mayurisjikoni

Merry Berries    Berries in true sense are not the berries we all know... strawberries, mulberries, raspberries, blackberries etc. These in the botanical world are known as aggregate fruits. Berries are fruits produced from a single ovary. So in botanical sense tomatoes, cucumber, eggplants, bananas, pumpkins, melons are berries. Did you know that grapes too are berries? Yes they are.    However for our FoodieMonday/Bloghop #123rd theme, Berries we meant berries that we normally know. We had to prepare something using berries. Berries are small pulpy and often edible fruits. Before food was cultivated, berries were gathered by primitive men as a source of food, many animals feed on berries. It's probably presumed that during prehistoric time men may have sampled berries that animals consumed to supplement their diet.    Berries are considered power food, having the highest amount of antioxidants. Blackberries, goji berries and Indian Gooseberries (amla) to...

a healthy treat   These days the new health rage is seeds like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, any thing that is coconut, mixture of fruits and vegetables. The list is endless. Even before chia seeds came onto the market, India has been using falooda seeds, Basil seeds or takmariya or sabja as its commonly known in faloodas and added in milk to give a cool refreshing drink. I remember pestering my mum to add spoonfuls of takmariya in my milk. She would tell me that too much is not good. Contrary to her belief basil seeds and chia seeds are very healthy.  There are slight difference between basil and chia seeds.  While basil seeds are derived from basil plant which is mainly found in the Mediterranean region and Indian Sub -Continent, chia is derived from a plant called Salvia Hispanica, a type of mint mainly found in Mexico and Guatemala.  The word chia comes from the Aztec word which means strength. Chia seeds can be eaten raw or soaked whereas basil seeds have ...

My first experience with an ice cream maker  My first visit to Canada last year was full of excitement and my son tried to make it special in every respect. He froze loads of blueberries for us as it would have been out of season by the time we reached there. I was obviously excited to try out Neel's ice cream maker. Read the instructions properly, browsed the internet to know to use frozen fruits to make ice cream. There was no one recipe I followed, took what I thought would work for me from here and there and made soft serve blueberry ice cream. My son and hubby were excited but I was like a little kid, over excited. We couldn't even wait to put the ready ice cream in the freezer to let it set a bit more. Soft serve it was for dessert.    I really couldn't believe how easy it was to make the ice cream. The left over ice cream was put away in a freeze proof container and into freezer. The next day in our excitement to have the ice cream we forget to a picture of the wel...

a cool breakfast   Woke up a bit late after tossing and turning half the night as it was pretty humid. Suddenly it has become very hot in Montreal. After doing a bit of housework, it was time for breakfast. Didn't want to have toast, cereal or anything hot. Out came the yogurt and fruit. Instead of having everything on its own I made a nice cool smoothie. Filling, cooling, satisfying and delicious. I love using Neel's Gordan Ramsey 3 in one hand blender. Within seconds had the smoothie ready. Its a powerful blender. Try out  a smoothie with all sorts of fruit and yogurt.   Blueberries contain anthocyanin antioxidants, are an excellent source of  manganese and Vitamin C. Low in fat, and are said to help fight urinary tract infections. Blueberries also help in improving memory and are good for the skin. BLUEBERRIES AND GRAPES SMOOTHIE 1 Serving ½ cup blueberries ½ cup red seedless grapes ½ cup thick yogurt (use flavoured or plain) ½ cup crushed ice Wash the fruits and ...

 carry away breakfast     The baking bug does not stay away from me for too long.Have been busy baking some of the already blogged recipes. I had this muffin recipe in my book for quite a while and I finally got down to baking them yesterday. Its amazing how quickly one can make muffins once all the ingredients are at hand. The muffins turned out just right.... soft, not too sweet and healthy. Ideal carry away breakfast for all those who don't have time to eat breakfast... walk and eat, eat in the train,car or for break, its filled with loads of all good things. Kids will love it in the lunch boxes. Please don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. BREAKFAST MUFFINS makes about 24 small ones ¾ cup wheat flour (atta) ¾ cup plain flour (all purpose flour) ½ cup of quick cooking oats ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed ¼ cup flaxseed powder, coarse ¼ cup raisins ¼ cup chopped walnuts ¼ cup dried blueberries ¼ cup chocolate chips 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp soda bicarbonat...