Kiwi Yogurt Smoothie

Rich in anti-oxidants and fiber,this hairy fruit is packed with lot of healthy surprises.An equivalent serving of Kiwi has more Vitamin C than Orange and more potassium than a Banana.

Combined with a probiotic rich source as yogurt ,the kiwi fruit smoothie is an amazing formula to build excellent immunity and over all health.


Ingredients
2 very ripe Kiwi ,peeled and chopped
1 very ripe banana
1/2 cup chilled Organic vanilla soy milk
1 cup Organic vanilla fat-free yogurt(or 3/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt )
2 tablespoon Pure Organic honey

Method
Add all the ingredients in a high power blender and blend until smooth on low power(do not over blend,crushed kiwi seeds can be bitter) .Serve cold.

Tropical Fruit Barley Risotto -Tropical Temptations Challenge

Soaked in with the warmth of the sunny tropics,the luscious sweet tropical fruits make up a good part of my fruit feast.Although I was raised in tropics,I wasn't a vivid fruit lovers as a child,only recently did I discover the bounty of tropical fruits.Limited to a few that make it up to the north,there are still so many more to try,if only I could take trip to the exotic lands and devour some more.



It was one of those days I had the plethora of tropical delights in my fruit basket and the theme of tropical fruits stuck me.
The barley risotto,that I normally cook up with vegetables ,got a whole new look and taste with the sweet fruity make over.Barley for all its excellent benefits makes a perfect substitute for the starchy arborio rice that is normally used to give the risotto a creamy consistency.The richness of coconut milk and the mellow appealing tropical fruit makes this a very special kind of risotto,which I would say makes a great breakfast\brunch meal or a dessert course.
I wouldn't encourage cooking the soft and sweet fruits,its best to add the fruits towards the end of the cooking process for this risotto.

Recipe : Tropical Fruit Barley Risotto
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 cup barley,rinsed
2 cups light coconut milk
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Agave nectar or honey
1 kiwi,peeled and sliced
quarter of a papaya,peeled and sliced
1 small ripe mango,sliced
1 very ripe plantain,peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon virgin pressed coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method
Heat oil in a large sauce pan,add the sliced plantains and a teaspoon of sugar,cook 4-5 minutes on each side until caramelized.Set aside.
In the same pan,add the barley and saute until pearly white,stir in the sugar,now start adding the coconut milk ,about 1/4 cup each time and stir until the barley absorbs it all,cook until is soft and creamy. Add the pine apple pieces,vanilla and agave nectar towards the end of cooking process.
To serve,lay the caramelized plantains,kiwi and top the sliced fruit over the risotto.



Health Nut Challenge 7 : Tropical Temptations

I am very pleased to reveal Tropical fruits as the next theme of Health Nut challenge.This has to be a simpler challenge than the previous.Satiate your fruity desire,pick the most exotic or common tropical fruit found in your part of the world,and dish up a tropical fruit temptation and share them at the Health nut challenge.

Here are the challenge 7 guidelines:
* Prepare a healthy appetizing dish with any one or all of the tropical fruits.Mention about the nutrition and health benefits of each of the fruit.
-> Avocados
-> Bananas
-> Coconuts
-> Mangoes
-> Kiwi
-> Papaya
-> Plantains
-> Pine apples
-> Jack fruit
-> Star Fruit
-> Dragon fruit
-> Passion fruit
-> Guava
-> Lychee
-> Tamarind
-> or other exotic tropical fruits known to you.

* Limit 3 entries per blogger.Please use the logo(the big or smaller in the side bar) and link your post to this announcement page.Send the entries before last day of September 2010, using the form below.

Health Nut Challenge Form

Your Name
Your Email Address
Blog Name
Recipe Name
Recipe URL
Picture of the dish(300 pixels wide)
Image Verification Please enter the text from the image: [ Refresh Image ] [ What's This? ]

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I'm allowing ample time for this challenge in scope of more entries and also the next couple months(Aug-Sept) your truly is planning for a vacation and blog in inactive mode.
The Ice cream Challenge round up is scheduled for next week,so you can still send in the entries till the end of this week.

Tropical Fruit Pops

Funny how my 3 year old asked Popsicle for breakfast.I don't blame him, the heat and humidity was intense and so was the thirst.And having enjoyed these the day before in mid afternoon heat,little buds assumed must be OK to eat them whenever thirsty.Not that these are no good to start the day,but he still had to take his milk and cereal for starters and pops for dessert.

Acai-Coconut-Papaya-Banana Pops
Papayas,kiwis,mangoes,bananas,pineapple,coincidentally had all the tropical fruits in hand to give a very tropical touch to the fruit pops.A real summer indulgence,you could enrich the fruit pops with variety of real fresh fruit puree ,deliciously adding a daily serving of all natural fruits and fiber in your diet,void of artificial colors or excess sugar.



Acai-Coconut-Mango-Pineapple Pops
Layering the pops in different fruit flavors seemed daunting at first,then figured that semi-freezing each fruit layer then proceeding with next layer and finally immersing the stick over the last layer and then freezing completely.Evidently the method worked beautifully,the vibrant pops caught my kiddos attention instantly and of course they were not satisfied with one.


Acai-Coconut-Kiwi Pops

Recipe : Tropical Fruit Pops

Ingredients
2 cups Acai Juice(or any concentrated fruit juice,Raspberry,Grape or Goji)
2 ripe Kiwi ,peeled
quarter of a medium papaya,peeled and cubed
1/2 ripe banana
1 small ripe mango
1/2 cup pineapple cut in cubes
1 cup coconut milk(sweetened with 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey)

Method
Puree the papaya and banana in a blender and set aside.Likewise puree the mango and pineapple together.Finally puree the kiwi.

Pour the Acai fruit juice in to the molds till 1/3rd full.Set in the freezer for an hour until set but not completely frozen.Now pour the coconut milk in the molds till 2/3rd full.Again set in freezer,for 30 minutes this time.Finally pour in rest of the fruit purees.Insert the mold stick and set in the freezer for 3-6 hours until completely frozen.Run the molds under warm water for 5-10 seconds for clean lift off.

Health Nut Challenge 6 : I Scream for Ice Cream : Join in the celebration of healthy frozen treats.Send in your best recipe before June 31st,find details here..