Peach Banana Bread

I love making homemade quick bread.  Not only is it relatively easy to make, there is nothing better than having fresh bread in the house.  One of my favorites to make is banana bread.  I love how banana bread is always so moist and I love the flavor that it gives to the bread.  Also I really like how versatile it is and how it can be combined with other flavors. I always try to bake with fresh fruits that are in season. Since peaches are in season now, I decided that I should make something with them.  Previously I have combined a number of different fruits with banana bread to make really great breads, and decided to combine peaches with the flavors of banana bread to create a Peach Banana Bread.

 

This Peach Banana Bread was so delicious and was one of my favorite types of banana bread that I have made.  The bananas and peaches make the bread so moist and taste great combined together.  I love the flavors of peaches and bananas in every bite.  This is great for a breakfast, snack, or even dessert.  The great thing is that you can make this bread on the weekend and have breakfast for the entire week, that is if you don’t eat it all first.  I hope you enjoy this fantastic and delicious bread.Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour / whole wheat flour 

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (avoid if using salted butter)

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 cup coconut oil / melted butter 

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 3 bananas, peeled and mashed

• 1 large fresh peach – peeled, pitted, and diced

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom or line a loaf pan.

2. Beat sugar and  oil /butter together in a large bowl. 

3. add mashed bananas, peach, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix and Stir into butter mixture until well incorporated.

4. Mix flour, walnuts, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon and salt together in a separate bowl; stir into banana-butter mixture until flour mixture is just moistened. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mango Panna Cotta

Mango Panna Cotta is a great no bake dessert for summer, but once you get addicted it becomes a fabulous staple all year long! The tartness of the mango balances perfectly with the smooth and sweet panna cotta.

Panna cotta is a famous dessert hailing from Italy and translates as cooked cream. It’s a softly set pudding that is firm, but velvety smooth. It’s made in many flavors including vanilla, strawbeyrry, lemon and espresso.

for  mango layer:

• 1 tsp agar-agar / gelatin / china grass
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 cups mango puree

for panna cotta cream layer:

• 1 cup(250 ml) fresh full fat Cream,25%-30%
• 1 cup(250 ml) full fat Milk
• 1/4 cup sugar powdered
• 1 cup cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla essence
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. firstly, in a large mixing bowl take 1 tsp of agar-agar powder / gelatin and add 2 tbsp hot water.
2. mix well and dissolve agar-agar completely.
3. further add 2 cups of mango puree.
4. mix well making sure the pulp gets mixed up with agar-agar uniformly.
5. furthermore, place the serving glass in a bowl so that it gets tilted slightly.
6. pour in prepared mango mixture till it reaches the rim.
7. now refrigerate it for 3 hours or overnight, till it sets completely.
8. after 3 hours, make sure to check the mango has set completely.
9. now prepare panna cota  layer by heating up milk.
10. add in 1 tsp agar-agar / gelatin and whisk well.
11. cook the milk on medium-low heat till it steams (do not boil).
12. further add 1 cup cream and whisk well.
13. additionally add 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and pinch of salt.
14. whisk and dissolve the sugar completely.
15. let the milk cool for 10 minutes before pouring to the glass.
16. pour the milk into glass.
17. refrigerate it for 3 hours or overnight, till it sets completely.
18. finally, garnish with few chopped mangoes and enjoy mango panna cotta or mango pudding.

Aam ka Panna /Aam ka abshola

This summer drink is usually referred to as aam ka abshola or hyderabadi aam ka abshola in the hyderabad region.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 raw mangoes/green mango
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ½ tsp common salt
• ½ tsp black salt
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• 5-6 mint leaves crushed
• ¼ tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• Ice cubes
• chilled water

How to make aam panna:

1. Firstly, take a pressure cooker, into it add the mangoes, add enough water and pressure cook them for 5-6 whistles.
2. Remove the steam and cool down the cooked mangoes completely.
3. Peel the mangoes and extract the soft pulp out of it.
4. Allow the pulp to cool down completely.
5. Once cooled add all the spices to the pulp Add this to a blender and blend until smooth.
6. To make the drink : take a tall glass /serving glass pour 1 -2 tblsp of the mango mixture and pour in chilled water till 3/4 th. Now add finely chopped mint and crushed ice/ice cubes.Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately.

• Note:
  1. You can increase or decrease the quantity of sugar as per your desire.
  2. You can use jaggery instead of sugar.
  3. This mixture can stay in refrigerator for upto 2 weeks

Hyderabadi Sheer Khurma Recipe

Sheer khurma

Sheer Khurmais  a traditional Muslim dessert for celebrations. ‘Sheer’  is Persian for milk and ‘Khurma’  is Persian for dates. This dish is made from dried dates.

The sheer khurma sweet contains lots of milk, dry fruits and the main ingredient in the sheer khurma recipe is Seviyan which is an urdu term for vermicelli. The sweet is incomplete without seviyan or vermicelli.

This special dish is served on the morning of Eid day in the family after the Eid prayer as breakfast, and throughout the day to all the visiting guests. The word is spelt sometimes as sheer kurma or sheer korma or sheer qorma but it is actually spelt as Sheer Khurma.

