Tropical Iced Tea

Summers for me, call for a cooling and refreshing drink! Something healthy and easy to do 😋 like my Minty Pomegranate Mock Mojitos 👌🍹 they were super hit! 

Today I bring to you another of my homemade, easy and delicious drink that will leave you feeling refreshed! 😁 It’s my Tropical Iced Tea! 

As the name suggests, it obviously has a strong flavour of tea…but what brings a twist to these beauties are the sunny tropical notes☀️☀️🍍🍎 it’s sweet and tangy! Chilled and loaded with ice cubes! What more could one ask for on a hot summer day?! 🍹

I have used fruit juices to give it the tropical twist for my recipe, one can easily add or subtract any flavour as per their choice. But do give it a try using the ingredients I’ve used today …it’s delicious and different 😊

Here comes the recipe!

Yield: 6 servings

Equipment: a large heat proof bowl, a stirrer, a knife, measuring spoons.

Ingredients:

6 cups hot water

6 nos. tea bags (I used Taj Mahal tea bags)

Sugar to taste

1/2 a glass each of pineapple juice, Apple juice, tender coconut water ( I used canned juices and fresh coconut water)

Lemon slices and fresh mint leaves to garnish

Ice cubes as required

Method:

In a large heat proof bowl, add the tea bags and pour the hot water over them. Let this bowl rest for about 60- 90 mins at room temperature and then place the bowl in the refrigerator for another hour to chill and the flavour of the tea to steep perfectly. You could keep the bowl in the refrigerator even longer if you wish to make it much in advance.

Next, once the flavour of tea has steeped well, fish out the tea bags & add sugar to taste ( remember that the fruit juices and coconut water are sweet, so adjust the sugar accordingly). Add the fruit juices and the tender coconut water, stir well. Add the lemon slices and some fresh mint leaves.

To serve, in a glass, add 5-6 ice cubes, more if you like, and pour the flavoured tea over it. That’s it!!! Sit back, relax and enjoy your Tropical Iced Tea! 😉 summers couldn’t get any better!!

Love,

Shreya💕

Mini Vanilla Cakes with Lemon Drizzle

This makes for the perfect tea cake. A light zesty, lemony drizzle adds a delicious zing to my Mini Vanilla Cakes! Invite your friends over for a cup of tea & serve these beauties….they’ll make you proud! 😊  

These also happen to me my hubby’s favourite kind….they are very easy to make and extremely moist & light for an eggless cake! I have followed the same recipe I did for my Nutella Filled Mocha Cupcakes! They are so sinful..you should have a look them too..😀

If you are a novice at baking …I’ll suggest you begin with these! You can choose to make Mini Cakes as I have done here…or bake a proper round cake..adding the drizzle is completely up to you. This cake works as the perfect base for icing / frosting as well! See, so much out of one easy-peasy recipe! 👌

As to my Mini Cakes, they are shaped so, coz I found these cute little silicon moulds recently and I had to make something in them quick! What better than making something that pleases Him too! ❤️

So, coming to the recipe..

Yield : 8 mini cakes / 9 -10 cupcakes / 1 8″round cake

Equipments: wired cooling rack, cake moulds, 2 mixing bowl, whisk, measuring cups /spoons.

Ingredients :

For the cake:

1 cup APF (Maida)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 ts baking soda

1/4 ts salt

1 ts baking powder

1/3 cup unsalted butter (you can use Amul Butter, then skip the salt)

1 cup warm water

1 tb lemon juice / vinegar

1/2 ts vanilla extract

For the drizzle:

1/2 cup icing sugar

6 tsp lemon juice

Method for the mini cakes:

Pre heat the oven @ 180’c.

Prepare the cake moulds / tin with some oil and dust it with flour.

In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt (if using unsalted butter, I had used Amul butter so skipped it altogether).

In another mixing bowl cream together the butter n sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry sifted ingredients to the butter and sugar mix, add lemon juice, vanilla extract. Mix everything well but do not over mix the ingredients as that results in a heavy cake.

Immediately pour 4 tbsp of the batter into each mini cake mould / pour the entire thing into the tin if making a round cake / pour 3 tbsp in each mould  if making cupcakes. And bake for 12-15mins @ 160-170’c for mini cakes / cupcakes & @ 170′ – 180’c for 25 – 30 min or until a skewer inserted in the centre of cake comes out clean if baking a round cake.

Once ready, remove the mini cakes / cupcakes / cake tin and let it rest for 20-25mins on the cooling rack before peeling off the liners / frosting / icing them.

Method for the drizzle:

Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice until there are no lumps.

Assembly:

Once the cakes have cooled completely, using a spoon or a fork pour some drizzle on each cake. You can cover them completely with the drizzle or keep it light like mine. Keeps well in an airtight jar for 2-3 days.

Hope you will try these and enjoy them as I did ❤️😀

Love,

Shreya 😁

Chocolicious Banana & Butterscotch Breakfast Bars!

Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day and I take it very seriously! Chocolate…Banana…Butterscotch…Wholewheat…really serious…and its vegan! A win-win for everyone 😉

Call it a breakfast bread..banana bread…banana & butterscotch cake..anything you prefer..trust me, the taste won’t stop you from eating one slice after another..😛 specially kids..they will enjoy these at anytime of the day..my 9 year old nephew couldn’t stop even after 3-4 slices! ❤️😁

These bars are healthy..though they have a chocolate quotient…like all my cakes do..but these are vegan..(no eggs-milk-butter) and made with wholewheat flour. I have added a very little quantity of APF (maida) which can be easily omitted altogether.

Let’s get on with the recipe…

Yield: One 8″ by 8″ square cake

Equipment: a large mixing bowl, a spatula, measuring cups / spoons, a sieve, cooling rack, cake tin, a skewer / toothpick

Ingredients:

2 cups wholewheat flour

2 tbsp APF (maida)

3 nos large overripe bananas (mashed / puréed)

1 + 1/2 tsp baking pwd

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup castor sugar

1/2 cup refined oil

1 pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg pwd (optional)

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa pwd

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2-4 drops butterscotch essence (optional)

1/4 cup butterscotch chips / balls

Method:

Preheat the oven @ 180’C for about 10-12 mins. Prepare the cake tin by greasing it with some oil and sprinkle some flour as well.

While that’s happening, take the banana purée in a large mixing bowl, add nutmeg & cinnamon pwd..mix it well using a spatula. Stir in the sugar until well incorporated. Now sieve in the flours, baking pwd, baking soda & the cocoa pwd. Mix everything well. Now pour in the oil and the extracts. Give everything a good mix to make smooth & lump free batter. But don’t over mix it..else it’ll give you a very heavy bread / cake.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 10 mins. Remove the tin out of the oven using a mitten (be careful for the oven will be too hot) & sprinkle the butterscotch chips/ balls on top and put the tin back in the oven ( we do this to avoid the chips from sinking and settling at the bottom). Bake for another 20 mins approximately or until a skewer pierced in the centre of the bread / cake, comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool for 10 mins, then invert on a cooling rack to demould the cake / bread and cool for another 15-20 mins. Slice and serve! 😉 that’s it…

Love,

Shreya ❤️

(P.S. You can add walnuts, pecans, raisins etc as well to the cake batter)

Shelf life: 3-4 days at room temperature & 4-5  days in the fridge

You may also like Nutella Filled Mocha Cupcakes, Cinnamon Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting or something savory like my Rustic Pizza Pinwheels or something healthy like a Wholewheat Chocolate Cake 😀😀

RESHMI PANEER ( restaurant style in under 30 mins)

Reshmi Paneer is creamy, spicy, rich and melts in the mouth. What’s even better is that it can made in under 30 mins from start to finish at home!! Tastes just like the ones we get at restaurants! 😀

I love Paneer (Indian Cheese..or Cottage Cheese) it’s absolutely yummy, rich in calcium..hence very healthy!

Besides, being a North Indian, I have grown on palak paneer (cottage cheese with spinach), paneer bhurji (cottage cheese scrambled with veggies and spices) to name a few delectable dishes!

Reshmi Paneer is one such dish…it’s rich, flavourful..mildly spicy. I guess it tasted even better because I used my homemade Aromatic Garam Masala. It bubbled away and the aroma filled my home..it was hard to resist 😉

The reason why I keep going back to this recipe is because it’s easy to whisk up…uses all the ingredients which are always available at home…takes no herculean efforts..and is ready in no time! Perfect for when you’re running late and dinner is less than an hour away!! & works wonders with guests..they’ll love it and want your recipe! 😛 what more could one ask for?!

I served it with some piping hot Fulkas (Indian flatbreads) and fresh salad… Let’s look at the recipe now 😊

Yield: serves 2

Equipment: a large mouthed pan, a spatula, measuring cups / spoons, chopping board / food processor.

Ingredients:

200 gms fresh paneer (cubed)

2 nos tomatoes ( finely chopped)

1 nos large onion (sliced / julienned)

2 nos capsicum (sliced thinly / julienned)

1/4 cup fresh cream (I used Amul)

1 nos green chilly (slit from the middle)

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp coriander pwd

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tsp red chilly pwd

1/4 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp each of ginger & garlic paste

2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)

1/4 tsp lemon juice

salt to taste

sugar a pinch

1 tbsp refined oil

Method:

Heat the pan, add the oil. Add the cumin seeds & the slit green chilly. Sauté for a min, let the cumin seeds crackle. Next add the sliced onions along with the ginger – garlic paste. Sauté for 2-3 mins, until the onions turn pink. Next, add the capsicum and all the dry spices except the garam masala. Mix everything well and cook for 5 mins on medium flame. Now add the tomatoes and season with salt and sugar. Stir well and cook until the oil separates..will take about 5-7 mins. Once the oil has separated, add the paneer cubes and mix well..make sure that the cubes stay intact. Add the cream & garam masala at this stage and stir everything together. Simmer for 5 mins more on low flame. Turn off the flame. Add lemon juice and mix it one last time. Garnish with chopped coriander & serve hot with Fulkas, naan bread, kulchas, etc. 😋 😋 enjoy!

Love,

Shreya 💕

Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor