Brewed Cacao Tea and Cacao tea Smoothie

One day I got a mail from my friend Jessica (who sent me Moscow Mule Cups last year). They have started a new company that sell cacao tea, which is not only delicious but also has many health benefits. This is a perfect healthy alternative for coffee. It is high in antioxidants and is completely sugar- free, gluten- free, and dairy free. This tea is 100% pure and organic. This doesn't have artificial flavorings, additives or preservatives. If you want to know more about this tea, here it is  www.cacaoteaco.com

As soon as I saw the message from Jessica, to review about their product, I was so happy and excited to try their new product. I received it and as I opened, the chocolaty aroma was too fascinating. If you like chocolate and coffee and worry about the calories and caffeine, then this is a perfect alternative. This is a good energy booster. Now a days instead of green tea, I will be having this cacao tea, so that my chocolate cravings will be satisfied. This has a subtle flavor of chocolate, unless you make it stronger by adding more cacao tea or boiling the water for a longer period.

As they suggested I tried the brewed cold cacao tea in my post workout smoothie. A slight chocolate flavored smoothie was ready within no time. You can use many different ingredients to make smoothie along with this cacao tea.

We can also add almond milk a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to the brewed cacao tea for a nice milk chocolaty flavored milk tea.
Their links are
Instagram: @cacaoteaco
Facebook: #cacaoteaco

Ingredients:
For Cacao Tea:

1. Cacao Tea Powder- 1 tbsp
2. Water- 1 1/2 Cup

Method:

• Boil the water in a pan and when it starts rolling boil add the cacao tea and let it simmer for 5- 10 minutes.
• Enjoy a nice chocolate flavored tea.

Cacao Tea Smoothie:

1.  Almond Milk- 2 Cups
2. Spinach Leaves- a handful
3. Dates- 4 nos
4. Brewed Cacao tea- 1/2 Cup
5. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
6. Hemp Seeds- 1 tbsp
7. Peanut Butter- 1 tbsp

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender and enjoy an amazing smoothie within no time.

Apricot Energy Balls and Oats Energy Balls

These energy balls are so easy to make that it does not require any baking. Just process it, make it into round balls and enjoy these within no time. There are so many varieties in these energy balls. We can add many ingredients of our choice in these balls.

 I love apricots. Dried apricots from Costco are my favorite snack. And as we get them in a bulk, I made some delicious healthy energy balls which is a hit in my family. I was in a mood of making the energy balls, and as soon as I finished I finished making with apricots, I made some using oats. I ground the oats to powder, as I don't like to bite the oats in energy balls.

Energy balls or protein balls are so easy and packed with nutrients, that they are a very good to go snack. These soft, chewy balls are a perfectly awesome snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:
For Apricot Energy balls:

1. Dried Apricots- 1 Cup
2. Almonds- 1/2 Cup
3. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
4. Dried Coconut- 2 tbsp

Method:

• In a food processor, blend all the ingredients till it forms a nice sticky mixture. Make round balls and store in an airtight container for almost 2 weeks.

For Oats Energy Balls:

1. Oats- 1 Cup
2. Cocoa Powder- 2 tbsp
3. Chis Seeds- 1 tbsp
4. Hemp Seeds-- 1 tbsp
5. Dates- 3/4 Cup

Method:

• Ground the oats to a fine powder.
• Add all the other ingredients along with the powdered oats to a food processor and process till everything combines well. At this stage the mixture will look like powder, but transfer to a plate and start rolling them into round balls. Store them in an airtight container in refrigerator and enjoy as needed.

Very Berry Smoothie

Smoothies are a great choice for breakfast, midday snack or after a workout. This very berry smoothie is delicious, healthy, and nutritious smoothie which is filled with all your favorite berries. It takes hardly about 5 min to prepare this smoothie.

I make different varieties of smoothies and I like to have it after a nice workout. Sometimes if I am lazy to make breakfast, this will be my savior. My 4 yr old is crazy about the smoothie. Any smoothie you give him,  he will drink it without any fuss.
A  refreshing, delicious smoothie is a tasty way to drink your fruits. This is a basic smoothie recipe and a very healthy and nutritious one. You can add spinach, Greek yogurt, bananas or anything of your choice. Whatever you add, this smoothie will turn out amazingly delicious and healthy. I would always experiment with the ingredients. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, whatever it is, the outcome would be a healthy smoothie.

