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Cooks and Foodies Blog #5 Summer Drinks

Fruity, Herbal, or Citrusy Summer Drink🍹 A good, refreshing, healthy summer drink—that's what we needed to keep ourselves hydrated and healthy during summer. Before listing down the different types of non-alcoholic summer drinks, let's see the ingredients that you can add to the drink. What are mocktails, cocktails, and summer drinks? According to AI,  A cocktail is a mixed alcoholic beverage, typically containing a spirit (like vodka, gin, rum, or whiskey) along with mixers, flavorings, and garnishes.  A mocktail is a non-alcoholic mixed drink designed to mimic the flavor and presentation of a cocktail, often using juices, syrups, and other non-alcoholic ingredients.  A summer drink is a broader category encompassing any beverage that is typically enjoyed during the summer months, which can include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.  For example, mocktails, but also alcoholic drinks, juices, smoothies, and other refreshing options.  A mojito...

Cooks and Foodies Blog #4 Daily Diet

 " Anything too much is overkill" What is a healthy daily diet? A healthy daily diet has a healthy meal plan that includes a wide variety of solid foods and liquid foods. A healthy diet typically avoids excessive amounts of saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars. It also encourages regular mealtimes and mindful eating habits.  According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a healthy eating plan gives your body the nutrients it needs every day while staying within your daily calorie goal for weight loss. A healthy eating plan also will lower your risk for heart disease and other health conditions. A healthy eating plan: Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts Limits saturated and  trans  fats, sodium, and added sugars Controls portion sizes According to the World Health Organization (who.int), For adults A healthy diet includes the f...

Cooks and Foodies Blog #3 Recipes

Which recipe should I choose? Today for my breakfast, I was tempted to prepare the Mediterranean dish called eggs in purgatory, also known as shakshuka. I know this recipe's main ingredients are egg, spices, onion, and tomato sauce. But I didn't know the right way to prepare them. So, I searched for a proper recipe. There were so many recipes that popped up; I didn't have much time to choose. My brain was frozen for a few seconds thinking, how am I going to choose the right recipe in this short period of time that will satisfy my taste buds and make my morning more delightful? Then, these are some of the criteria that helped me to pick the recipe that I am looking for. Am I looking for the recipes that had high reviews? or  Am I looking for a bright thumbnail of the recipe?  or Am I looking for the familiar website and author name of the recipe? or Am I looking for the ingredients availability in my pantry for that recipe? or Am I considering the total time to prepare that ...

Cooks and Foodies Blog #2 Honey

Honey !!!!! Everyone's favorite healthy dessert! According to benefits-of-honey.com ,   honey is a delicacy fit for the kings and queens! In ancient times, Eygptians sacrificed honey by the tons to their river gods, Roman legions slathered honey on the wounds as a  natural cure  to promote healing, and medieval lords reserved honey for their private use. It’s told that the body of  Alexander the Great  was preserved and embalmed with honey. As honey was then expensive and not all could afford it, its  use in cooking  was reserved only for the wealthy. Honey is a miracle food; it never goes bad. It was reported that archaeologists found 2000 year old jars of honey in Egyptian tombs and they still tasted delicious!   Importance of adding honey in your daily routine Honey is the best natural sweetener, which has many health benefits. Because of its  antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it helps with supporting the immune system, di...

Cooks and Foodies blog #1 Spice Powders

Hi cooks and foodies, Have you ever tasted the spice powders in your kitchen pantry? Do you know the reasons why the recipes we make sometimes, or most of the time, turn out to be horrible?  After searching for half a day, you would finally have found a recipe that you want to make, but the end result of the recipe will be a disaster. Do you know why? It's because one of the main reasons is the ingredients that the recipe author used in it and the ingredients in your pantry do not have the same taste. Really? Yes! Most of the time. You are not alone. It took me many years to understand this secret and to become a better cook and lovable foodie. Here are the secrets that I follow when making any recipes. First, read the full recipes thoroughly. Give a quick taste check of the spice powders in your pantry that are mentioned in the recipe. Coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel seed powder, garam masala powder. These are some of the ingredients that will overpower the taste of the rec...

Achari Okra Recipe

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ACHARI OKRA RECIPE | NORTH INDIAN STYLE OKRA RECIPE | BADWATER BASIN DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK   What is Achari? Achar refers to Indian pickles. It’s spicy, tangy and made with spices and oil. The mustard seeds and fennel seeds used in this recipe gives the achar taste. This achari okra goes well with rotis and parathas.  Also enjoy watching the stunning view of the BadWater Basin, one of the must-see sights in Death Valley National Park. Ingredients  Oil - 1 ½ tbsp Okra/Bhindi - 500gms Pink salt - ½ tsp For Gravy Oil - 1 tbsp Onion - 1 medium chopped quarter-sized pieces  Tomato - 1 Tomato paste - 1 tsp Green chili - 1 Curry leaves - 1 string Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp Yogurt - ¼ cup and 3 tbsp water  Cilantro - ¼ cup chopped Panch phoron Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp Fennel seeds - ¼ tsp Methi seeds - ½ tsp Kalonji - ¼ tsp Dry ingredients   Coriander powder - 1 tsp Red chili powder - ¼ tsp Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Dry mango powder - ½ t...
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KERALA STYLE SPICY TARO CURRY The creamy texture, mild sweetness, and subtle nutty flavor of coconut form the foundation of Kerala cuisine. The extensive use of coconut in both savory and sweet dishes gives Kerala cuisine a distinct identit y. This is one of my favorite recipes. Easy, simple to make, and a healthy substitute for potatoes. The curry leaves and coconut oil in the recipe give an authentic taste and flavor of Kerala  cuisine to this curry. Everyone can make this taro curry. This is a beginner's recipe as well. Ingredients Taro roots - 500 gms coconut oil - 1 tsp Dry mango powder - 1 tsp Salt - ½ tsp Red chili powder - 1 ½ tsp For grinding   Shredded coconut  - ¼ cup Red pearl onion or small onion - 2  For tempering  Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp Onion (chopped)  - ¼ cup Curry leaves  - 2 strings For step by step instructions for this recipe, click the video below. If you like my recipe videos, don't forget...