dates Archives - Complete Wellbeing

Probably the easiest healthy ice-cream recipe

Grazilia Almeida-Khatri — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 06:49:47 +0000

I had once read somewhere that there is no such thing as a ‘healthy’ ice cream. And I agreed with that, till I came across this recipe and tried it. This is a vegan recipe [no dairy] and it’s also sugar-free. Make sure you use over ripe bananas so that you get the right consistency of the ice cream and you’ll also need to use fewer dates.

Ingredients

Bananas [over ripe]: 3

Cocoa powder : 1 tbsp

Dates: 4

Vanilla essence: 2 tsp

Roasted almonds for garnishing

Method

Peel and chop the bananas and freeze in an airtight container or zip lock pouch. Freeze for a minimum of 24 hours.
Just before you want to prepare the ice-cream, thaw the bananas for 10 mins. Don’t let them soften completely.
In a blender, add all the ingredients. If required add 1-2 tbsp cold water.
Blend at high speed till all ingredients have mixed well.
If you want a soft serve consistency then you can serve immediately.
If you prefer a firmer, ice cream consistency then freeze for 3-4 hours before serving.
Garnish with roasted chopped almonds while serving.

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The perfect sugar-free gajar ka halwa (carrot halwa)

Grazilia Almeida-Khatri — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 15:30:23 +0000

When it comes to halwa, the variations are countless: we have halwa made from suji or semolina, dudhi or bottle gourd, moong dal, banana, beetroot, peas and even bread. But if there is one variant that beats them all, it’s the good old gajar ka halwa (carrot halwa).

Grated carrots cooked in milk and sugar and garnished with a generous helping of nuts are a staple winter dessert in most Indian households. However, as our waist lines are growing bigger and exercising hours are getting shorter, we can’t help but scout for healthy options to these desserts.

I have tried making sugar-free carrot halwa with regular date [wet dates] paste too. But it changes the color to a rather unappetizing shade and the flavour does not blend well with the carrots. After a few trials, this sugar-free carrot halwa recipe passed the test of taste with flying colours. What’s more! It’s vegan (made without milk or ghee).

Ingredients for sugar-free gajar ka halwa

750g carrots [red variety]
Coconut milk – 500ml
Dry dates or khareek – 1 cup [You can add more if you like]
Cardamom powder – 2tsp
Nutmeg powder – 1tsp
Poppy seeds – 2tbsp [khus khus]
Almonds – 2tbsp [soaked in water, skin peeled and chopped]
Cashews – 2tbsp [halved or chopped]

Preparation method

Soak the dry dates or khareek in water for 6 – 7 hours or over night. Then deseed them and chop finely in a chopper. You can also coarsely blend in a blender. Don’t make it into a paste. Do not discard the water used for soaking these dates.
Grate the carrots or chop them too in the chopper.
Now take the chopped carrots, cashews and khareek in a pressure cooker. Add the water which was used to soak dates. Mix this well and pressure cook for 4 – 5 whistles.
Once the steam releases, open the lid and add in the coconut milk and poppy seeds. Now cook the halwa on low flame, stirring occasionally.
When the halwa dries up, turn off the flame and add the cardamom powder, nutmeg and sliced almonds.
Your delicious sugar-free gajar halwa is ready to serve.

Also try » Sindhi Khoya: a traditional winter delicacy

Tip

When using dry fruits such as almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, pistachios it is better to soak them in water for 3 – 4 hours before consuming. This makes them more alkaline, making your sugar-free carrot halwa healthier. It also enhances the taste of the nuts.

The post The perfect sugar-free gajar ka halwa (carrot halwa) appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

These delish energy balls can be a great post-workout snack

Padhu — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 10:30:50 +0000

Dates are a great way to have sweet tasting foods without having to consume the sugar, jaggery or stevia. Just add date paste or chopped dates in place of sugar to your preparation. Dates are rich in iron, calcium, fibre and a lot of other nutrients.

An energy ball or bar made of dates and nuts is best eaten as a post-workout snack or between meals as eating 6 – 7 dates provides about 130 calories.

These energy balls last up to 15 days if you refrigerate them in an air-tight container. You could even flatten them out in a tray and cut them in squares if you like.

Ingredients

Dates – 500 grams pitted
Nuts – 1 cup [mix of almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts and walnuts]
Raisins – ¼ cup
Honey – 2 tsp
Ghee – 3 tsp
Roasted sesame seeds as needed

Preparation method

Vegan tip

If you follow a vegan diet, you can do away with ghee. Sauté the dates in a non-stick pan directly. Keep stirring till they become soft. You may add the raisins without frying or skip them altogether.

Toast all the nuts separately and grind them coarsely.
Heat a tsp of ghee and fry the raisins until they puff up.
Heat 2 tsp of ghee, add dates and sauté until dates become soft.
Add the nuts, raisins, honey and mix well.
Grease your hands with ghee and make balls while the mixture is still warm.
Roll them on roasted sesame seeds to coat them well and store in an air tight container.

This recipe was first published in the July 2013 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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