Christmassy Oat and Berry Smoothie

How does your Christmas morning start? We have a ritual that we follow every year. We all wear our Christmas jumpers to start off with. We then all gather in the lounge where the presents are sorted in piles for each person. Each person opens one present at a time in turn. Whilst we open our presents, I serve this tasty spicy vegan oat and berry smoothie to keep everyone replenished. Its the perfect start before we sit down to our breakfast.

What is your family's Christmas ritual? Do share in the comments below.

This smoothie is so easy to make, its vegan and dairy free too. The ideal way to start the day and get into the Christmas mood.

Yield: serves 2Author: Nayna Kanabar

Christmas Oats and Berry smoothie

Christmas spice, delicious oat smoothie to kick start your morning.

prep time: 3 minscook time: total time: 3 mins

Ingredients:

30 g Oats

50g Soya yoghurt

100 ml oat milk chilled

Mixed berries, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries

1 banana

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of cinnamon

1 teaspoon agave nectar (optional)

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients into a high speed blender . I used my Optimum 9400 and blend the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

2. Pour into tall glasses and serve chilled. Garnish with more berries if you prefer.

Created using The Recipes Generator

I used my tried and trusted Optimum 9400 to blend my soup. The blender is so versatile and powerful that it grinds, pulses, makes ice cream, soups and amazing smoothies and nut butters too. It is easy to clean and maintain too.

Froothie also offer 0% finance on products over £299 and only require a 10% deposit. That's not all, the fab people at Froothie are offering you lovely readers 2 years extra warranty and free delivery if you use "Extra2"  in the comments box when making your purchase  All the blenders come with 30 day return option so you can buy and try and return If you are not satisfied with the purchase. 

Do also check out their latest model Froothie Evolve 9200A. It is more compact and affordable.

Froothie also have a new affordable blender that they launched, it’s the Optimum 9200A 2nd GEN blender. It is extremely powerful with a 2611W motor, it meets the demands of commercial use, while being affordable for family use. Its bpa free jugs have 6 stainless steel blades & metal drive socket making them extremely durable. The blender is extremely easy to use with 3 quick preset functions (20´, 35´& 45´). The Optimum 9200A blender is currently on special offer for £279 instead of £449 

**ADDITIONAL SPECIAL OFFER**

 Since I am a Froothie Evolve Ambassador, if you buy using my affiliate link  you get an additional 2 years warranty, which brings the warranty to 7 years. It will not cost you any extra but it helps me to upkeep this blog.  

 To get this special offer please add the following text in the comment box when you order:

Ambassador (Extra2) special 2 extra warranty years 

 

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Thai Tomato Soup

Thai food is one of our favorite cuisines, we love Vegan Thai curry, pad thai salad, Thai noodles and  soups.  Soups are a staple in my household we all love them especially when the weather is wet and grim. This Thai tomato soup is so simple to make and strangely the recipe works best with overripe tomatoes that are usually too soft for salads. Adding the Thai flavours just converts the humble tomato soup and makes it A class!!

Thai cuisine uses lots of aromatic flavours. I particularly like the flavors of galangal, spring onions, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk. Mayuri has created this lovely yellow thai curry using all these wonderful flavours.

Yield: Serves 2Author: Nayna Kanabar

Thai Tomato Soup

Simple tomato soup packed with Thai flavours of lemongrass and Chinese five spice.

prep time: 5 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

240 g ripe tomatoes roughly diced.

50 g bean sprouts

1/2 white onion finely chopped

1 inch piece lemon grass finely chopped.

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 Celery stick finely chopped

1 small carrot finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes

1/3 teaspoon Chinese five spice

1 tablespoon olive oil/

200 ml water

Instructions

1. In a large pan add the oil, when its hot add the chopped onions, garlic and leeks and saute them for 3-4 minutes until translucent.

