Minty Raspberry and Blueberry Spritzer!

ime flies. Probably the most corny yet the most profound phrase of all time. Summer is already coming to an end. Can you believe it appears like it was only yesterday that we celebrated the New Year 2011 and it it already September, even feels funny writing 2011, want to think its still 2006! While we get ready to welcome the fall with the thoughts of celebrating Dussehra, Diwali and Thanksgiving, this is one pretty pinky summer cooler you must try. Summer is 'berry season' so here is an ode to summer with this 'berrylicious' cool vibrant drink which  is perfect for a lazy summer afternoon or a casual get together or even those fun weekend pool parties. Kids will love this and you can even add a splash of vodka for a little adult treat!

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Minty Fresh Berries and Fruit Couscous Salad

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hubs is not the biggest fruit lover. Just about the only fruits he likes (read: can eat) are banana,
guava and ripe mangoes. I on the other hand love all kinds of fruit
(except banana and mangoes, go figure) and can live on the fresh fruit
juice and salads for a few days. Also, because of all the goodness of
fruit, I try to incorporate them in our meals at-least once a day. Hubby
always takes one or two bites and I am the one left to finish my plate and his. Same with my little one. She is even stranger with her fruit
habits. She only likes fresh pineapple and orange juice. Her reasoning
why she doesn't like a particular fruit is because of the color,
watermelon is too red, papaya is too yellow, guava is too green. But
then who's to argue with her that my dear pineapple is yellow too, lol!

Anyway,
thats a little 'fruity' detail about my family, back to the post. Summer brings in colors, brightness, vibrancy, fresh fruits and vegetables and 
also the sun and the heat. The local markets got crates of fresh berries and fruits and mostly on sale nowdays which means I completely go crazy and bought us more than we could handle. It was not possible for me alone to finish
(although I did finish most of them all by myself). Now, hubs is a salad fan mainly couscous salad and last weekend I was all set to make some veggie salad and I opened the fridge and saw the rack full of fruits wanting to get my attention and hence this recipe. Some time back I had a similar kind of salad at the salad bar of the local Whole Foods market so this is slightly inspired from that. Mixed in a
few home grown organic mint leaves and a lite lemony dressing. To
my surprise both hubby and kiddo loved it. It was refreshing, gorgeous
and a great alternative to regular salads and helps with your daily fruit intake as well.

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Raspberry Muffins (eggless)

uffins filled with the essence of summer, how does that sound? Not a big fan of the summer heat but the fact that summer brings along the juicy sweet tangy berries makes summer worth it. I happen to love raspberries. Who doesn't? They are just so cute! Juicy, ripe red raspberries subtle and light these are sure to lift up your mood and make you all sunny and chirpy!

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Homemade Granola and Granola Trifle

runchy and nutty, fruity and filling, Granola is my "do not feel guilty after snacking" snack. I keep a big jar of it on the counter at all times for those late afternoon hunger pangs :)

There is no set recipe for granola besides a few basic components that are - rolled grains like oats, nuts and seeds, oil, spices, sweetener. Their homemade version is always the best as they can be easily customized to your personal preference. You can control the amount and type of sugar and oil, add your favorite nuts and choose your own grains. It works even better for those of us who have certain food allergies as you can rest assured of the contents of your snack. Granola has a good shelf life so you can make enough in advance to see you through for a few days or even weeks, not to mention it ends up being a lot cheaper too compared to buying from the store.

I always thought granola would be a bit a little tricky to make. But I soon found to my pleasant surprise they’re really not. It took me under an hour from start to finish, the hardest part being chopping the nuts (which you can simplify by getting the chopped ones from the store :)  Simply mix everything, boil some syrup mix both together in a big bowl and pour them into a baking dish. Done!

I can munch on fistfuls of this fabulous snack but one of my favorite ways to eat this is also as a Trifle. I cannot think of a better way to start the day than with a bowl of fresh fruit and berries and plain greek yogurt topped with homemade granola.

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