Recipes – Drinks « Rasgulla – Traditional Bengali Sweet

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Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

I worked in Smoothie King when I first came to US, and hence I have an old and cherished bond with Smoothies, especially with Banana and Peanut Butter smoothie! But I’ve been a smoothie-lover right from the beginning, irrespective of my affiliation with them. The concept is amazing, the choices are vast, and the health benefits that it brings alongwith the taste makes a glass of smoothie even more enriching! To pacify some of my readers and friends who voted for Smoothies in the last poll and were hoping for it to win (instead of Pizza), here’s a Smoothie recipe with Vanilla, Bananas and Peanut Butter which is high in proteins and potassium, and this can easily become a part of your breakfast or mid-day snack for a wholesome meal!!

Ingredients
1 banana – cut into 3-4 pieces
1/2 scoop low-fat vanilla ice-cream (optional,you can use vanilla yoghurt too)
1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp whey protein powder(optional, I use EAS or Bulk Nutrition brand)
4-6 ice cubes
3 tbsp milk

Method
Add the ice cubes and all the above ingredients and blend until smooth and thick.

Pour in a tall glass and enjoy chilled! This smoothie is also an excellent source of calcium(milk), potassium(banana), and protein(peanut butter and whey protein). You can also substitute regular milk for skim milk or soy milk to make it more healthy!

Similar Recipes:
Raspberry Lassi
Cranberry and Green Tea Smoothie

Posted in Fruits, Healthy Food Recipes, Recipes - Drinks | 10 Comments »

Grape and Watermelon Soda

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

Summer has really kicked into California, and we have started experiencing the heat waves now!! So as we look forward to a glorious yet sunny weekend, there’s no better way to relax than enjoy sipping a cool and refreshing drink on your hammock in your backyard or your favourite rocking chair. An interesting book in your hand would make the scene picture perfect, right??!! Here’s a simple recipe using 2 summer favourite fruits- Watermelon and Grapes -combine them with soda and it turns into a nice mocktail!!

Ingredients
1/2 fresh watermelon
1 cup green or red grapes
2 ripe plums
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp salt
1 bottle soda water (sparkling soda)
6-7 icecubes
watermelon pieces – to garnish

Method
Crush the ice cubes, watermelon, grapes, plums in a blender. Mix in the sugar, lemon juice and salt. Leave a little watermelon pulp aside and cut into small pieces. Now take a serving glass and fill it 1/2 with the juice. Fill the remaining 1/2 with the sparkling soda. Add more icecubes if needed and add the cut watermelon pieces.

This Watermelon Soda is a beautiful and healthy Summer Drink. Refresh your senses with this cool soda on a summer afternoon or early evening!

Similar Recipes:
Orange Creme Soda
Tropical Fruit Punch Lemonade

Posted in Fruits, Recipes - Drinks | 11 Comments »

Mango-Raspberry Thickshake

Friday, August 24th, 2007

Drinks and Cocktails are the best for experimenting with your culinary skills!! They involve very little “actual” work though you might have to strain your gray cells to think of suitable ingredients and judge their compatibility!! But that’s the fun part, at least for me. We all love fruits, and to try different interesting combinations is neither tiring nor time-consuming. And most of the times, you are bound to succeed in your experiments!! As a child, I used to love the Mango Dolly and Raspberry Dolly, so for me creating something colourful and delicious has never been so easy. I just had to juggle a bit with my childhood favourites and the trick worked! Try my Mango-Raspberry thickshake to invigorate your senses, scintillate your taste buds and relive your childhood!!!

Ingredients
Pulp of 1 fresh ripe mango (you can use the canned mango pulp too)
1/2 cup raspberries
1 scoop mango or vanilla ice-cream
2-3 tbsp crushed ice

2-3 tsp sugar (if needed)
sprig of mint (for garnish)

Method
Blend the mango pulp without adding water if you are using fresh mango and keep aside. Now take the raspberries and blend them with 2 tsp water till it forms into a pulp. Do not make it into a liquid. It should be as thick as the mango pulp. If the raspberries are sour (not sweet enough for a drink), add the sugar while blending.

