June 2014 - Cook By Book

Month: June 2014

28
Jun
2014

No Churn Fresh Peach Icecream

categories: Desserts, Ice-creams, Summer

Celebrating my 29th birthday today with this fresh peach icecream. It is a no churn treat and quite easy to whip up. Making icecream at home takes more time but most of it is not an active time plus all the steps are very easy to follow and the end result makes it totally worth it.

This icecream is a peach lover’s dream with peach chunks in every bite. Peaches cooked with brown sugar lends a caramelized taste to the icecream which I love! It freezes well and is quite easy to scoop too. I photographed it for the blog on the 3rd day of making it and it still scooped perfectly, just like a store-bought or a churned variety!! Plus, it is eggless. So indulge in this perfect summer treat over the weekend.

More update on birthday later!
Happy weekend you all!!
xx

No Churn Fresh Peach Icecream

Yields: 2 liters | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Chill time: 6-7 hours or overnight | Total time: About 7-8 hours

Ingredients:

6 medium ripe yet firm peach, peeled, pitted and cubed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 can (400 gm) sweetened condensed milk
600 ml medium-fat fresh cream (I used 25% fat Milkymist Cream)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the peaches, brown sugar and salt. Cook until the peaches have softened and the mixture is thick and jam-like, about 17-20 minutes. Mash with a potato masher, stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and condensed milk, and set aside to cool completely.
With the hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Gently fold the cooled peach mixture into the whipped cream until just combined. Transfer the mixture to two lidded liter containers (Do not pack it tightly). Freeze for at least 6-7 hours before serving.

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26
Jun
2014

Mango Cucumber Salsa

categories: Appetizers, Dips & Sauces, Quick Fix, Sides, Summer

Hi! Trying to compensate my absence with back to back posts. I need to blog all the summer recipes I’ve made before the rainy season officially starts and I am really lagging behind. I thought at least I’ll give you this mango salsa recipe before mango season is ends. This salsa is a perfect accompaniment to your chips and a great side to grilled chicken or lamb chops.

I don’t remember how many bowls of this sunshine I have devoured this summer. It is my absolute favorite. I eat chips just so that I can have salsa (or any other dips/condiment for that matter!!) and end up having it by spoonfuls in lieu of chips! I have a couple of peaches sitting in my fridge, waiting to be used up & I most certainly plan of turning them in to this salsa sans cucumber this evening (with mint of course!).

Enjoy& be patient.
Weekend is almost here! 😉

Mango Cucumber Salsa:

Serves: 2 | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 0 minute | Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 ripe mango, sliced, pitted & finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cup)
Salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade (can be subbed with coriander leaves)
Juice from 1 lemon

Don’t know what is basil chiffonade? – Pioneer woman tells you here!

Directions:

Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve (about 3-4 hours max otherwise it turns mushy). Serve with your favorite chips or a meat of choice.

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25
Jun
2014

3-Ingredient Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles

categories: Breakfast, Desserts, Ice-creams, Summer

Hello lovely people! Let me give you an update on whats been going on in life, you don’t know if you’re not following me on Instagram. It’s been more than 2 weeks since I last posted. Very eventful 2 weeks they were. Hubs & I visited my parent’s house for about 10 days. We celebrated Father’s day, spent some time with my grandmother, met up with couple of school friends after long long time, visited some cool, hip places for meal, watched drama after ages, shopped with my mom & sis, visited beach, bought way too many peach fruits, brushed up on some childhood memories, had an early birthday celebration and consumed liters and liters of Aamras (unsweetened mango pulp) accompanied by some kickass mom-made Gujju food! List is quite long and don’t ask me how I was able to fit ALL of this in my stomach in our such a short stay!!! But it was all too much fun!

I celebrate my 29th birthday this Saturday. I’m freaking out as big 3-0 is approaching and my life in twenties as I know it is going to end. I am excited too ‘coz CAKE!!! Yeah, my brain is confused on how to react to this situation. Anyhoo, Friday can not get here sooooner! It is going to be a funtastic weekend!! 🙂

After dealing with unpacking, laundry and a health check before I apply for the Visa, I finally got some time to sit down today. I made these popsicles before we left to visit my parents (more than 3 weeks back). It was so dang hot there, I missed these very very much. I had to constantly drink ice water/tea or eat ice-creams in order to stay cool. These popsicles are child’s play to make with just 3 ingredients and only 2 if you skip kiwi slices (do not skip though!). The watermelon I used was quite sweet so I didn’t have to use any form of sweetener for these popsicles. In case the watermelon you use is not sweet enough, feel free to add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup or any sweetener of your choice while blending. These are just perfect for breakfast, post-workout snack or dessert.

Happy Hump Day you all! 😀

3-Ingredient Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles

Yields: 4 Popsicles | Prep time: 2 minutes | Chill time: 6-7 hours or overnight

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon cubes, seeded
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 kiwi slices

Directions:

Blend together watermelon and lemon juice in a blender. Slide in kiwi slices in each Popsicle-mould and pour watermelon mixture on top, dividing equally. Insert stick in the centre of each mould, cover and freeze for about 6-7 hours. To demould, run the moulds under warm running water for 30-50 seconds. Dig in immediately!

*Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled or quadrupled!
*For less sweet watermelons, add 1 Tbsp of sweetener of your choice while blending.

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06
Jun
2014

National Donut Day!!! #RecipeRoundUp

categories: Baking, Breakfast, Desserts, Doughnuts

Whether you prefer doughnut over donut or fried over baked doesn’t really matter, because these glazed, filled, sprinkled, and all around glorious treats are uh-mah-zing no matter what you call them or how you make them! In honor of National Donut Day today, I’m sharing some of my favourites (which are all of them!) from the archives.

So, take out your donut-pans and get your sweet donut craving on!
Go get baking! 🙂

Baked Lemon Doughnuts with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

Baked Banana Donuts & Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cake Donuts

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts

Baked Chocolate Banana Doughnuts

Baked Apple Cinnamon Doughnuts

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03
Jun
2014

5-minute Tomato Pasta Sauce ~ Meal for Two & Some Chit Chat

categories: Dinner, Fall, Life, Lunch, No-Bake, Quick Fix, Spring, Summer

Let’s chat, shall we!? Time to end the lazy slump I’ve been rolling in lately. A lot’s been going on around here and I’m up for a full disclosure now. I did slip the news on Instagram couple of weeks ago but didn’t announce officially on the blog. So here it goes!! Drum-rolls please!!! I am going to LONDON this FALL for a one year postgraduate programme!!!!! WOHOOOO!!!!!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!! Sorry for all the yelling but I’m SOOOOO excited for this new chapter of my life to begin. This year has been truly magical so far!

I got the confirmed offer on my admission about a couple months ago but was skeptical on sharing the news as there were so many things to consider and plan for before I decide to accept the offer. Let’s just say I didn’t want to jinx it! I was ecstatic (to say the least) to get into this prestigious college. I was (still am!) over the MOON would be an understatement. I leave in September and there is so much to do. I need to visit my parents, apply for Visa, do the shopping, pack my bags and off I go. Fingers crossed for a smooth sailing!

Now here is a bit of not-so-good-news. Umm… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to continue blogging along with my studies but I’m not going to incessantly worry over something I can’t control. As of now, the only thing I’m sure of is that the programme is going to be very intense and I am going to have to give my 101% attention to it, even if blogging takes a backseat. I AM absolutely ready to prioritize. I love blogging so much therefore I’ll be blogging here as much as I can until September and after that we’ll see how things go. I would love to pop over in between during my stay in London to share my experiences in new country, food related or not. I will definitely try to stay as active as possible on Instagram nonetheless so do follow me there to stay in touch and be my companion on #LondonDiaries! 🙂

*Recipe*

This recipe I am sharing today is bonkers awesome! It is the quickest meal I have ever made (apart from toss-in-all-you-have salads or couscous!). If you can boil the pasta then you can make this recipe. This one here is basically foolproof! The tomato paste (Brand name – Splitz) I used for this quick pasta sauce is made locally in Bangalore and the ingredients list reads – Tomatoes. That’s it! It does not have any funky ingredients I can’t understand or pronounce, just pure tomato goodness without any color or preservative or salt! Too good to be true and but sadly, it is mostly available only in Bangalore. But fret not. You can go ahead and try any other good, organic tomato paste you can find in the store near you.

This packet is definitely going with me everywhere I travel. I guess it’d be a blessing during my soon-to-start student life! What a cheap, no-fuss and delicious meal option with so many possibilities. Add any number of vegetables to this dish to make it more hearty and fulfilling. Just a heaping Tablespoon of this potent tomato paste is enough for one portion. You can tell I’m quite impressed! What can I say, sometimes simple is truly THE BEST! xx

Quickest Tomato Pasta Sauce ~ Dinner for Two

Yields: 2 generous servings | Prep time: 2 minutes |Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups macaroni pasta
1 cup pasta water, reserved after boiling
2 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
Scant 1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp salt or more to taste
1/2 tsp dry basil herb
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
Shavings of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta as per the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
In the meantime, heat the pan on a medium-high heat. Add olive oil, garlic and onion and sauté for a minute. Add tomato paste and salt and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, scraping and stirring occasionally. The tomato paste will turn brown and this will enhance the flavors. Mix in basil and pepper and cook for another minute.
Stir in 3/4 cup of reserved pasta water to the tomato paste and magically you’ll get your pasta sauce ready! If you want thinner consistency sauce, add remaining 1/4 cup pasta water too. Stir in the drained pasta. Divide between 2 serving dishes. Top with some shavings of Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Notes:
*You can add vegetables of your choice to make the meal more hearty. Just sauté the vegetables along with garlic and onion before adding tomato paste to the mix. Zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, bell peppers…. sky is the limit!
*You may also top the pasta with capers or olives.
*Use whole wheat or quinoa pasta to make this meal healthier.
*Use penne or spaghetti pasta instead of macaroni.

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