Banana Apple Breakfast Smoothie

I love munching on apple and even my kids. For ages I had never added any apples to my smoothies. And then one of those days when you run out of fruits and veggies to put in your smoothie and you look around.... yeah, that particular moment apples called my name. I said why not, just skip eating it today.. I never use sugar in my smoothies. Boy, I was glad that day, since I realized how sweet they are.. It was actually too sweet for me. But now it's become my sweet tooth fixer. :o) Here is how I do it, but you can make so many variations to it. I keep the skin on apples, since most of the fibers are out in the skin. Just rinse thoroughly to remove the wax on outer layer and you are good to go.

Prep Time: 5 min. | Makes : 8 oz.

Ingredients:

Banana - 1 (peeled)
Apple - 1 small (I usually use Gala apples)
Baby Carrots (optional) - 3
Instant Oatmeal - 1/2 Cup
Cold Almond/ Soy/ 2% Milk - 1/2 Cup
Cold Water - 1/2 Cup



Method of Preparation:

~ In a blender cup add water, milk and instant oatmeal.
~ Cut apple into four pieces and remove the seeds.
~ Add apple chunks, carrots and banana to the blender and mix until smooth. 
~ Enjoy the smoothie as it brightens up your day! :o)

Note: For kids, you can skip or add little oatmeal and add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.


Sending this delicious dessert to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Pineapple Casserole - A low calorie version

I first had eaten pineapple casserole some 10 yrs ago. Our friend's aunt who made that graciously gave me the recipe. It has been one of our favorite over the years. The other day I had got a big pineapple and had guests coming over. So I thought I would make it. But I had to make it a low calorie, low fat option so they would have it. I looked for my options online and found my inspiration. It said half a cup would be around 220 Cal. But I tweaked it further to make it even more healthier. It turned out to be a real winner! Loved by everyone. No compromise on taste and flavor. I might just stick to this for years to come now. 

Recipe based on TasteOfHome

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 35 min. Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

Pineapple chunks - 1 1/2 Cup (or 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple)
Butter + Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup 
Sugar / Sugar Substitute - 1/3 Cup
4 egg whites
4 tablespoons multi-grain flour
4 slices multi-grain bread, cubed

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to  350°. 
~ Coat all sides of 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and keep it aside. 
~ In a large bowl cream butter+ oil and sugar together with a whisk. 
~ Beat in egg whites and then stir in the flour.
~ Add in pineapple. Lastly gently fold in bread cubes.
~ Spoon the pineapple mixture into prepared dish and bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly golden. 
~ Serve warm. You can combine with vanilla ice-cream to top. 

Sending this delicious dessert to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to,
~ Swathi's event hosted @Pallavi's Bookmarked recipes

~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking 

Bon Vivant Roundup #13 - Kids Delight

Hello everyone, publishing another beautiful roundup of Kids Delight. There was a great turn up at the event. A whooping 153 entries. I think since we all mostly cook for our kids, there was so much enthusiasm. Thank you to all those who participated.

Another announcement is that I am taking a break from hosting Bon Vivant for few months. Reason being I will be travelling to India for next 3 months. I feel I am not giving enough time and attention to all my beloved Bon Vivant party goers. So while I am on the road, I will be giving a small break to the event too. Hopefully I will bring you more authentic recipes back from there.

Here is the great roundup.

Corn and Cucumber Salad

A simple refreshing salad to serve as a side. What's the special in that you ask. It takes hardly 10 minutes to put together and looks amazing and tastes even more better. There are times when I do this first and keep it on the table for kids to start munching until lunch/ dinner is ready. Check out my Corn Mango salad.

Prep Time: 10 min | Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Frozen/ Fresh Corn - 1 Cup
Pickle Cucumbers - 3 (Finely Chopped)
Pomegranate Seeds - 3/4 Cup (Or you can use colored bell peppers)
Lime juice - Juice from half of a lime
Mint leaves - 3 or 4 finely chopped (optional)
Olive Oil - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - 1/2 tsp.
Pepper - 1/2 tsp.

