Strawberry Salsa, a refreshing salsa that tastes great with any chips/crackers. If you like salsa and chips combo, then you have to try this salsa when the strawberries are in season. It's so light, delicious  and a perfect salsa to make on the hot summer days.

Last week, we went to our annual strawberry picking and had a lot of fresh strawberries which were so delicious so I asked my IG followers what would make with it. Got a lot of interesting suggestions and this salsa recipe was mentioned by a couple of followers so thought of giving it a try immediately and it was an instant hit at our home.  Thanks to my IG followers. 

Today is the third time i've made this salsa in the last 4 days. It was so good and even my toddler liked it very much and asked me to make it again.

To be honest, this recipe doesn't need any precise quantity. You can add more or less of all the ingredients listed in the "Ingredients" list as per your liking. Also, if you want some spiciness, add some jalapeno too. 

Now let's check out how to make this delicious Strawberry Salsa

Strawberry Salsa | Summer Salsa Recipe

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 0 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Salsa | Recipe Cuisine: Fusion
Salsa, Summer Salsa, Strawberry Salsa Strawberry Salsa, a refreshing salsa that tastes great with any chips/crackers.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Strawberry - 20 

Onion(chopped) - 1/3 cup

Coriander leaves - a few 

Honey - 1tbsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Salt - as needed

Procedure

First wash and pat dry the strawberries and then cut the strawberries into small pieces. In a bowl, add the chopped strawberries, onions and coriander leaves.

Next add the honey, lemon juice and salt. Tossed it all well together. 

Delicious Strawberry Salsa is ready. Serve it with chips or crackers as per your like.

Related: Mexican Salsa/ Pica De Gallo

Notes:

• Keep all the ingredients and mix it all together when it's ready to serve.
• Depending on the sourness of the strawberries, you may need less or more of the lemon juice.
• Instead of honey, maple syrup/ agave syrup can also be used.

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Egg Vegetable Waffles, a delicious and healthy waffles made from the eggs, vegetables, cheese and spices. It's one of the dishes that you can make it in a jiffy for your morning breakfast.

I have been making this waffles for almost a year now and it became a staple in our house as breakfast. You can serve this waffles as a breakfast or as a snacks too. 

When i make omelette for breakfast, i always add some veggies like mushroom, broccoli, onions, tomatoes and  so on. It's so delicious and fulfilling. The same ideas goes into this waffles making. Instead of making it as omelette, we're making it as waffles.

Today, i used onions, broccoli and cheese only for this waffles. But you can add thinly sliced carrot, mushroom, bell pepper too. I had tried all these vegetables with this waffles and they all taste amazing. So pick whatever the veggies you want and make it as per your preference. 

Now, let check out how to make this delicious egg vegetable waffles.

Egg Waffles | Egg Vegetable Waffles

Preparation Time : 2 mins | Cooking Time : 5 mins | Serves : 1 
Recipe Category: Waffles | Recipe Cuisine: American
Egg Waffles, Egg Vegetable Waffles, Breakfast Waffles Egg Vegetable Waffles, a delicious and healthy waffles made from the eggs, vegetables, cheese and spices.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Egg - 2

Broccoli - a handful

Onion - 1 tbsp(chopped)

Mozzarella Cheese - 2 tbsp

Butter - 1 tsp

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Procedure

First crack open an egg in a bowl, then add the broccoli, onion , cheese , salt and pepper.

Give it all a good mix. Heat a waffle maker , butter the waffle iron and pour the egg mixture.

Cook the waffle as per your waffle maker instructions. 

Tada, Tasty and Healthy Egg Waffles are ready !  Serve it with some toasted bread and cream cheese, it would be awesome ! Here i serve it with my homemade wheat bread. Perfect for this mini waffles.

Related: How to make mini whole wheat loaf

Notes:

• As cheese already has salt in it, keep that in mind when you add the salt.
• Always fill the waffle iron half way because the egg puffs up when it's cooked. 

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Yogurt Mango Popsicles, a delicious and creamy popsicle made from yogurt. It's one of the easiest popsicles that you can make  in minutes and tastes absolutely delicious. 

If you're looking for some homemade popsicles to enjoy this summer, then definitely give this popsicle a try!  

Though the temperature is still below 10 for most of the days here in May this year, i'm done with winter cooking and  move on to making popsicles. 

Every day after back from the school, the little one asks what popsicle did you make today? He's  enjoying these homemade popsicles a lot, that's the main reason for making a lot more popsicles this year than ever. 

Yogurt Layer

In today's recipe, i have used home made curd / yogurt. But any plain store bought yogurt too works fine for this recipe.  Make sure that the yogurt is fresh and doesn't have too much of a sour taste. For creamy popsicles, i highly recommend to use the full fat yogurt more than the low fat versions. 

