eggplant marinade) except the eggplant until well blended in a flat baking dish.

2. Lay the eggplant slices in the marinade for about 10 minutes. Turning to coat both sides. Grill the eggplant either on the grill or a grill pan.

3. Mix all the ingredients (under King Oyster Mushroom) except the mushrooms in a large bowl. Toss in the mushrooms and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

4. Turn them to coat, especially the top flat ends. Add just a hint of oil to a skillet and heat to medium high.

5. Place the mushrooms in the skillet flat sides down. Sear about a minute and a half on each side. Keep a watch on them so that they don’t burn.

6. Wrap a slice of grilled eggplant around each seared mushroom and place a toothpick in the side center to hold the eggplant in place.

Best of Luck for the competition!!