Gift yourself taste and health this festive season
Food connects you with like-minded foodies instantly, and you can relish the festive colours of life with a side serving of desserts.
The first thing that comes to your mind when you think of festivities is the yummy array of delicious food that is getting prepared in the kitchen. With the festive season just around the corner, it is time for you to fill yourself up on sweets and desserts. After all, a healthy serving of desserts is the best part of a fulfilling meal. When there is a dessert with your meal, it is already a celebration.
And during a special occasion, the sweetness of the desserts just fills you up with more joy and more festivity and more celebration. Thanks to the desserts, we are able to connect with people on many levels and spread joy and festivity. But that doesn’t mean that we should compromise on our health. Many of us crave to be able to enjoy a good dessert, but cannot, because of our health conditions. But what if we told you that you will not have to compromise on your health and yet, you will be able to relish all the festive delicacies! Sublime shares some of the most popular festive recipes that are a great combination of health and taste so that the desserts are no more your guilty pleasure but become your go-to healthy munchie. Dishes that make every bite worth it!
Oat-Banana Muffin
Who doesn’t love to dig into a good muffin with a warm cup of hot chocolate, or a coffee, every once in a while? But, if you are worried about the sugar intake, and the calorie count, this healthy combination of Oats, Banana and Jaggery is a great place to start with. To sweeten the recipe, add a serving of Cinnamon Powder that you can buy from our online store Sublime.in
Ingredients:
- Oats powder – ½ cup
- Ripe mashed banana – ½ cup
- Milk – ½ cup
- Jaggery powder – ½ cup
- All-purpose flour – ½ cup
- Oil – ¼ cup
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Baking soda – ¼ tsp
- Cinnamon Powder– ¼ tsp
- Choco chips – ¼ cup (optional)
Method:
1. To the bowl of mashed ripe bananas add ½ cup milk, ½ cup jaggery, 1/4th cup oil.
2. In a separate bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients.
3. Later, mix them well with the wet ingredients until they become a lump-free mixture.
4. Add Choco chips (optional), and pour the mixture into the pre-greased cupcake moulds.
5. Bake at 160 degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes.
6. Dust with Cinnamon Powder or Garnish with small cinnamon sticks.
7. Enjoy freshly baked cupcakes with your coffee or tea, or allow them to cool and enjoy them with a scoop of ice cream.
White Chocolate and Almond Gujiya
Gujiyas are a popular fried sweet dish which has different names in different parts of the country. Traditionally served with a generous filling of desiccated coconut and dryfruits, Gujjiyas today are filled with many flavoured ingredients and is enjoyed during Janmashtmi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Holi. A contemporary version of these yummy munchies is the white chocolate and almond Gujjiya that you must try. Add cardamom powder prepared from the fresh harvest of authentic green cardamom that you can now get at your nearest Sublime store.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ghee
- 1/2 cup water
For filling
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 tbsp jaggery and white chocolate
- A small spoon of green cardamom powder
METHOD
1. Add the all-purpose flour, ghee and water in a kneading bowl and knead until a soft dough is formed. Cover the dough with a muslin cloth and let it stay for around half-hour.
2. In a separate bowl, mix coconut, almond, and white chocolate, and add jaggery as per taste.
3. Roll the dough into small balls, and using a rolling pin to roll out slightly thick flatbreads. Add the filling mix on one side of the flatbread and fold the other part over it to seal the dough shut. Don't overstuff while adding the filling.
4. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the gujjiyas. Et Voila, your festive delicacy is ready to be served.
Makhana Peda
There is no argument on the health benefits of Fox nuts or Makhana, and it a hot favourite of every health-conscious individual. A great munchie, Makhana Kheer is a popular sweet dish that is served during the festive season. But, if you are bored of the same old Makhana kheer, try out this new Khova Makhana Peda that can be made using ingredient from home. Get your dry fruits and authentic Kashmiri Kesar from the online Sublime store.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 litre full cream milk
- 2 cups foxnuts (makhana)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cardamom powder
- Handful pistachios for garnishing
- 10-12 strands saffron
Method
1. Boil 1 and half litre of milk in a heavy bottom pan. Keep on stirring occasionally with a spatula.
2. In a different pan, dry roast foxnuts and grind it to fine powder.
3. In a small bowl, soak saffron strands in 2 tbsp lukewarm milk.
4. When the milk is reduced to half add sugar and keep stirring.
5. Once the sugar melts and the khoya to thicken the milk. Add the almond flour, foxnut powder, saffron milk and cardamon powder.
6. Keep stirring and adding khoya until it all thickens to the consistency of a dough.
7. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
8. Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape them into peda as desired.
9. Garnish with pistachios and saffron strands.
Dates and Dryfruit Modak
Ganesh Chaturthi is a major festive attraction, and people from across come to witness the grandeur of the festival. When we talk of Ganesh Chaturthi, we cannot forget the most loved delicacy - the Modak, a favourite of all foodies. You find many different flavours of Modak today, but the Dates and Dryfruit Modaks remains a hot choice of all those health enthusiasts. Get all your dry fruits and Dates from the nearest Sublime store today, and perfect the dish for the upcoming festival.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup dates
- ½ cup jaggery
Method
1. Blend all the above ingredients in a jar. The mixture will turn a little sticky because of the dates.
2. Now, take small portions of it and add it to a modak mould and press it tight till it holds the shape. Gently remove it from the mould.
PANJIRI
One of the healthiest mix enjoyed during Janmashtami, Panjiri is a dry mix of dry fruits and whole wheat flour which encompasses the health benefits of all the dry fruits. A filling tasty and healthy combination, Panjiri is also light on the stomach.
Ingredients
- 2 cup wholewheat flour
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 cup raisins
- 150 ml ghee
Method
1. Dry roast cashews and almonds for 2-3 minutes on low flame and transfer the roasted dryfruits to a bowl.
2. Dry roast wholemeal flour or whole wheat flour on low flame until the colour of the flour changes to light brown.
3. Add the ghee and roast the flour till the ghee is absorbed. Now, add the roasted cashews and almonds. Stir until the mixture is completely roasted.
4. Turn off the flame and add powdered sugar along with raisins. Mix well. Transfer the freshly prepared Panjiri to a bowl and let it cool down. You can store this enticing dessert in an air-tight container or serve it immediately. To make a smooth mixture, grind the entire dish.
5. You can also add some grated or chopped coconut, walnuts, lotus seeds, as per your taste.
Dates Kheer
Any Indian festival is incomplete without a generous serving of the national favourite Kheer. There are many varieties of Kheer that we are accustomed to, and the most popular one is the rice kheer or the semiyaan kheer. A healthy alternate for this delicacy is a bowl of yummy Dates Kheer. Buy dates of your choice from the varieties available at your nearest Sublime store today!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dates, deseeded and finely chopped
- 3 Dates, deseeded and cubed for garnish
- 2 cups Milk, or coconut milk for vegan option
- 1/4 cup grated Jaggery
- 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 1 tablespoon Cashew nuts
- 1/2 tablespoon Whole Almonds, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon Pistachios, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
Method
1. Deseed the dates and chop them into small pieces. Grind dates, and milk into a fine paste.
2. Mix the ground date paste with the remaining cup of milk. Add cardamom powder and mix them well.
3. Heat this kheer on medium flame and bring it to a brisk boil.
4. In a small pan, add ghee and heat it over a medium flame. Add cashews and fry until they turn golden.
5. Add the fried cashews and chopped pistachios and almonds to the kheer.
Are you hungry and are craving for any of these delicacies yet? Would you try any of these recipes this festive season? Here is wishing you a healthy and happy festive season!