2. Add the carrots and chopped tomatoes and lemon grass to the pan and the water and bring the soup to a simmer.

3. Cook the soup for 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the soup to the Optimum 9400 blender and blend until smooth.

5. Strain the soup into the pan and discard any residue left in the strainer.

6. Add the salt,  pepper, chilli flakes and Chinese five spice  and bring the soup to a slow boil. Turn off the heat and add the bean sprouts.

7. Ladle soup into serving bowls and enjoy with crusty bread.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Sometimes I make a light Thai themed lunch and make lovely Thai cucumber relish, and spicy Thai papaya salad to go with the soup. Of course I always want dessert after my lunch as I prefer to eat dessert at lunch time rather than with my evening meal which is usually heavier. These Peranakan Pancakes are just super delicious to finish the meal.

I used my tried and trusted Optimum 9400 to blend my soup. The blender is so versatile and powerful that it grinds, pulses, makes ice cream, soups and amazing smoothies and nut butters too. It is easy to clean and maintain too.

 Froothie also offer 0% finance on products over £299 and only require a 10% deposit. That's not all, the fab people at Froothie are offering you lovely readers 2 years extra warranty and free delivery if you use "Extra2"  in the comments box when making your purchase  All the blenders come with 30 day return option so you can buy and try and return If you are not satisfied with the purchase. 

Do also check out their latest model Froothie Evolve 9200A. It is more compact and affordable it’s the Optimum 9200A 2nd GEN blender. It is extremely powerful with a 2611W motor, it meets the demands of commercial use, while being affordable for family use. Its bpa free jugs have 6 stainless steel blades & metal drive socket making them extremely durable. The blender is extremely easy to use with 3 quick preset functions (20´, 35´& 45´). The Optimum 9200A blender is currently on special offer for £279 instead of £449 

**ADDITIONAL SPECIAL OFFER**

 Since I am a Froothie Evolve Ambassador, if you buy using my affiliate link  you get an additional 2 years warranty, which brings the warranty to 7 years. It will not cost you any extra but it helps me to upkeep this blog.  

 To get this special offer please add the following text in the comment box when you order:

Ambassador (Extra2) special 2 extra warranty years 

If you enjoy visiting simplyfood and would like to receive regular updates and a monthly newsletter straight into your inbox please sign up by email. You will find the email and newsletter signup right at the top under my photo in the side bar.

Alternately click the link below for email signup.:

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Giveaway- 1 Terraillon Premium rolling pin kit and 1 Macaron scale in Liquorice

I recently tested the Terraillon bakeware range at simplyfood and I must say the rolling pin and the bowl set are the best items I have had in my kitchen. If you want to know more about them check out my previous blog post about Baking with Terraillon.

I am so pleased with the items that as aways I wanted my readers to get the opportunity to try them too. I have collborated with Terrallion who have kindly agreed to send one simplyfood reader 1 Terraillon Premium rolling pin kit and 1 Macaron scale in Liquorice just in time for Christmas baking.

How to Enter:

·         Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries

·         Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc

·         Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway

·         Closing date – 5^th Dec 2018 12.00 am

How Rafflecopter works:

·        You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.

·        Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.

·         Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 

·        Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.

·        For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. 

·        For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. 

·        If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

Rules:

• This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 who live in the UK.
• The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page.
• Prize:  1 Premium rolling pin kit and 1 Macaron scale in Liquorice
• Simplyfood is hosting this giveaway in collaboration of Terraillon. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. They reserve the right to withdraw the competition at any time should any unforeseen circumstances arise, in case that the prize is not available a similar prize of same value will be substituted.  No monetary compensation will be given.
• Terraillon will be responsible for sending out the prize to the winner, by entering you are **consenting** to share your address for the prize to be sent and be contacted by email to notify you if you have won the prize. 
•  Please note to be complaint with the new GDPR rules by entering the giveaway you are consenting to allow simplyfood to contact you if you win the prize. Your data will NOT be used for any other marketing purposes.
• All entries will be verified, failure to follow instructions correctly will result in participants being disqualified. Please do not cheat.