I have made these yogurt popsicles in two layers such as yogurt and mango layers. But these popsicles can be made with only yogurt layers too. Also, instead of mango, you can use other fruit puree also for layers like strawberry, peach and so on.  As we're all big mango lovers, i'm apt for mango layer. 

Sweetener 

I have used maple syrup for this popsicle as a sweetener. Honey and sugar can also be used. If you're using sugar, make sure that the sugar is completely melted in the yogurt before pouring it in the popsicle moulds.

Now let's check out how to make these delicious popsicles.

Yogurt Popsicles | Yogurt Mango Popsicles

Preparation Time : 6 hrs | Cooking Time : 0 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Popsicles | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Yogurt Popsicles, Yogurt Mango Popsicles, Summer Treats Yogurt Mango Popsicles, a delicious and creamy popsicle made from yogurt.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Plain Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Maple Syrup - 2 tbsp

Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp

For Mango Layer

Mango -1 

Maple syrup - 2 tbsp

Procedure

In a bowl, add the yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla essence and mix it all well together.

Next for the mango layer, peel a mango, peel, cut into small chunks and put it in a blender jar along with maple syrup. Grind the mango into smooth puree.

In a popsicle mold, add the yogurt mixture till it reaches half way through the popsicle mold then add the mango puree till it reaches the top. Cover it with foil paper and insert the popsicle stick at the center of each popsicle(or else you can use the popsicle stick that comes from the mould too).

Freeze it for a minimum of 6 hrs or overnight. Just before serving, take the popsicle out and dip the popsicle mould in warm water and take the popsicle out(it comes out easily).

Delicious Yogurt Mango Popsicles are ready!

Related: Rosemilk Popsicles

Notes:

• For yogurt layer, vanilla essence is purely optional.
• Adjust the sweetness of the popsicles as per your peference.

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Mango Popsicles, a delicious and refreshing popsicle made from fresh mangoes. It's one of the best popsicles that you can have  on hot summer days. It's light, refreshing and instantly cools you off. 

I'm a person who thinks that mangoes are best when eaten as it is ! So i hardly make any desserts or any recipes with it regularly. Occasionally make one or two. That's all. 

But now that i want my little one to enjoy all kinds of summer treats, I'm a little hesitant to try every flavor of ice cream/popsicle that are available in the market. So i prefer to make a little quantity at home especially for the kiddo and this mango popsicle is an instant hit at our home. 

So if you haven't tried making mango popsicles at home then do give it a try ! It's simply amazing !

Mango

For this recipe, i have used the red mangoes that are available here in all grocery stores. But you can try this with any well ripened mangoes provided that are less fibrous and more fleshy. 

Lemon Juice

Other than mangoes, this recipe calls for lemon juice and maple syrup. But if your mangoes are tart, you no need to add the mentioned quantity of lemon juice in this recipe. You can reduce the lemon juice quantity or leave it out if your mangoes have enough tartness. When you taste test your mango puree make sure you can feel the tartness well. That's what makes this popsicle so refreshing.

Maple Syrup

For sweetener, i used maple syrup in this recipe. However, you can use honey, sugar or any other sweetener as per your liking. Depends on the sweetness of the mango , you may need more or less sweetener.

Ok,  that's it. Now let's check out how to make this delicious mango popsicle.

Mango Popsicles | Mango Ice

Preparation Time : 6 hrs | Cooking Time : 5 mins | Serves : 4 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mango Popsicles, Mango Ice, Summer treats, Summer Desserts Mango Popsicles, a delicious and refreshing popsicles made from the fresh mangoes.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Mango -1 

Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

Maple syrup - 2 tbsp

Procedure

First take a mango, peel the skin and cut into small pieces and then put it in the blender jar.

Next, add the lemon juice and maple syrup an grind them into smooth puree.

Pour the mango puree in the popsicle mould and cover it with foil paper and insert the popsicle stick at the center of each popsicle(or else you can use the popsicle stick that come from the mould too).

Freeze it for minimum 6 hrs or overnight. Just before serving, take the popsicle out and dip the popsicle mould in warm water and take the popsicle out(it comes out easily).

Tasty and refreshing Mango popsicle is ready.

Related: Creamy Mango Kulfi 

Notes:

• Make sure to freeze it for minimum 6 hrs.
• If you don't have popsicle mould, you can pour it in small tumbler and cover it with foil paper and freeze it too.

 

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12 Mini Chocolate Cupcakes | Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes, a delicious and mildly sweetened chocolate cupcakes which are perfect for your kids snack box as well as tea time snacks. 

In general, i'm not a big fan of icing so i never used it here. But you're making this for a party or birthday celebration, then you can decorate them with some icing and it would be a perfect treat!

I have been making this chocolate cupcakes regularly at our home for over a year now. It's always been a such a huge hit with my kid. He loves this chocolate cupcake and ask me to bake this often so at alteast once in a month i make this. 

