Coolest drink for summer!

Hello from hot and humid Chennai! It will be 2 months soon since we are in Chennai. We came here in the first week of April, it was just as humid and hot as it is today. Officially the start date of summer is May 15th. Although I don't agree. The summer for me started on April 2nd for me....the date I arrived.


If you are happened to be in one of such climates where you feel that you need some drink that really cools you down, this is the drink you should try. It has all the cooling ingredients. I just decided to put all the cool things together and the results had to be amazing. It has fresh coconut water, mint leaves, chia seeds, and cardamom and a squeeze of lemon.

I know it's not the best picture, but this is what I was able to capture sine I am some 8000 miles away from my SLR....:( I took this one with a random Nokia phone, the name of which I am not even curious to know.

Getting back to the drink.....

I think cardamom really takes it to another level. There are two types of cardamom used in Indian cooking. One is big black cardamom, which is usually used in heavy dishes like biryani, pulav , punjabi currys and the other is green cardamom which is used in light and sweet dishes like kheer, and drinks and such. It's a great digestive tonic, has awesome anti- inflammatory, anti- microbial, diuretic properties and helps in detoxification of body. It also has soothing effect on muscles, nervous system and gives mental clarity.

So here it goes-:

• Fresh coconut water of 1 coconut.
• Mint leaves just slightly teared apart with your hands.
• Chia seeds- about 2 tbsp
• Green Cardamom- about 2-3, peel and discard the outer shell and use only small black seeds which are inside. Crush them and add.
• A squeeze of lemon. Lemon if you are drinking in the morning and lime if you are drinking in the evening. Lemon makes your body alkaline if you have it in the morning and acidic if you are having it in the evening. Always use lemon in the mornings and lime in the evenings.

Mix well keep it for about 15 minutes to let the flavors come together and then indulge...:) The chia seeds will swell, the mint leaves will release nice aroma and flavor, cardamom will do it's job and your body will bless you about 2 hours later. That's right, at this very moment as I am writing this blog entry, I could feel my body feeling cool from inside, and I am not feeling restless as I feel every evening due to the hot conditions here in Chennai.

The one thing you should always have on your list when you visit south indian cities like Chennai, is SPICES. Oh..boy I can't stress it more, they are local and fresh, the smell makes me feel like living here forever.( I hope my hubby is not reading this..:)) The freshness is something that will last on your tongue forever. It's unbelievable!!!

Another thing you should have on your list is a visit to Nalli Silks while in South India. Absolutely gorgeous collection that one shouldn't miss..:)

Oh.. and the drink will be shared on Zesty South Indian Kitchen's Favorite Recipes Event:Drinks.
Thanks Swathi for hosting the event and let me link it to it. I hope you will like my addition.

A friend of mine has shared this amazing song on FB that I want you all to listen to. It's been just an hour and I am already hooked on to it. Loving it. I guess it's perfect background for writing a blog post.

Here it goes...Enjoy!!

Oats Almond Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Back to back second sweet post! Hmm.....After all, it's the holiday season we are talking about..:) This is a wonderful idea for an edible holiday gift for your friends and family! Make sure you double or even triple the batch, if you are gifting them because you might gobble them even before packing them as a gift...:)

These chewy gooey cookies are super simple to make and you almost can't resist eating them when they are warm and just right out of the oven. They are filled with goodness, right from the flavor to the nutrition. The oat and the almond flour provides you the protein and the chocolate chips does their part of providing antioxidants without sacrificing the taste..:) If you keep the sugar part to minimum, (which I always do) eating a cookie in the morning in your breakfast, is not at all a bad idea.

These cookies make a great portable edible holiday gift...!



Of course I can't take credit for this delicious recipe. It goes to Richa of VeganRicha.

Ingredients-:
Makes 16-18 about 2 inch cookies.

• 1/2 cup raw almond flour
• 1/4 cup almond milk( add few tbsp more if you feel that the dough is dry and doesn't come together.)
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2-3 tbsp of lightly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 th tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil.( optional if you want chewier cookies)
• Chocolate chips- as many as you want (I used vegan chocolate chips from Whole Foods.)
• Cinnamon powder- 2 tsp ( Any spice of your choice , ginger powder would also be great in this cold weather.)

Method-:

• In a bowl, mix almond flour, oat flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and the spices of your choice. Mix well.
• Add almond milk and coconut oil to the mixture and mix everything together for about couple of minutes until the mixture gets all wet and forms a slightly sticky dough. The mixture should also be sticky at the same time.
• Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.
• After 20 minutes, remove from the fridge and If the dough looks dry and doesn't come together, add a tsp of almond milk.roll the dough into balls, shape them like a cookie and then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about 17-19 minutes depending how big you have shaped your cookies. 
• Cool ( if you can wait that long..:))and enjoy!!

These kiddos are going to Eggless Bakes and Treat event and to Let's cook edible gifts for Christmas event

Raw Almond Cacao Truffles

It will be almost a month since I have posted a  new recipe! I have been just cooking and cooking and not getting enough time to actually sit and type in front of computer. As a result I now have too many drafts sitting back there. I decided to break the long break with this delicious Raw Almond cacao Truffles. Vegan, delicious chewy brown balls are so fun to share this holiday season!

Since the holidays are in the air, I have been cooking a lot of sweet stuff lately. Not everything is worth landing up on the blog, since I have been experimenting a lot.

These cuties are our this year's holiday favorites and  I will be making at least  2 more batches before the holiday season ends just because they are so simple to make and are guilt-free at the same time. Almonds, cacao powder, dates and almond milk that's it!!

Let's dive in-:

Ingredients-: Makes about 24 pieces

• Raw almonds- 2 cups
• Medjool Dates(Deseeded)- 12  Soak them for 15 minutes
• 4-5 tbsp of Almond milk or any non-dairy milk
• 1/4th cup of cacao powder
• A pinch of salt.

Method-:

• In a food processor, blend in the almonds, salt and cacao powder to a fine flour like consistency.
• Add the dates and blend well by pulsing. 
• Add almond milk or the milk of your choice so that the mixture starts to come together.
• With the help of small spoons drop the mixture on to a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
• Remove from freezer and roll into round balls and then coat with the cacao powder.
• You can store in the refrigerator for upto 1 week if they can last that long..:)
• Serve at room temperature.

These truffles are going to Let's party- eggless bakes and treats, also linking CookCookandCook, and Thoushaltcook and also to grand festive feasts.

Thanks to my dear friend Swapna for the nice serving platter!

Recipe source- http://www.ohladycakes.com/2012/09/raw-cacao-truffles.html