Here is an authentic version of this delicacy that is loaded with dry fruits like almond, cashewnuts, pistachios, raisins and dates. Though cutting the dry fruits may seem a little time consuming it is worth all the effort!

Ingredients

• 3-4 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• 50 grams of fine seviyan / vermicelli
• 1/4 cup almonds / badam blanched & chopped
• 1/4 cup cashew / kaju chopped
• 2 tbsp chironji  blanched
• 1/4 cup pistachios blanched & chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins chopped
• ¼ cup dates chopped
• 1-1/2 Lt milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder / elachi powder
• 1 Tbsp dry rose petals (optional)
• 1 tsp Saffron

Instructions

1. firstly, add a tbsp of ghee and roast 50 grams of fine seviyan / vermicelli.
2. roast on low flame till they turn golden brown, aromatic and keep aside.
3. in another large kadai heat ghee and roast almonds, cashew, chironji, raisins and dates seperatly
4. roast on low flame and keep aside.
5. now add 5 cup milk and bring to a boil.
6. stir occasionally, to prevent milk from burning.
7. further add roasted nuts and mix well (save some for garnishing)
8. lower the flame and simmer for 15 minutes  or till the milk slightly thickens.
9. add the roasted seviyan, ¼ cup sugar and give a good stir.
10. boil for 4-5 minutes or till semiya cooks completely.
11. now add ¼ tsp cardamom powder and soaked safran. alternatively use rose water.
12. finally, serve sheer khurma hot or chilled topped with dry fruits.

 Note :

if you are using dry dates then don’t saute them in ghee. instead cook them in milk. you can also soak overnight to soften them.

Badam Phirni or Firni (Rice, Almonds and Milk Pudding)

Badam phirni

Dry fruits are an inseparable part of Indian culinary heritage. What’s more these dry fruits are not only high on nutrition, but at the same time are low in calories. One such dry fruit is badam, which is also known as almond. Phirni is traditional delicacy, which is a perfect blend of almonds cooked with ground rice, sugar and milk. What makes it even more delicious is the addition of crushed almond paste, which amps up the nutrition factor of this sweet delight. Badam Phirniis an indulgent dessert recipe, which is usually prepared on festivals and special occasions such as Eid,Diwali, Holi etc.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup Basmati rice
• Full cream milk – 1 and 1/2 litre
• sugar or as required
• 1/4 cup Almonds badam
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
• Saffron – 15-20 strands Soaked in 2 tbsp milk
• Almond and pistachio slivers for garnishing
• rose petals for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the rice and soak in water for 1 hour. Drain and grind it to a fine paste. Keep it aside.
2. Also soak the almonds for 1 hour and then peel and grind to a fine paste
3. Soak the saffron strands in 1 tblsp of warm milk and keep aside.
4. Heat milk in a heavy bottom kadai or pan.
5. When the milk boils, lower the flame and add the rice paste and stir constantly to ensure it gets properly mixed in the milk and no lumps are formed.
6. Let the milk simmer till the rice gets cooked.
7. Now add the sugar, almond paste, cardamom powder and the saffron milk.
8. Mix well and cook till the phirni thickens and sugar gets fully disssolved.
9. Pour the phirni in earthen bowls or any serving bowl of your choice.
10. The earthen dishes is the tradition way to serve Phirni but you could also serve it metal, glass, or ceramic bowls.

Tips

• The earthen dishes is the tradition way to serve Phirni but you could also serve it metal, glass, or ceramic bowls.

• You could add about 4 tbsp of Alphonso Mango Pulp to make Mango Phirni. If you are making this variation, omit the almond paste ,saffron and add the mango pulp after the Phirni has cooled.
• Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers, silver foil  rose petals.Refrigerate for 6-8 hours before serving.

Jamun Ice Cream(Black Plum Ice Cream)

Jamun or Black plum is a summer fruit, which is usually available in between June to September. Actually in India jamuns are available usually in rainy season. They are called as Black plum because they have a dark purple to almost black skin with a starkly contrasting pink or white flesh. The flesh is extremely juicy and has a flavor that combines sweet and tart with a slightly astringent aftertaste. They are normally eaten fresh. Because of the astringent taste, the dark berries are often eaten with a sprinkle of salt when fresh.

Apart from being juicy and delicious in taste this fruit carries many health benefits. They are beneficial in diabetic, good for skin ,treats ulcer and many more.

Black Jamun Ice-cream is one of the awesome and unique ice-cream made at home. It is very easy to prepare and takes hardly 25 minutes to prepare. It has a creamy texture. It is very healthy, specially for the diabetic people, as we have used black jamun here.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup fresh black Jamun pulp
2. 2 cups regular milk or 2.1/2 cup fat-free milk
3. 2 tbsp cornflour
4. 4 tbsp sugar or (1 tbsp suger substitute for diabetic friendly )

Method for making Black Jamun Ice-cream

1. Blend the deseeded Jamun to puree
2. Combine the cornflour and ½ cup of milk in a bowl, mix well and keep aside.
3. Boil the remaining 2 cups of milk in a deep non-stick pan on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
4. Add the cornflour-milk mixture, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring continuously. Keep aside to cool completely.
5. Once cooled, add the black jamun pulp and sugar substitute and mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into a shallow aluminium container. Cover with an aluminium foil and freeze for 6 hours or till semi-set.
7. Pour the mixture into a mixer and blend till smooth.
8. Transfer the mixture back into the same aluminium shallow container. Cover with an aluminium foil and freeze for approx. 10 hours or till set.
9. jamun ice cream is ready, serve chilled. Enjoy!!

