Pineapple Mango Mint Cooler

Today this recipe happened with no intentions in my kitchen and became the winner recipe especially to beat the heat in this season. The touch of Mango in this Pineapple cooler gives the bright color to make it look bold and beautiful and the mint adds a twisting touch to your taste buds. 

Pineapple Mango Mint Cooler

As the Pineapple getting ripe which is sitting sadly in my fruit basket gave me hints that I had to make some thing with it before it get's rotten and useless. But I bought the pineapple to try different salsa variations with it and the less leisure time didn't cooperate to make it happen. Next time I will try those recipes, but today we can settle cool with this Cooler recipe. Here is the recipe, Njoy!

Ingredients:

Pineapple cut-up - 1 cup

Mango - 1/3 cup

Mint - 1 Tbsp ( chopped)

Ice cubes - 1/2 cup ( cubed)

Sugar - 1 Tbsp

salt - 1/8 tsp

Water - 2 cups

Method:

Grind Pine apple, salt, sugar, mint leaves, thoroughly.  Add mango and grind it one more time. Add ice cubes and grind roughly so that ice gets crushed. Now Add water and pulse it on high for few times. Transfer this into glass pitcher and keep it cool in the refrigerator until before serving. 

Serve to your Guests to beat the the heat in this season and to the make the meet-greet memorable. Njoy!

Notes:

A little touch of Salt always enhances the Pineapple flavor, hence I have added a pinch of salt in this recipe, it's hard to notice in the taste though, but it twists the taste of pineapple flavor overall. 

Be Cool in this Summer with this Cooler Recipe..

Take care until we meet here again!

-Mythreyi

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Basil Pesto ( Fresh from my Garden)

Basil Pesto is a Italian base light and flavorful sauce that enriches the Pasta or veggies like Boiled Potatoes and Green Beans. I have tried Basic Pesto Tilapia and Chicken Breast  and they are winner recipes for my non-veg lovers at home. I have never tried store bought Pesto nor tried this with Dry Basil so I can't speak up for the freshness of it when you don't use fresh ingredients in this recipe. I used to always get the Fresh Sweet Basil ( or Italian Basil) from the Sprouts Farmers Market and make this sauce fresh from scratch. Now I am growing the Basil successfully in my garden there is no dearth for fresh Basil in my kitchen, when ever I think of Basil Pesto it can happen in my kitchen at least for this season. Here is the fresh Basil Pesto sauce recipe, Njoy!

 Ingredients:
Fresh Basil Leaves - 2 cups
Pine Nuts - 1/2 cup
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Parmesan Cheese - 1/3 cup
salt - 1 tsp
black pepper - 1/2 tsp
garlic - 5 cloves ( or 1 Tbsp of minced garlic)

Method:
Grind the Garlic Cloves, Pine Nuts in the Food Processor until they are roughly chopped. Now keep adding the chopped basil leavees to the food procssor. Add salt and black pepper, keep adding the Olive Oil while the Food Processor is running in between. Add the Parmesan Cheese at the end and process it until it is well combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings and add some more olive oil at the end and grind it well as it becomes a smooth paste. Trasnfer this to a bowl and add to the Cooked Pasta along with veggies or chicken or fish.

Flavors in this sauce are quite addictive..!

This less creamy and rich flavor sauce on pasta is quite addictive, it is perfect dish for your lunch box to awaken your taste buds on your tired afternoon at work.  Since I started making this sauce fresh in my ktichen several Pasta Recipes are witnessed by my family. Now it's your turn to try it on.....Do let me know your experience with this fresh flavorful Basil Pesto.....!

Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe comes next.....!


