Navratri 2024: Embrace the festive season with delightful yet healthy desserts that won’t derail your health goals. Festivals often mean indulging in sweets, but those watching their weight can enjoy these five healthy recipes without guilt. Curious about avocado sandesh or sugar-free gajar halwa cake? Discover these nutritious twists on traditional treats.
Recipes:
Finger Millet Sesame Seed Ladoo (by Chef Niriksha Reddy, ITC Grand Central) Millets are rich in fiber, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, offering numerous health benefits. Sesame seeds provide protein, calcium, and magnesium, while unrefined cane sugar has a low glycemic index.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ragi flour
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup unrefined cane sugar/Karumbu sakkarai
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp milk
Method:
- Roast ragi flour in ghee on low flame until fragrant.
- Toast sesame seeds until they pop.
- Blend ragi flour, sesame seeds, and cane sugar.
- Form ladoos from the mixture, using milk if necessary.
Sugar-Free Dry Fruit Laddoos Rolled in Dark Chocolate (by Swheta Aggarwal, Founder – Kookie Cake Crumble) Dry fruits are packed with antioxidants, Vitamin A, and fiber, while dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants.
Ingredients:
- Deseeded dates
- Figs
- Roasted mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios)
- Ghee
- Melted dark chocolate
Method:
- Heat ghee in a pan, add dates, figs, and nuts.
- Form the mixture into small ladoos.
- Dip in melted dark chocolate and refrigerate.
Sugar-Free Gajar Ka Halwa Cake (by Good Food Concept) Carrots are low in calories and high in beta carotene, calcium, and vitamins.
Ingredients:
- Milk, yogurt, sugar-free sweetener, vanilla, vegetable oil, maida, baking soda, baking powder, salt, grated carrots, ghee, cream cheese, butter, raisins, cashews
Method:
- Mix wet and dry cake ingredients, bake.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting.
- Cook grated carrots with sugar-free sweetener and milk to make halwa.
- Layer cake with frosting and halwa, refrigerate.
Avocado Sandesh (by Swheta Aggarwal, Kookie Cake Crumble) Avocado offers healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
Ingredients:
- Full-fat milk, yogurt, lemon juice, powdered sugar, mashed avocado, cranberries
Method:
- Curdle boiled milk with yogurt and lemon juice.
- Combine curds with sugar to form a dough.
- Mix in avocado, shape into balls, garnish with cranberries.
Ragi Quinoa Besan Barfi (by Amandeep Singh, Executive Sous Chef, The Westin Mumbai Garden City) Ragi and quinoa provide essential nutrients, while besan is great for gut health.
Ingredients:
- Ragi flour, quinoa, besan, jaggery, ghee, cardamom powder, salt, chopped nuts
Method:
- Cook quinoa, roast besan.
- Mix ragi flour, quinoa, and besan with ghee.
- Add jaggery and cook until thickened.
- Sprinkle with cardamom, pour into a greased plate, garnish with nuts, and cool.