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Mango, Almond and Coconut Ladoos.

I have been travelling right up to the first day of the Diwali celebrations . Totally jet lagged I needed to make some quick and easy sweet recipe. With a maraton of Diwali preparations, I managed to make two sweets within a couple of hours. You can also check out my Pistachio barfi recipe here.

These Mango, Almond and Coconut ladoos are speedy to make and all the ingredients are store cupboard staples that I had in my pantry. They definitely were a hit with my family.

They are delicious with the tropical mango flavours which goes really well with the almonds and coconut. (Ladoo is an Indian name given to any sweet that made in around ball shape) .The mixture can also be set in a tray and cut into squares if you are limited on time.

Yield: 24Author: Nayna Kanabar

Mango, Almond and Coconut Ladoos

Decadent mango flavoured almond and coconut ladoos that are easy to make but taste delicious.

prep time: 10 minscook time: 10 minstotal time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

200g Coconut flour

100 g Coarsely ground almonds

200 g Condensed milk

Mango essence few drops

Few drops orange food colouring (optional)

Instructions

1. In a wok add the condensed milk and gently heat it on a low heat.

2. Add the coconut flour, almonds, mango essence and food colouring and stir the mixture until it comes together to make a pliable dough consistency.

3. Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool down.

4. Pinch walnut sized balls of mixture and make balls . alternatively use a ladoo making mould to give it a different shape,

NOTES:

These ladoos can be made with desiccated coconut , however the texture of the ladoos will be more grainy.

Created using The Recipes Generator

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or click the link below:

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Pistachio Barfi

Diwali is the celebration of lights, it's a Hindu celebration that spans over four day. The festival is to mark the return of Lord Rama from 14 years in exile and his victory of good over evil. Hindus all over the world celebrate by eating lots of wonderful sweets and savories, visiting family and friends and conducting prayers to the Lord Rama and Goddess Laxmi.

To celebrate Diwali this year I made Pistachio barfi (milk fudge) Barfi is my families all time favorite sweet and there is never an occasion when we do not make it. There are many flavours you can make but pistachio is an all time winner so below I am sharing the recipe for Pistachio Barfi.

Yield: 24 piecesAuthor: Nayna Kanabar

Pistachio Barfi

Delicious milk fudge make with ground pistachios.

prep time: 10 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 40 mins

ingredients:

360 g Milk Powder

70 g Ghee (clarified butter)

150 ml skimmed Milk (can use any type)

90 g Coarsely chopped pistachio 

30 g Pistachio slices for garnish

For Sugar Syrup

150 g Sugar

100 ml Water

Few drops green food colouring

1/2 teaspoon pistachio essence

instructions

1. Add the milk and ghee to a glass jug and microwave for 30 seconds to melt the mixture.

2. In a large bowl add the milk powder and add the ghee/ milk mixture and rub it into the milk powder to form a bread crumb type of mixture.

3. In a pan add the water and sugar and bring to boil, simmer the mixture until you get a  one thread consistency sugar syrup. Add the green food colouring and pistachio essence. Turn off heat.

4. Add the milk powder mixture to  a large wok and on a very low heat stir the milk powder for 5 minutes to get rid of the rawness. Keep it stirring on a very low heat as not to burn it.

5. Next add the sugar syrup to the milk powder  and mix until its all incorporated. If the mixture feels dry add 2 tablespoonful of warm milk. (This may not be necessary )

6. Once the mixture comes together. turn off the heat and add in the ground pistachios and mix.

7. Line a square baking try with cling film and pour the mixture in to it. Smooth it out using the back of a spoon and garnish with the pistachio slivers. Press them into the barfi.

8. Leave the barfi to set for 4-5 hours after which cut into squares.

Created using The Recipes Generator

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or click the link below:

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Baking With Terraillon

The country is currently enjoying baking fever with the start of the the GBBO series. I too love baking, I am not an expert and its not my strong point, never the less I do dabble and try my hand at simple bakes.

