HealthDrink – Page 2 – The Secret Ingredient

Aalubukhara Smoothie | Plum Smoothie | Plum Mango Punch

By anshu June 23, 2015

I live in the hills where the backyard of every house is occupied by the fruit trees and those trees are laden with ripe fruits. This time of the year we get plums or Aalubukhara in abundance. Although they are easy targets of monkey menace but we manage to get some fruits for ourselves.

I am not very fond of plums as a fruit per se, but love to make delicious pies and chutney out of it. I finished making a batch of Plum Chutney and I still had a few lying unused. I decided to make a quick plum smoothie. I added some mango pulp to balance the tartness of plums. Ohh it was amazing and so very refreshing and not to mention how it helps to regulate High Blood pressure and Improves Bone Health.

Directions:

1. Pick some ripe plums and wash them thoroughly.

2. Cut the plums into slices and discard the stone. Also scoop out pulp of a ripe mango.

3. Put the plums and mango in a blender and add brown sugar or mascabado sugar. You can even use jaggery powder.

3. Add a pinch of salt and add water.

4. Blend it together to form a smoothie. Serve chilled and enjoy this summer drink.

You can try other thirst busters from The Secret Ingredient: Musk Melon & Cucumber Minty Smoothie & Aam Ka Panna.

[whohit]PlumSmoothie[/whohit]

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Beverage & Drinks

Aam Ka Panna | Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin

By anshu June 20, 2015

Indian summers are scorching and can take a toll on you. So it is very important to keep your self hydrated and take all necessary steps to fight against the intense Indian Summer heat. One such way is to drink Aam Panna, it is a healthy drink made from the pulp of raw green mangoes, sugar and assortment of spices.

Aam Panna not only quenches your thirst but also helps prevent excessive loss of sodium chloride and iron in the body resulting due to heavy sweating. Its my favourite drink since childhood. You can make a concentrate of Aam Panna and keep it refrigerated. Simply add cold water to it and enjoy this refreshing summer drink with the goodness of Mango.

Directions:

1. Wash and peel raw mangoes and cut them into small pieces discarding the inside seed. I have used slightly ripe mangoes but they were still quite tangy. You can even directly boil the mangoes with the peel and later separate the peel and pulp. But it gets messy so I prefer to simply boil the pulp.

2. Transfer the chopped mango pieces in a vessel.

3. Add water and let it come to a boil.

4. Put the lid on and let it simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mangoes have become soft. I inserted a knife to check its doneness. Turn the flame off and let it come to room temperature.

5. Transfer the cooked mango pulp with its water into a blender. Add sugar and roasted Cumin Powder.

6. Also add washed mint leaves and Black Himalayan Salt , also known as Kala Namak.

7. Blend Together to make a smooth liquid Concentrate. Pour a small portion of it in tall glasses and add chilled water as per your taste. Store rest of the concentrate in a container and keep it refrigerated.

You can try other Raw Mango recipes on The Secret Ingredient: Raw Mango Pickle South Indian Style, Raw Mango Sweet and Sour Chutney and Raw Mango Chutney with Mint and Coriander.

Other refreshing things you can try to beat the heat are: Mango Coconut Milk Pudding, Musk Melon Cucumber and Mint Smoothie and Quick Pista Badam Kulfi.

[whohit]AamPanna[/whohit]

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Beverage & Drinks

Musk Melon & Cucumber Smoothie with Mint

By anshu June 9, 2015

Summers in India can be treacherous. You have to constantly hydrate yourself specially if you are going out any good day. I am lucky to be living in the hills where the temperature is still tolerable, Where the plains have transformed into furnaces hills are a soother. To keep yourselves cool we regularly need something to drink and if it is healthy, its an icing on the cake.

Last week when my parents sent us musk melons or as we call them kharbooja in hindi, we had to finish them before they start perishing. I decided to do this smoothie. I wasn’t sure if it will taste right, but anyways I went ahead and tried it. It tasted just wonderful and guiltfree. Since then it has been a regular feature in my daily routine.

Directions:
1. Wash and peel a cucumber. Take a small bite to check for bitterness. It should not be bitter as it will spoil the taste of smoothie.

2. Cut it into half and further half and scoop out the seeds with the help of a spoon. Cut it into cubes.

3. Cut open a musk melon and dice it into cubes.

4. Place the cucumber pieces and melon pieces into a blender along with few leaves of mint.

5. Add a drizzle of honey.

6. Squeeze in juice of a lemon and blend it into a smoothie.

7. Pour it into glasses and serve cold.

You can try other things to beat the heat like Mango Coconut Pudding, Quick Pista Badam Kulfi.

Other Smoothies and Beverages you can try are: Plum Smoothie, Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin, Ginger Papaya Mint Smoothie, Central Himalayan Wild Bayberry Syrup, Litchi Lemonade, Mango Chamomile-Mint Tea Lemonade, Kiwi Chia Pudding, Peach Lemonade, Spiced Mango Lassi

[whohit]MelonCucumberSmoothie[/whohit]

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