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Through the blazing summer
heat it is essential to rejuvenate your body, mind and
soul in order to be calm and compose. “Mocktails and
Snacks” refreshing drinks to beat the scorching summer
heat and lite snacks which are easy to your stomach. Try
"Healthy juices” to stay healthy this summer and
revitalize your mind and soul here are couple of recipes
which would help you to beat the heat.
With the temperature
soaring, buttermilk, coconut water, and fruit juice are
in great demand, but not many of us know that other than
the staple summer coolants mentioned above, there are a
range of foods to choose from.
Ragi, kokum, palmyra fruit, panna, thandai, rose, phalsa
and mogra sherbets are all excellent summer food.
Thandai:
It is a milk-based drink
made of almonds, khus khus ( poppy seeds ) fennel seeds,
tulsi seeds (sabza), musk melon seeds, rose petals and
peppercorns. Most of the ingredients used in the making
of thandai are coolants and have a soothing effect on
the intestine.
Ragi:
It is an excellent source
of both iron and calcium. A traditional drink is made
with ground ragi and buttermilk and consumed during
summer
Ragi is a millet which is high in fibre. it thus makes a
good food group for diabetic, heart patients, weight
watchers, and people with low blood count.
Kokum: (Mangosteen)
Its powder and decoction is
useful to prevent dehydration, loss of nutrients,
improve digestion and appetite. It regulates the
cardiovascular system, cleanses the blood and fights
infections. Kokum sherbet is used as a coolant. The
fruit is rich in citric acid, malic acid, acetic acid,
carbohydrate, ascorbic acid and garcinol.
Palmyra fruit:
Palmyra fruit, locally
called munjal, belongs to the coconut family.
This fruit is not contaminated with chemicals and is the
most sought after fruit in summer. It keeps up the
glucose levels and helps withstand the heat. It provides
the right balance of nutrition comprising glucose,
minerals and other necessary nutrients.
Panna (Panha) :
It is mixture raw mango,
sugar, water and lime. Made with fresh raw mangoes,
abundant in the summer months, Kayree Panha is from the
state of Maharashtra in Western India. It is a
sweet-sour-spicy drink is known for the cooling effect
it has on the body Sherbets:
Sherbets can be made from
rose petals, jasmine (mogra), sandalwood, phalsa and
kokum. All these serve as refreshing summer drinks.
So now go ahead and beat the heat by adding the above
mentioned foods to your diet !
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Beat the scorching summer
heat by trying out this cool invigorating drink.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups plain yoghurt
• 3 cups chilled water
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 stalk curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ginger grated
• 1 green chilli
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil
Procedure:
• Beat curds with whipper till smooth.
• Add water, churn well.
• Squeeze ginger juice in buttermilk.
• Add salt. Break chilli into two halves.
• Heat a small pan, add oil.
• When hot, add seeds and allow to splutter.
• Add curry leaves, chilli, and pour while sizzling, in
buttermilk.
• Dip pan in buttermilk if possible, remove.
• Add coriander leaves, stir to mix everything.
• Pour into a large ceramic, glass or earthen pot or
jug.
• Chill for one or two hours till required.
• Serve chilled as a cool refreshing drink or with rice.
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Well! There are infinite ways to prepare
salads, and they are for the most part healthy. But have
you ever sat and figured out the calories, sodium
content or saturated fat levels in the dressing and
whether some vegetables may harm you if you have certain
pre-existing health conditions? We will get to all those
things, but first, here's a standard crash course on
preparing salads called Salad 101.
Today, we are going to show you how to prepare salads
that range from the very basic greens to the exotic
ingredient varieties that pack in a truckload of
nutrition.
Toss it! Crisp Green Salad
Here's a crisp, green salad that can shape up any weight
loss effort, all the while throwing in a nutritional
sixer (serves 6).
Ingredients:
4 cups Romaine lettuce
4 cups spinach
1.5 cups juicy ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, cut into chunks
2 tsp olive oil
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt, (optional -- avoid if on a low salt
diet)
1/4 tsp black pepper to taste
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
Optional add-ons: A few sliced olives, diced sun-dried
tomatoes, a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.
Method:
Rinse and spin dry the lettuce and spinach leaves.
Tear into bite-sized pieces and place in a salad bowl.
Add the cubed tomatoes and cucumber to the leaves in the
salad bowl.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Mix the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl
and keep aside.
Pour dressing over the salad just before serving.
Add the chopped walnuts.
Toss the ingredients gently to mix them well. |
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Ingredients:
Arhar/toordal :250gms .
Water:4 cups
Green mangoes :4 medium sized, peeled and cut into 6/8
pieces each lengthwise
Turmeric:1 tsp,
Onionseeds /kalojire :1/2 tsp.
Green chilies:4-6 slit ,
Salt to taste,
Sugar :1-2 tsps or to taste,
Ghee :1 tsp
Method:
Wash dal and stir into boiling water. Add turmeric and
after stirring, continue cooking for about 20 minutes.
Add the green mangoes, green chilies and salt to taste.
Continue cooking until green mangoes are soft but not
mushy. Add sugar to taste.
In a karai/wok heat ghee and add onion seeds. Cook until
onion seeds stop spluttering and pour over dal. Stir
well. Bring to boil once and remove from fire.
This dal tastes best served at room temperature. A good
accompaniment with rice during summer. |
