The summer months can be unforgiving, especially when you have to spend hours cooking in the kitchen.
Delhi-based Chef Sabyasachi 'Saby' Gorai shares three delicious and healthy smoothie recipes that can be whipped up in no time.
The Walnut Mocha Smoothie is filled with the goodness of cocoa while the Walnut, Date and Fig Milkshake is pure creamy indulgence and the Mixed Berry Walnut Chia Smoothie offers an intense burst of fruity flavours.
Photographs: Kind courtesy California Walnuts
Walnut Mocha Smoothie
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 banana, sliced and frozen
- 4 dates, pitted, preferably Medjool
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 4 large ice cubes
- Tall glass for serving
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a blender.
Turn the blender on low and then gradually increase to high.
Blend on high until smooth and creamy, for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to tall glasses and serve chilled.
Walnut, Fig and Date Milkshake
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- ¾ cup vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup walnut milk, homemade or store bought (recipe given below)
- 2 large dates, pitted, preferably Medjool
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 4 tbsp fig jam
- 1 fresh fig, cut into half, for the garnish
- 1 tbsp of honey, for the garnish
- Few pieces of walnut, for the garnish
Method
- In a blender, puree ice cream, dates, walnuts and walnut milk until smooth.
- Pour small amounts of the puree into a tall glass, alternating with spoonfuls of fig jam.
Add the fresh fig halves, honey and walnut pieces, for garnish.
Walnut milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole walnuts
- 1 cup cold water
Method
- Soak a cup of untoasted walnuts for 2 hours in 2 cups of water. Strain and rinse walnuts well.
- Transfer to a blender with one cup of cold water. Blend on high for a minute.
- Strain through a muslin cloth till you get an almost dry powdery mass in the cloth after pressing the milk.
- Transfer in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This gives you 2 cups of homemade pressed walnut milk.
Mixed Berry Walnut Chia Smoothie
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup frozen strawberries, available in gourmet grocery shops
- ¼ cup frozen blueberries, available in gourmet grocery shops
- ¼ cup frozen raspberries, available in gourmet grocery shops
- ¼ cup frozen blackberries, available in gourmet grocery shops
- 2 tbsp whole walnuts
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp vanilla essence
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer to tall glasses and serve chilled.
NOTE: Frozen berries can be substituted for dried or fresh berries. But then add a little ice to hydrate them while blending.