Ingredients:

1. Strawberries, Blueberries, raspberries- 1 Cup
2. Red Currants- a handful
3. Almond / Soy Milk- 1 Cup
4. Flax Seeds- 1 tbsp
5. Chia Seeds- 1/2 tbsp
6. Dates- 4-5 nos
7. Hemp seeds- 1 tsp

Method:

• Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth desired consistency. Enjoy.

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Delicious and Power packed Energy bites

A no-bake energy bites which are a perfect snack post workout. I found these energy bites recipe from Deliciously Ella's blog which has many healthy and unique recipes. I love her blog because they are so simple, easy and there are many different varieties of healthy dishes.
In these bites, I have added oats, which was not in the main recipe. These energy bites are super versatile.You can add your own choice of chocolate chips, peanut butter, desiccated coconut, dried cranberries and so on.

When I saw the recipe, I tried and made around 10- 12 bites, but after seeing the demand for these bites from my husband and daughter the next day I made a big batch. By this time I emptied a big pack of dates. I liked the addition of coconut oil.
My friend always makes different varieties of energy bites. I have tasted them before but never tried making them at home. But when I saw these cuties in Ella's blog, all the ingredients were handy and so here it is on my blog.

These energy bites are super easy to make and will take less time. These are loaded with proteins, fiber and will keep you full and active. Hope you all like this. Try this out and let me know.
Ingredients:

1. Dates- 2 Cups
2. Almonds, Pecans, and Pistachios- 1 Cup
3. Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp
4. Raw Cacao Powder- 1 tbsp
5. Oats- 1/2 Cup
6. Hemp Seeds- 1 tbsp
7. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
8. Flax Seeds- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Powder the nuts in a blender till crumbled well. 
2. Blend the pitted dates along with hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, oats and raw cacao powder in a food processor till everything gets mixed and powdered.
3. Add the coconut oil and the powdered nuts along with blended dates mixture for about 1 minute till it forms a sticky dough.
4. Roll the mixture into little balls and store it in airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy when needed.

Pani Puri with Homemade Puris

Pani Puri is one of my favorite chaats from childhood. Whenever we go out, we used to thoroughly enjoy the chaat from the roadside street vendors. In every nook and corner, you can see a pani puri stall. We used to have competition, as who will have more puris. Every Indian like pani puri to the core. It is said that this not only satisfies your taste buds but also keeps the kid in you alive.

Once during fasting time, in Bangalore, after breaking the fast I had 30- 35 pani puris without eating anything. I like to have them anytime of the day.

After coming to the US it has become very rare to find pani puri. We will get the pani puri kit in all the Indian stores. I started making it from scratch as we don’t find the puris most of the time in stores. My daughter loves it a lot. She won’t eat anything else if pani puri is there for snacks.

Pani puris have different names like the puchkas, gol gappas and so on. Pani means water and puri are the fried puffed dough balls.

Yesterday was my son’s 3rd birthday and so I called two of my friends and families for a small get together. The menu everything was well decided but got stuck with starters. Then the thought of pani puri came to me as everyone likes them and so I decided to serve pani puri as starters. I made everything ready and before the guests came, I filled the puris with the potato- garbanzo stuffing and kept it along with the mint- coriander water. When they came it was easy for them, just to dip the puris in the water and gulp it. I didn’t make the water spicy as the kids would find it difficult to have. I didn’t make the tamarind- dates chutney as this starter was planned at the last moment and so no time to buy dates. But without that chutney also this tasted perfect. Everyone enjoyed the starters well.

I didn't make the puris for the birthday, as its the last minute idea of making the starter. I got it from the store. I have posted the recipe of puris, which I made last time. Go, make it and eat it. You will feel much better….

Ingredients:

For Puris:

1. Semolina/ Sooji- 1 Cup
2. All Purpose Flour- 1 Tsp
3. Salt- as required
4. Baking Soda- ¼ tsp
5. Water- as required for kneading
6. Oil- 2 tbsp deep frying

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, take the semolina along with salt, all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp oil and mix well using fingers, so that everything gets incorporated well.
2. Add water little by little and begin to knead. Semolina absorbs water, add water accordingly and knead well.
3. The dough is not too hard or soft. The texture of the dough should be important. After kneading well the dough will form elastic. Gluten strands need to be formed.
4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth, let it rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough on a clean countertop. Roll it very thin.
5. Cut into small rounds, using a small lid or a cutter. Keep this aside. Roll the remaining dough and repeat the same process till everything is finished.
6. Heat oil and deep fry the above made small round puris. The oil should hot then only the puris will puff. Once they puff up, cook over a medium flame until crisp.