Method of Preparation:
~ Microwave corn for 3 minutes and drain any excess water. Let it cool.
~ Mix Cucumber, pomegranate with cooled corn. 
~ Add lime juice, mint, pepper and drizzle of olive oil.
~ Add salt at the end and adjust the seasoning.


Sending this refreshing dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking 

Peanut Tofu Stirfry

Another of my tofu stir-fry. These are very easy to put together on weeknights. And gives loads of protein share of the day. You don't have to add any greens to it. But I like to do it, since it gives nice color and texture to it. Have you tried my Tofu and Spinach Stir-fry before? That is another quick recipes. 

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu - 2 Cups (1 pkg)
Spinach/ Kale - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 medium - thinly sliced
Garlic - 4 - Crushed
Peanut Butter - 2 tbsp
Sriracha/ Red Chili Sauce - 1 tbsp.
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp.
Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Sesame/ Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ Chop the tofu in chunks, wash and chop greens thin.
~ In a wok, add oil. When heated through add garlic and onion.
~ Fry until onion is soft and transparent.
~ Add the spinach leaves and saute until they wilt.
~ Turn the heat up a little and add the tofu. Wait for two minutes before turning the tofu, so that it forms a nice crust outside and also doesn't break the tofu.
~ In a microwavable dish heat peanut butter for 20 seconds. Add chili sauces and soy sauce and give it all a stir.
~ Add this sauce mixture and salt to tofu and combine them gently.



Sending this protein power house dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to 
~ Foodie Mom Cooks event Healthy Stirfry
~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking 

Lemon Mint Couscous with Sautéed Vegetables

Couscous is one of the easiest to put together and also so versatile. It soaks in any kind of sauce you add. Pearl couscous has become one of our favorites at home. It contains loads of Vitamin C and can be used in place of any pasta. This particular variety serves as one pot meal for weeknights. While serving you can choose to mix them up or serve separately as shown in the picture. Try this fresh mix of vegetables and enjoy all the time that you saved. :o)

Prep Time: 10 min | Cooking Time: 20 min. | Serves: 4


Ingredients:

For Couscous -
Pearl Couscous/ Israeli Couscous – 1 Cup
Olive Oil – 2 tsp.
Water – 2 Cups
Lemon Zest (From one lemon)
Lemon juice – About 1 tbsp. from half of the lemon
Mint leaves – 4 to 5 leaves – chopped fine.

For Sautéed Vegetables (You can pick and choose what you like)–
Asparagus – 15 to 20 stems
Edamame / Soy Beans – 1 Cup
Baby Carrots – handful – chopped into matchsticks
Bell Pepper – 1 small – Chopped into sticks
Chili powder – ½ tsp
Olive oil – 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:
~ Boil the water in a small sauce pan or kettle.
~ Heat Olive oil in a wide pan and roast pearl couscous until they are light brown.
~ Add the hot water and let the couscous cook for about 5 minutes. 
~ Once all the water has dried up, couscous is cooked, switch off the heat. Now add lemon zest, lemon juice and mint leaves. Cover and let it sit.
~ In another wide pan or a wok, heat oil.
~ Add chopped bell pepper, carrots and asparagus. Saute for few minutes.
~ Add thawed soy beans, chili powder and salt to taste. 
~ Continue to saute for another minute or two and switch off. The vegetables need to have some crunch to them. 
~ Serve them warm.

Sending this refreshing dish to my event Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Also sending it to,
~ Foodie Mom Cooks event Healthy Stirfry
~ Foodabulous Fest Event organised by Simply TADKA and hosted by Pramitha love cooking 

Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Hello everyone! Welcome to another edition of Bon Vivant. This month we will be celebrating the season. Spring blooms are there everywhere and it's welcome sight to see more sun shine through the day. I love spring season (except for the allergy part! Accchooooo!) Love to watch the little buds and blossoms adorn the plants and trees. 

Spring also brings new fruits and vegetables in abundance. So this month cook up something that celebrate spring. Something colorful, feast to the eyes and to the tummy. 

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of April. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Or you can post it to my Facebook page here. Add a picture and steps to make the dish in detail section.