Keep Visitng, will be back with one more great recipe,
Until then take care
-Mythreyi

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Eggless Chocolate Loaf Cake ( No Egg & No Butter)

Since I made the Pound Cake from scratch, there is delight in Abhi's School snack box. But after 2 batches of this  plain pound cake Abhi wanted some of his favorite to show up in his snack box, that is obviously Chocolate. So I was in search of very simple homemade chocolate cake recipes and come across this simple and hassle-free recipe on Martha's Cake Collections. And it happened to be the Egg Less and Butter Less version, you might be wondering about the Taste then, You don't believe how many compliments this cake got from my family and friends. I have already made 6 batches of this cake, because this is such a simple and quick recipe.



The texture of this beautiful cake is very spongy and the flavor is very rich and it's mildly sweet. It's heavenly when you serve one piece of this cake with plain vanilla scoop of ice-cream. The original recipe called for 1 cup water, I have replaced that with milk which added richness to texture and taste. If you want vegan version, then replace the milk with water in this recipe. I have tried different variations with this cake, with Semi Sweet Coca Powder, Extra Dark Coca Powder, Walnuts, raisins, and Almonds. So far the best i liked is using Extra Dark Coca Powder and Chopped Almonds spread on top the cake.  Here is the recipe, njoy!



Ingredients:

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Recipes

All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp (Kosher Salt)
Unsweetened Coca Powder - 3 Tbsp
Vegetable Oil - 1/3 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
White Vinegar - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven fro 350 F or 180 C. Butter the Bread Loaf pan generously or brush with oil or spray inside with the PAM oil.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (except sugar)  APF, Baking Soda, Salt , Coca Powder in a medium bowl and keep it aside.
3. Take another medium  bowl, add Vegetable Oil, Milk, Vanilla Extract and Vinegar and mix it with a whisk until everything combines. Now add the Sugar to this bowl and whisk it more until sugar dissolves. 
4. Now sieve the dry flour mixture into a plate. add this flour mixture to the bowl in 3 batches while mixing it gently with wide spoon or spatula. 
5. Pour this mixture into the prepared Loaf Pan. Bake it for 50 min. ( based on your oven temperature keep watching after 45 min, to avoid any burns on the top).
6. Switch off the oven and take it out from the oven and let it cool for 5 min, invert the pan into a wide plate by tapping on all sides, your perfect chocolate loaf cake will be settled on to the plate. Give 10 min for cooling, then slice into 1 inch loafs and store them in air-tight container.  

It stores fresh up to 1 week outside. Of course it's hard to last that long in our house with full of chocolate lovers.

After 40 to 45 min, your kitchen will be filled with chocolaty aroma, that you can't miss to come to oven to watch it. At my home the aroma attracts my kids and Vj towards the oven and they will be waiting when it will be out and when they can get a piece of warm fresh homemade chocolate loaf cake....



Notes:

• Kosher Salt is less saltier than normal salt, these days I am adding Kosher Salt wherever the recipe is called for salt, I have noticed the texture and taste is good with Kosher Salt addition. 

Have a Great Sunday!
-Mythreyi

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Tomato Cilantro Chutney

This is a quick and simple chutney, loaded with the tanginess flavor from tomatoes while the cilantro herb gives a lift for this routine tomato. Usually I make this Chutney when my Fridge is loaded with Tomatoes. :-) Yes, Yes some times it happens for me that, bright and juicy cluster Tomatoes at Sprouts always attracts me I end up buying more than I need for a week ( especially when they are on sale). This Chutney comes handy in those times, and usually it tastes very good with White Rice, but these days this Chutney combination with Dosa is became a hit too. So try out and let me know how do you like this with Soft Dosa. Here is the recipe, Njoy!

Tomato Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients:
Cluster Tomato - 3
Green Chili - 4
Garlic - 3
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1/3 cup
salt - 1 tsp

Tempering:
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Red Chili - 1
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 5 to 6

Method:

1. Heat the Non-stick pan on the Stove and add Oil.  Once the oil is hot add Urad Dal, Cumin Seeds, Green Chili, Garlic saute them for 1 min. 
2. Add chopped tomatoes to the pan. Let them simmer until tomatoes will be juicy. ( for 3 min).
3. Add Cilantro to the pan and let it saute along with tomatoes for 2 min. 
4. Switch off the stove and let it cool for 10 min.
5. Now grind the tomato mixture in the Mixie ( or magic bullet) add the salt in between. Taste and Adjust the seasoning. Transfer this into a serving bowl.