Preparing for Pani Puri:

• Puris- 20- 30 nos
• Tamarind- dates Chutney- 1 small bowl (optional)

For the filling:

1. Potatoes- 3 big nos (boiled and peeled)
2. Garbanzo- 1 Cup (boiled)
3. Onions- 2 nos(Chopped)
4. Chaat Masala Powder- 1 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
6. Amchur Powder- 1 tbsp
7. Salt- as required
8. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp
9. Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp (chopped finely)

Method:

• Mash the potatoes and garbanzo together. Take all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well and keep this aside.

For the Mint and Coriander Water/ Pani:

1. Coriander Leaves- 1 bunch
2. Mint Leaves- 1 Bunch
3. Ginger- 1 tbsp (grated)
4. Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Green Chillies- 3 nos
7. Cumin Powder- 1 tbsp
8. Chaat Masala Powder- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Grind the coriander leaves, mint leaves along with green chilies, ginger and lemon juice by adding little water.
2. When they become paste, Pour this in a big bowl along with 3 Cups of water.
3. Mix along with cumin powder, salt, and chaat masala powder. Let this chill in the refrigerator for some time.

Assembling the pani puri:

1. Crack top of the above-made puris carefully with your thumb.

1. Add 1 tbsp of the potato- garbanzo filling in the puri. Drizzle a drop of tamarind-date chutney. (adding this chutney is optional. Without this chutney also the pani puri will taste amazing)

1. Stir the mint- coriander pani and pour a tbsp of the water in the puri and enjoy an amazing delicious chaat.

1. Repeat the above process with the remaining puris and serve immediately.

Healthy Banana and Mixed Berries smoothie

My dear friend introduced me to this smoothie, who herself is a big smoothie lover. She would always tell about different varieties of smoothies which she makes at home for her family. One day when I was in her house, I asked for the recipe and generously she made a big batch of this smoothie and whatever she told about the smoothie is completely true. It is a very filling, healthy, appetizing, flavorful and simply mind blowing. While adding the frozen berries, banana and spinach the smoothie will be thick, just add enough amount of water or milk.

There are lots of variations in making smoothies, like for kids we can add milk, for adults, who are health conscious can make this smoothie by adding water. Instead of regular milk, you can also add almond milk, by making the almond milk at home. I will share the recipe some other time.

This makes more healthy by adding dates instead of sugar. If you want your smoothie sweeter, you can increase the number of dates. This is so filling that you can have this instead of breakfast or lunch. I made this for lunch after my workout and it is very filling and healthy. There are much more different smoothie recipes which she gave and you can see all the recipes in my future posts. For now, enjoy an amazingly delicious healthy smoothie and stay fit...

Ingredients:

1. Banana- 1 no
2. Apple- ½ no
3. Frozen Mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)- ½ Cup
4. Dates- 5 nos
5. Chia Seeds- 1 tbsp
6. Flax Seeds- 1 tbsp
7. Spinach- ½ Cup
8. Water- ¼ Cup

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients except chia seeds in a blender until smooth with the required amount of water.
2. Soak the chia seeds in little water for about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the smoothie into a serving glass and garnish with the soaked chia seeds and enjoy a healthy smoothie. (You can add the chia seeds in the smoothie and blend everything together).

Arabian Delights- Chocodates with Almonds

These choco dates with almonds are a real surprise for me when I first tasted these at my brother’s place. They were simply amazing, cute little adorable sweet treats. Yes, you heard it right, they are delicious to eat and cute to see.

I was overjoyed to see these chocodates in a  middle east grocery near us.Today’s post is a monthly challenge, that started last month. This time, we have to make a dish using dates. As soon as I saw dates, these Arabian delights came to my mind and I made them.

These make perfect gifts for kids and can be made at any time. Everybody will love these cute treats. With just 3 ingredients, we can create magic.Kids will love to eat this and also to make this. My daughter helped me in almost everything. Just try this out and you will love this with just one bite.

Ingredients:

1. Dates- 15 nos
2. Roasted Almonds- 15 nos
3. Melted chocolate- ½ Cup

Method:

1. Using a small serrated knife, pit all the dates.
2. Place an almond inside the dates and squish it back together. Repeat with remaining almonds and dates.
3. Dip these almond stuffed dates in chocolate and place it on an aluminum foil. Keep this in refrigerator till set and enjoy an amazing combination of chocolate, dates, and almonds.

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