Natural Treatment Creams.

Curd or dahi at home:

• use a good quality milk. full cream milk yields a thick and luscious yogurt.
• always boil the milk before making the curd. this ensures that the milk does not spoil during the fermentation process.
• the milk should not be hot. if its very hot the milk gets coagulates and you might end up getting a grainy curd.
• if its little hot then the yogurt does not become thick and is a bit runny with some whey in the curd.
• if the milk is cold, then the curd won’t be set at all.
• the milk must be warm. just dip your little finger in the milk and you should feel warm not hot.
• it is very important to dissolve the curd culture uniformly in the milk. whisk very well with a spoon or a whisker.
• if you stay in a cold place or have cold temperatures, then cover the bowl or pan in which the curd mixture is with a warm towel or warm blanket and keep it in a warm place in your kitchen.
• also you could place the bowl in a big large jar of wheat flour and then cover the jar. this is how my mom in law would make curd in the delhi winters.
• in summers the curd will be set faster than in the winters. so keep an eye as we are in the peak of summers in india now….. the month of may has begun….
• you could use any quantity of milk you want to make the curd.
• for half a litre milk, 1 tsp of curd culture works fine. increase proportionally for larger quantities of milk.
• once the curd is set, refrigerate the curd.

step by step process of making curd or dahi or yogurt at home:

1: first keep the milk to boil.

2: let the milk come to a boil. simmer for a minute or two and then close the burner.

3: cool the milk at room temperature till it becomes warm.

4: i have used the same pan in which i boiled the milk. add a teaspoon of curd (yogurt) culture to the milk and mix well. your curd is all ready to set. cover and keep at room temperature for 4-5 hours or till the curd is set. you could also keep it overnight also.

5: so now you have a nice well set homemade curd.

6: curd or dahi can be had plain or sweetened or can be made into a dessert, drink or any dish of your choice.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

the cobbler turned juice

i'm teaming up with williams sonoma this week to turn a sweet treat favorite into a healthy juice.

enter record screech.

you know i like my baked goods. BUT. taking sweet treats out of my daily routine and saving them for only the weekend has been incredibly good for me. my skin looks better. i'm not so sluggish. no more canker sores or cystic acne. it's sort of crazy.

i sort of fell off the wagon while i was pregnant because ALL THE FOOD was eaten all the times. hence the 40 pound weight gain. and now the extra 10lbs that is just lounging gently around my waistline.  Jesus take the kitchen aid mixer.

and so now as we enter back into a season of healthiness, I'm looking forward to cutting sweet treats out and filling my body with more whole foods. more nutrient rich options. i guess what i'm saying is that this collab couldn't come at a better time...especially with steal-all-your-kids-snickers day coming up very soon.

so i chose to put my spin on a fall favorite: the cobbler (thanks josephine for brainstorming with me). since everything's getting dressed up for halloween, why not disguise the cobbler up as a delicious juice.  and oh my gosh. it's so good.

you'll need:

a heavy duty blender like my fave, a whole food juicer or blender.

1/2 an apple, seeded
1 cup of berries ( i like the organic antioxidant berry blend from costco that contains pomegranate, blueberries, strawberries, and cherries)
1 heaping tablespoon of oats
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup of water or lower sugar apple juice
1 tsp lemon juice or a gentle squeeze (doesn't have to be exact)
a pinch of cinnamon or a drop of cinnamon essential oil
a pinch of pumpkin pie spice
a pinch of salt

throw all of that in the mixer and let the games begin.

now i poured this into a small juice glass and had enough for one of my kiddos, who totally approved.

the entire thing has 140 calories and virtually no fat. so, because we went halfsies i had a 70 calorie treat as opposed to a typical cobbler that contains 508 calories, 13 grams of fat and 93 carbs. insert surprised emoji face with the red cheeks.

i'll be running to this juice for a morning energy boost in the future! hope you guys enjoy it too.