One thing I have discovered is that baking is a science. The measurements for the ingredients have to be precise for a recipe to work as does the oven temperatures and baking times. Obviously having the right utensils and baking equipment helps to create the perfect recipe. I am really excited to share my new baking equipment that I am testing currently by Terraillon. Beautifully designed kitchen utensils that are stylish to look at functional and excellent quality.

 Multi Functional Bowl Kit- This is one bowl with four extra accessories built in. 

The set comprises of a 3l graduated stainless steel mixing bowl with dual function lid that can be used as an anti splatter lid or non slip support to place the bowl upon whilst mixing.
A second 0.5 l small bowl in the set is suitable for microwave and comes with dual function lid that doubles as egg yolk separator. There is an additional transparent lid that can be used to cover bowl for food storage.The clear lid also fits in the middle of the larger lid to convert it to a full lid so the bowl can be used for storing food.

Additional Features:

• Product finish: Stainless steel and silicone
• Heat resistant 220°C
• Dishwasher safe
• Microwaves resistant: silicone bowl only
• Product dimensions: 27x27x13,5 cm

Kit Range Utensil storage storage box set- A Utensil pot with a spoon rest, silicon spatula and mixing spoon with a  stainless steel handles and a stainless whisk.

The utensil base is removable so that it doubles up as a spoon rest whilst cooking. All the parts are stainless steel and dish washer safe.


The spatula and spoon are sturdy and has a good gripping handle.
The whisk is light and again has a good grip on the handle making whisking easy.

Terraillon rolling pin and pastry mat.- This two in one rolling pin is great as it has a removable end that allows you to store the silicon  pastry mat inside the rolling pin when not in use.

The rolling pin also comes with 3 changeable spacers enabling you to decide what thickness you wish to roll the pastry so that you can get uniform thickness whilst rolling it out. This is really handy when rolling out biscuits so that you can ensure all the batch are the same thickness.



I am absolutely loving my Terraillon range of baking utensils which have become my bestest buddies in my kitchen.






If you too like this range do check out the Terraillon website to order.

** I was sent a set of Terraillon kitchen utensils to try out in my kitchen. All views and opinions shared are my own.

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Aubergine and Yellow Tomato Curry.

One of my favorite vegetables is aubergines and I always try and cook with them at least once a week. These wonderful purple aubergines used in this recipe are home grown from a friends garden. They are very young and tender with very few seeds inside them and they taste delicious.

I have paired them with these beautiful Yellow vine tomatoes that I picked up from the local farmers market. The tomatoes are sweet and juicy and are perfect in salads, although you can also cook with them by roasting them on the wine for pasta sauces or adding them to any curries dish too.

With these two lovely ingredients, I wanted to keep the recipe simple so I made this tasty Aubergine and yellow tomato curry which went really well paired with hot chapattis and rice.

Yield: Serves 4Author: Nayna Kanabar

Aubergine Masala with Yellow Tomatoes

Augergines sauteed in garlic and spices and cooked with baby Yellow tomatoes.

prep time: 5 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

2 medium Aubergines

2 cloves garlic

1 red dried chilli

12 Baby yellow Tomatoes

3 Springs fresh Coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Wash the aubergines and cut in half length ways and then into thin 5 mm slices.

2. Peel the garlic and finely chop it.

3. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

4. In a pan add the oil , when it is hot add the mustard seeds and red chilli and wait for the mustard seeds to crackle.

5. Add the garlic and saute for a minute, next add the aubergine slices and toss in the oil for 3-4 minutes.

6. Add all the spices  and toss the aubergines to coat them. Cover and cook the aubergines for 10 minutes  on a low to medium heat after which add the tomatoes and cook further for another 5 minutes.

7. Turn off the heat and transfer the aubergines to a serving dish and garnish with freshly chopped coriander.

Created using The Recipes Generator

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