Now take a tall serving glass, add crushed ice at the bottom and layer it with the mango and raspberry pulp alternately. As both are thick enough, they would easily layer upon each other without blending. Top it with a scoop of vanilla or mango ice-cream. Garnish the glass edge with a sprig of mint and enjoy the pleasantly surprised looks on the faces of your guests when you serve them this colorful and flavorful mango and raspberry thickshake!!

Posted in Fruits, Recipes - Drinks | 10 Comments »

Lychee Martini – Cocktail or Virgin, You pick!

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007

The one word that comes to your mind when you see or hear about a Lychee is “EXOTIC” !! And the second word would probably be Hawaai or Mauii or something of that kind, right? Well, a lychee is a rare sub-tropical fruit originating in South China where the lychee is very important in their culture and is famed as “the King of Fruits“. It not only tastes divine, but is high in Vitamin C (antioxidant)and Potassium (mineral) too. It sure is one of my favourite fruits, and here’s a drink that is a favourite for a lot of people. This recipe for a Lychee Martini is an inspiration from a similar one that I read about in the Gourmet magazine, and I modified it a little to suit my style. Presenting to you, the Lychee Martini (Cocktail or Virgin, your choice!!)

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup drained canned lychees (15 to 20, from a 16- to 20-oz can)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 small cherries
2 tsp cranberry or grenaldine (artificial pomegranate) juice
Sprig of mint, lemon rind for garnish
6 oz (3/4 cup) vodka (optional)
1 1/2 oz (3 tablespoons) orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
For the Virgin drink, omit the vodka and liquer.

Method
Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then allow it to cool by transferring it to a small bowl kept in a tray filled with ice cubes. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is cold and a little thick.

Now Purée lychees with sugar syrup and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then filter the liquid from the fruit residu using a colander or a fine mesh. If you have a cocktail shaker, fill it half with ice cubes and add the lychee puree, vodka, and the orange liquer.

Now take a Martini glass, drop a cherry at the bottom, then add 1 tsp cranberry or Grenadine (artificial pomegranate juice) to create the dark red hue that you see in restaurant-served drinks, and fill the remaining glass with the prepared syrup. Garnish the glass rim with a split lemon rind or a mint leaf and drift into the exotic world of this divine fruit!!

Posted in Fruits, Recipes - Drinks | 7 Comments »

Tropical Paradise

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Summer is a time for drinks, and with a plethora of tropical fruits flooding the supermarket aisles, it is but natural to mix some of these to create a refreshing and cool summer drink. Here is one of my husband’s concoctions, very easy to make, and fulfilling to the last sip!

Ingredients
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 cups mango juice
half cup strawberries-semi crushed
2 tbsp honey
7-8 ice cubes
Orange or lemon rind and mint for garnish

Method
You can use fresh juices or the Kernes ones. We used the latter and they worked out just great. Blend the strawberries on Pulse for 2-3 times so that they are not entirely liquidised. Fill this in a tall glass. Mix all the remaining ingredients and blend with ice.

Fill the glass upto the brim. Garnish with an orange or lemon rind and a sprig of mint.

Enjoy with your spouse on a relaxing sunny day settled in your patio chairs (that’s what we did), or serve this as a starter drink when you invite your friends.

Posted in Fruits, Recipes - Drinks | 2 Comments »

Strawberry Colada Smoothie

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007

Nutritionists say that its best to include berries in your breakfast, and with all the supporting evidence, they can’t be wrong. And though strawberries are delicious by themselves, I’d like to point out that they can taste even better with bananas, coconuts and milk, right?? Strawberries have plenty of antioxidants and vitamins that are very useful to the body. Plus, starting your day with a strawberry smoothie helps detoxify your system in the morning. So here’s a healthy and refreshing Strawberry Colada smoothie to kick-start your day with a bang!!

Ingredients
4-5 fresh strawberries-washed and cut into 2 pieces each
3 tbsp grated coconut
2 tbsp milk
2 scoops ice
2 tsp sugar

Method
Add all the above ingredients to a blender and blend to a frothy thick consistency. Serve immediately to refresh your senses. Pour in a tall glass and garnish with a split strawberry on the glass rim!! The strawberry-coconut smoothie is best consumed immediately.

Posted in Berries, Fruits, Healthy Food Recipes, Recipes - Drinks | 6 Comments »

Rasgulla – Traditional Bengali Sweet – Fun and Foo