Tempering:
Heat Oil in the pan, Once the oil is hot, add the chana dal, mustard seeds, once they start spluttering add the curry leaves and switch off the stove and add this tempering to the Chutney!

Now enjoy this yummy and tangy chutney with Rice or Dosa.


Check out more Chutney Recipes here.


Will be back with another great recipe,
Until then take care
-Mythreyi

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Angel Hair Pasta with Mushrooms and Peas

These days I have been making lot of different pastas for supper, Vj and Kids have been enjoying the pasta recipes for Supper. So far, I have tried elbows, macaroni, penne, shells, spaghetti etc Today it's Angel Hair's turn to get twisted in my hands. As this pasta is pretty long and like Noodles, kids will have difficulty in eating, so today I have tried a trick. Before cooking the pasta I have broken them at the middle into half, that resulted in medium length pasta which is convenient for kids. That trick worked great and Kids enjoyed the pasta. here is the recipe, Njoy!

 

Ingredients:
Angel Hair Pasta - 1 small packet ( or a fistful)
Mushrooms - 1/2 cup
Green Peas - 1/2 cup ( frozen)
Olive Oil - 2 Tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves ( minced)
Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce - 1 cup ( I have used Muir Glen Organic Pasta Sauce)
Dry Basil - 1 tsp
salt  - 1/2 tsp
black pepper - 1/4 tsp

Angel Hair Pasta broken into half

Method:

1. Cook the Pasta according to package directions and set it in a colander and let it cool.
2. In a sauce pan add 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic (to get the effect of garlic infused oil). Add chopped Mushrooms to the pan and saute them well until they are soft ( for 3 to 4 min), 
3. Add the thawed green peas to the pan and saute them for 1 min. Add salt, black pepper and dry basil.
4. Now add the Pasta Sauce to the pan and toss it together with veggies.

How to Serve It:
Add cooked pasta to the Serving plate, top with some olive oil. Now add Pasta Sauce with veggies to the pasta. Sprinkle some Parmesan Cheese. Serve immediately with red wine. Hmmmm Flavorful Bliss!




Notes:

• Do not wash the Mushrooms, wipe them with wet towel to clean the dirt. Remove the stem and chop them into slices. Cleaning Mushrooms wiht water will make it soggy in yoru dishes.
• Do not add pasta to the Sauce pan and mix it together. Angel hair pasta is very delicate and it can break quickly making your pasta distorted.
• Do not over heat the Olive Oil.
• You can other Garden vegetables like Carrot and Broccoli to add some color and crunch.

Hope you have enjoyed this simple and quick Pasta recipe!

Take care until we meet here again

-Mythreyi

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Chili Cauliflower ( Baked Version) ~ Low Calorie Recipes

Recently I have introduced several Color Cauliflowers to my readers, I have made Colorful Cauliflower Bake with Purple Cauliflower and made Cauliflower CousCous Salad with Green Cauliflower and today I made this Chili Cauliflower with Orange Cauliflower. If Cauliflower is one common thing in all these recipes, then Low Calorie and Healthy touch is another common thing.

Chili Cauliflower w/ Orange Cauliflower

In original version of this recipe you have to deep fry the battered cauliflowers, use food color, use Ajonomato ( msg) to get the perfect taste and texture for this zesty dish. But I have skipped all these 3 unhealthy steps and still managed to get the beautiful and bright, and sizzling and slurpy appetizer or snack. Thanks to Orange Cauliflower and bringing the natural color to this dish and thanks to my oven for doing it's job and keeping this dish healthy. This recipe almost walks in the same steps of Chili Panner with slight variations. Hope you will like and enjoy this healthy touch to this popular Indo-Chineese dish. Here is the recipe, Njoy!

