Strawberry Smoothie

Who doesn't love strawberries??? This delicious recipe is a perfect drink to beat the summer heat. You can make this with fresh or frozen strawberries and it tastes simply refreshing. Enjoy!!!

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Serves : 1

Ingredients:

100 gm fresh or frozen strawberries cut into halves

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup low fat yoghurt beaten

a pinch of nutmeg powder

a sprig of mint leaf

Method :

• Sprinkle the sugar on the strawberries and put everything together in the blender except for the mint leaves and blend it till it is smooth and creamy.
• Garnish with mint leaf and a slice of strawberry.

Avocado Smoothie

Saw this recipe on my friend's blog. Always wondered how avocado smoothie would taste. But, the fruit itself is pretty bland. Was a little hesitant to even try it out first, but then finally decided to give it a try. It turned out really good. The texture was so creamy and smooth...just couldn't stop sipping it.

This recipe has taught me not to be afraid of trying out new things because sometimes, until we try, we will never know.

For the recipe, click on the link http://adukalavishesham.blogspot.com/2010/02/avocado-smoothie.html

Strawberry Lassi

"Lassi" is cool yoghurt drink, very refreshing especially during summers. But, I like to have it during anytime of the year. Last, week, I made two types of lassi: Strawberry lassi and plain yoghurt lassi. So, here is the recipe...

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Serves : 4 glasses

Strawberry Lassi:

Ingredients:

1 cup Fresh Strawberries chopped

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1 cup crushed ice

3 tbsp sugar or as per taste

Method :

• Mix the strawberries, yoghurt, crushed ice and sugar in the blender to a fine puree. If it is too thick, you could add some water to it.
• Pour in a glass and serve chilled.

Note: For plain lassi, just add all the ingredients except strawberries and prepare in the same manner.

Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi is a perfect cooler on a hot day. But, if you are a mango lover, you can have this drink on any day. You could add extra sweetness to it with honey or sugar and also garnish it with crushed pistachios if you like it that way. Normally, I would have used fresh mangoes to make this drink, but it also tastes equally good with canned mangoes or canned mango pulp.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Serves : 4 glasses

Ingredients:

1 cup Canned Mango pulp

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1 cup crushed ice

2 tbsp honey

a pinch of salt

Method :

• Mix everything together and blend in a blender to a fine puree. If it is too thick, you could add some water to it.
• Pour in a glass and serve chilled.

Carrot Juice

This is one of my all time favorite drinks. My daughter doesn't like eating carrots a lot, but simply loves carrots in this form :) This is a very nutritious drink and perfect for any weather.

When you ask for carrot juice in a restaurant, you generally get a thick paste of carrots blended in water and sugar and believe me it tastes yucky. But, this recipe will simply change your opinion about this drink. You have to try it to believe, so here goes the recipe...

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Makes : 3 glasses

Ingredients :

2 big carrots peeled and grated or chopped finely

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cardamom powder

2 cups milk

Method :

• In a blender, add the grated carrots and water and blend till it becomes a puree.
• Then strain this puree through a thin muslin cloth or a strainer till you get all the juice out.
• Put this juice in the blender again and add milk, sugar and cardamom powder and blend again till all the ingredients mix well.
• Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

Last Christmas, my sister made this drink called "Hot Mulled Apple Cider". She posted the pictures to me and it really looked yummy!!!. She kept telling me to try it out and I was looking for the right occasion to make this drink. Yesterday, at the party I made this drink and everyone loved it. It was so good that I got this recipe from my sister.

My sister directed me to this website which is hosting the recipe...

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,183,154164-237203,00.html

I made it an hour before the guests arrived at my place, so that I could serve it as a warm welcome drink. Everyone who tried it absolutely loved the warm apple cider. It is a perfect drink to warm up the insides on a cold winter evening :)