Basic Over night Oats ( Mango , Banana)

Cold, creamy, overnight Oats are perfect for summer morning !!

you’ve never heard of overnight oats before, let me give you a quick little primer. Overnight oats are a no-cook method of making oatmeal. Instead of cooking your oats with liquid on the stove or in the microwave, you mix rolled (AKA: old-fashioned) oats with the liquid and other mix-ins, and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, you have a pudding-like porridge that is perfect for easy grab-and-go breakfasts. It doesn’t have the same texture as hot/stove-top oats. It’s creamier, denser, and in my opinion, so much tastier. I’d take a jar of overnight oats over hot oats any day!

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/2 cup rolled oats.
2. 1 tsp chia seeds.
3. 1 large, ripe banana, mashed.
4. 1/2 mango chopped.
5. 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.
6. 1/4 cup chopped nuts (Almond/Cashew/walnuts) toasted*
7. 1 cup unsweetened low fat milk or any nut milk (+ more for adding in morning)
8. optional:  honey or coconut suger for extra sweetness**

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To an airtight container or mason jar add your mashed banana, rolled oats, chia seeds cinnamon and nuts .
2. Top with almond milk, added sweetener (if using) and stir.
3. Close top and give it a good shake to ensure everything is well-mixed.
4. Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 6 hours.
5. In the morning add additional some more milk to thin out (if desired) and top with additional sliced banana and mango and chopped walnuts. Enjoy

Easy Eggless Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse 

Easy Chocolate Mousse . . . with just three ingredients, you can have a rich and creamy chocolate mousse. A perfect dessert for chocolate lovers!

This easy Chocolate Mousse recipe is super simple to make from scratch and deliciously light and fluffy. It’s fancy enough for a party but easy enough to make whenever you have a craving for chocolate! An egg-less mousse recipe that is so airy and chocolate and can be enjoyed by everyone.

ngredients

• 1 cup good quality chocolate ( semi sweetend )
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp intent coffee powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave at half power, stirring every 30 seconds. Let cool for 5 minutes add coffee powder.
2. Beat whipping cream in a large mixing bowl till soft peaks form. Beat in the vanilla. Add the melted chocolate and coffee mix and quickly beat till all chocolate is incorporated.
3. Pipe or spoon into serving dishes. Serve immediately or chill for a firmer set chocolate mousse.
4. Garnish with whipped cream or your favorite fresh fruits.  

EASY GUACAMOLE

Incredibly tasty, this easy and basic guacamole takes less than 5 minutes to make. It is the perfect dip for your favourite chips or you can spred on your toasted bread slice.  Guacamole is an extremely versatile item and goes with basically meal.

Guacamole is so easy. All you really need to make guacamole is ripe avocados and salt. After that, a lemon juice—a splash of acidity— will help to balance the richness of the avocado. Then if you want, add chopped cilantro / coriander  , chiles/ pepper, onion, and/or tomato.

Once you have basic guacamole down, you may experiment with variations including strawberries, pineapple, mangoes, even watermelon. You can get creative with homemade guacamole!

 

Ingredients

1. 1 riped large avocados ;
2. 1 firm tomato, finely diced and seeded;
3. 1/2 white onion;
4. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro;
5. 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice;
6. sea salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

1. Cut avocados and scoop pulp into a bowl.
2. Mash avocado pulp with a fork( don’t over mash keep it little chunky) and mix in 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
3. Add tomatoes, onion and cilantro or coriander  .
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon lemon juice over the top.
6. Gently mix to combine
7. Enjoy

PS:The trick to making perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Date Balls!

Almond date bliss balls

Bliss balls: the healthy snack everyone love. They’re moist, chewy and packed with healthy ingredients like nuts, dates and coconut , these are super cheap, lazy, vegan and zero waste.These almond, date, cacao and coconut energy balls are easy to make, healthy and tasty super food . Full of iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and protein, these will boost your energy levels and your mood. Plus, they taste like chocolate truffles. Hungry yet? Here’s how you make them:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 1 cup or 15-20 pitted Medjool dates /good quality dates
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon coconut oil
• dash of kosher salt /rock salt

Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse about 3-5 times until all the large pieces are broken up.

puree dates, coconut, coconut oil, and salt and process  to form a paste

 Add to bowl with almond meal and cocoa powder. Mix well, using hands if necessary, and form into balls.

Spread cocoa powder and coconut on a plate. Roll the balls

Balls will keep for about one week covered in the fridge or 2-3 weeks in the freezer in an airtight container. Enjoy!