Ingredients:
Cauliflower Florets - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Hot Sauce - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

For Chili Sauce:
Oil - 1 Tsp
Soy Sauce - 1 Tbsp
White Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 Tbsp ( chopped)
Chili - 1 tsp ( chopped)
Tomato Sauce - 1 tsp
Red Chili Sauce - 1 tsp
Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup ( chopped) ( optional)
Spring Onions - 1 Tbsp

Method:

1. Wash the cauliflower florets under luke-warm water. Set a side in colander to drain the excess water. 
2. Take a medium bowl , Add Olive Oil, salt, black pepper, red chili powder and Hot Sauce to make the batter.  Coat the cauliflowers with this seasoning. Place the coated florets in non-stick baking sheet and bake them for 30 -35 min at 350 F.
3. 
4. Heat the non-stick pan and add Oil to it. Once the oil is hot add chopped green chili, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger garlic paste, Saute for 2 min. If you are using, add Green or Red Bell Pepper cubes and saute for 1 min. 
5. Add chopped garlic, followed by Red Chili sauce and finally add tomato sauce ( to add mild sweetness and color). 
6. Add the baked cauliflower florets to the pan with Chili Sauce and mix well and finally garnish with Chopped Spring Onions and switch off the stove. 
7. Transfer this into Serving Bowl and serve warm as appetizer or serve as a snack with coffee or chai. 

The colors in this recipe are so beautiful that i couldn't stop clicking... Here is one more... feast to the eyes..




More Related Categroies:

• Cauliflower Recipes
• Indo Chinese Recipes
• Savory Bakes

Take care until we meet here again...
-Mythreyi

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Coconut Chutney with Red Chilies

Coconut Chutney is popular and pretty common on breakfast tables in Southern parts of India. This recipe is very easy and made with raw grated coconut. Actually this chutney lifts the flavor of Idlis and Dosas, Everybody agrees that, with out this chutney Idlis and Dosas won't be that much cheerful on your breakfast plates.

Coconut Chutney with Red Chilies

Usually this chutney is made with green chilies, but some times I prepare everything to make this chutney will come to know that I am out of green chilies then I replace the green chilies with red chilies to get this bright and bold Chutney with out missing anything in the taste and flavor, more over Red Chilies will give a Spice Boost to this Chutney.  This tastes very good when you make it with fresh coconut pieces, but in US it is hard to find the fresh coconut always, you can make this with dry coconut powder.

Ingredients:
Fresh Grated Coconut - 1 cup ( or 5 medium pieces)
Red Chili - 3
Tamarind - 2 tsp ( small lemon size)
garlic - 2 cloves
cumin seeds  - 1 tsp
Peanuts - 1 Tbsp ( optional)
Oil - 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
salt - 1 tsp

Method:
Heat the non-stick pan and add oil to it. Add red chili, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and saute them for 1 min. Add tamarind, garlic, peanuts to the pan and saute for 1 min, finally add the fresh grate coconut and switch of the stove immediately. Take it off from the stove and Let it completely cool.

Once it is cooled, grind it ( in the mixie or magic bullet or food processor) along with salt and adding water little by little until it becomes into a paste.

Transfer this into a serving bowl and top with Indian Tempering and serve with your Idlis or Dosas.

Today I have served the Kottimeera Dosa (recipe comes next...) with this Chutney and the whole family indulged the complete South Indian breakfast meal.

Notes:

• If you don't have fresh coconut handy, use dry coconut powder
• Peanuts are optional in this recipe, when i make this recipe for breakfast items then only i add peanuts to change the consistency.
• When you make this chutney go well with Rice, then skip the peanuts.
• Coriander seeds pairs well with red chilies in this recipe, When i make coconut chutney with green chilies i don't add coriander seeds.

Take care until we meet here
-Mythreyi

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