During this year's spring break, i made these chocolate cupcakes twice in a week and he eagerly did all the mixing and patiently waited till it got ready :-)

For the given measurement in the recipe index, it makes exactly 12 mini cupcakes. But you can also use the same batter to bake it in a 6 inch cake tin as well as 5*7 inch loaf pan. It all turned out good. 

As i said earlier, this chocolate cup cake is mildly sweetened and that's how we like it in our home. For more sweetness, i would recommend to add 2 more tbsp of sugar and use milk chocolate chips (instead of semi sweet chocolate chips).  That's what i do when i bake this cake for friends :-)

So now let's check out how to make these simple and delicious chocolate cupcakes. 

12 Mini Chocolate Cup Cakes

Preparation Time : 1 hr | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 12 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Mini cupcakes, Chocolate cupcakes, cupcakes, chocolate,12 mini cupcakes Mini Chocolate Cupcakes, a delicious and mildly sweetened chocolate cupcakes which are perfect for your kids snack box as well as tea time snacks.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 1/3 cup

Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Salt - a pinch

Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Vanilla Extract - 1/4 tsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Egg - 1

Semi Sweet Chocolate chips - 1/4 cup*

* Add more or less of chocolate chips as per your liking.

Procedure

Preheat the oven @ 350F .  In a bowl, crack open a egg, whisk it gently for 30 secs and then add the sugar.

Next add the vanilla extract and the oil. Whisk it all well together. Then shift the dry ingredients(flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder) into the egg mixture.

Next add the add and mix it all well until it become a smooth batter. 

Then add half of the chocolate chips into batter and mix it gently.  Line the cup cake tray with the liner and pour the cake batter into each mould and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of each mould.

Put it in the preheated oven and bake it for 12-15 mins. 

Delicious and soft cupcakes are ready.

Related: Chocolate Banana Bread

Notes:

• Instead of the liner, you can grease the cup cake tray and bake it.
• Adding oil makes the make moist even when store it in refrigerator.

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Black Rice Sago Payasam | Purple Sago Kheer

Black Rice Sago Payasam, a delicious dessert made from the black rice and tapioca pearls. If you have been following me for a while, you might already know that the black rice is one of the staple pantries in my house. So i often experiment with black rice a lot in my cooking. And this payasam is one of my recent tries and we absolutely loved it. 

 

If you're looking for a different type of payasam/kheer/dessert to make on any occasions then definitely give it a try ! 

Black Rice / Kavuni Arisi

Black rice in general is slightly sticky and gives a nice  creaminess to the dessert. So you don't need any condensed milk or something like that do thicken this payasam. 

In addition, Black rice when cooked gives a strong hues of purple color to the rice and makes it more appealing. Like all my black rice recipes, this one is also a big hit with my kid. 

Finally i pulsed the black rice in the mixie/blender a couple of. times before cooking because black rice takes a long time to cook compared to the white/basmati rice.

Sago / Tapioca Pearl / Javvarisi

In this recipe i have used 2 tbsp of black rice for 1/2 cup of sago. But there is no fixed rule for the ratio here. You can add more or less as per your liking.

Few Tips 

1. Both sago and black rice tend to thicken when it is cooled down. So make sure to serve this payasam when it's warm for drinkable consistency or else it would turn into spoonable consistency.
2. If you prefer to serve later, then add the milk just before the serving to keep it as diluted.
3. Once the pressure is naturally released from the pressure cooker, open the lid immediately and add the sugar. If you keep it aside for a long time, the sago and black rice tends to clump together and then later it needs a lot of arm workout to break those clumps. Adding sugar immediately will prevent that.

Now let's check out on how to make this delicious Black Rice Sago Payasam.

Black Rice Sago Payasam | Purple Sago Payasam

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Dessert | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Black Rice Payasam, Purple Sago Payasam Black Rice Sago Payasam, a delicious dessert made from the black rice and the tapioca pearls.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Javvarisi / Sago/ Tapioca Pearl - 1/2 cup

Kavuni Arisi / Black Rice - 2 tbsp

Milk - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1/3 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Ghee -1 tbsp

Cashew - 5-8 

Procedure

In a pressure add the javvarisi and then the roughly pulsed kavuni arisi, wash them well and add about 3/4 cup of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.

Once the pressure released naturally from the pressure cooker, open the lid and add the sugar and turn on the heat again & cook till the sugar is melted completely.

Then add the cardamom powder and  milk ( boiled and warm). Let them boil for a min or two. Finally roast the cashews in the ghee and add it into the payasam.

Delicious and vibrant looking Black Rice Sago Payasam is ready.

Related: Sweet Kavuni Arisi / Black Rice Pudding

Notes:

• Adding cashews is optional so you can skip that if you don't want.
• This payasam tends to thicken when it cool down.

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