Seven healthy dessert options for Diwali
Updated: Nov 4th, 2023
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| Image: IANS |
Festival seasons are that time of year during which our health goals tend to take a back seat. Many times, given all the culinary temptations on offer everywhere, even getting back on track after the festival season seems not just difficult but impossible.
To stay on the right track we need to maintain at least a few healthy habits during this period which can be achieved by sticking with simple, healthy recipes.
Here are the recipes which will go a long way in ensuring that one does not feel deprived during the festive season while ensuring the health factor! The recipes are curated by chefs Joy Mathew and Prakriti Shakti.
Date squares
Ingredients: Date, orange juice, pistachio, almond, cinnamon powder, orange zest
Method:
Soak the dates in orange juice and cinnamon powder for two hours. Coarsely blend the nuts in a jar, and mix the soaked dates and orange zest. Pulse two times and make it into a thick dough. Shape into a square mould and serve.
Anjeer barfi
Ingredients: Dry fig sliced, soft dates chopped, pistachio chopped, cardamom powder, honey
Method:
In a blender, add sliced fig and pulse it two to three times. Add chopped soft dates, and cardamom powder, and pulse the mixture again. Take out the mix and knead well with your hand. Shape the mix into squares in a pan and glaze it with honey. Cut and serve in desired size and garnish with pistachio slices.
Apricot bites
Ingredients: Dried apricots chopped, dried grated coconut, vanilla powder, raisins chopped
Method:
Add all ingredients to the food processor and blend till it forms ‘dough’. Make gooseberry-sized balls and roll them in dried grated coconut.
Brownie bites
Ingredients: Cocoa nibs, almonds, walnuts, dates, vanilla, salt
Method:
Powder the cocoa nibs in a blender. Add walnut and vanilla salt and pulse again. Add dates and blend well, don’t blend too much it will release the walnut oil. Remove from the blender into a bowl. Make small dumplings, roll them over a little in cocoa nibs and serve.
Pumpkin energy bites
Ingredients: Pitted soft dates chopped, pumpkin grated, dried grated coconut, walnut chopped, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, salt
Method:
Reserve 20 gm grated dry coconut. Blend the rest to obtain dough consistency. Form the dough into small balls. Coat the balls in the reserved dry coconut and serve.
Raw chocolate brownie
Ingredients for Brownie: Soft dates chopped, peanut powder, walnut coarse powder, almond powder, cacao powder, vanilla bean powder, salt
Ingredients for Glazing: Honey, water, cacao powder, vanilla powder
Method:
Grind all the nuts separately in a coffee grinder (or food processor) until powder. De-seed and chop the soft dates. Blend all nut powder and walnut coarse in a food processor, add dates, mix well to make a dough and mould it in a tray. Combine the glaze ingredients in a blender and make into a smooth sauce that can be poured over the brownie. Cut a square piece and garnish with tender coconut and cashew nuts sauce.
Coconut walnut bar
Ingredients: Walnut, almond powder, raisins, dehydrated coconut, fresh grated coconut, cardamom powder
Method:
Blend the raisins in a blender in paste form. Add walnuts and blend again into powder form. Change to a mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Arrange the dough into the tray up to one-centimetre height. Cut into a diamond shape and serve.
(Source: IANS)
-Edited for style
