4 Sweet Hacks For A Healthy Festive Season

Substitute ingredients like sugar, oil with healthier alternatives to make the most out of the celebration without compromising on your joy, or your health.

Check out these amazing recipes from the kitchen of Poornima Katyal, Food Consultant, Holistic Health Coach, and the genius behind Third Roast, for the sweetest, healthiest Diwali delicacies.

Besan Laddoo

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil
2 cups besan (gram flour)
1 cup jaggery powder
½ tsp cardamom powder
¼ tsp turmeric
A handful cashews and almonds

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan.
2. Add besan and roast it on low heat for about 15-20mins. The flour should become brown and it’ll smell divine.
3. Once it changes colour and seems like it’s roasted, add turmeric. Turn off the heat and transfer it to a bowl to cool down.
4. Meanwhile, blend the cashews and almonds into a fine powder. Make sure not to overrun the blender otherwise it will turn into butter.
5. Now, the besan has cooled down, add jaggery powder, cardamom powder and the cashew almond powder.
6. Mix it well with your hands and make it into round balls.
7. Garnish with a dry fruit of your choice.
8. Enjoy this delicious all time favourite mithai by replacing refined sugar with jaggery and ghee with coconut oil (for us vegans) ~

For an additional Näck twist, you can add 1-2 scoops of Näck unflavoured Plant Protein Powder to give your laddoos an extra boost of energy.

Coconut Badam Halwa

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups fresh shredded coconut (as fine as possible)
2 tbsp almond flour
1/2 cup jaggery or coconut sugar
½ cup coconut milk
Pistachios, almond flakes and rose petals to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add grated coconut and and let it brown
3. Add almond flour, jaggery or coconut sugar and keep stirring
4. Add milk and stir well
5. Take it off the heat and garnish with nuts and rose petals

Sticky Coconut Barfi

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup fresh shredded coconut (as fine as possible)
1/2 cup fresh chopped jaggery
¼ tsp cardamom powder
Roasted pistachios and almond flakes to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped jaggery, let it caramelize
2. Add grated coconut and stir till it forms a gooey mixture
3. Add cardamom powder and mix
4. Take a 9 inch pan and line it with a butter paper. Add the mixture with a spatula, flatten it with the back of the spatula. Garnish with nuts and let it cool.
5. Cut it into square pieces and enjoy :)

Chocolate Peda (No-Bake/Baked)

Ingredients:

½ cup almond flour
1½ tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tsp almond milk
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
1½ tbsp jaggery or dates syrup
A pinch of himalayan pink salt and cardamom powder

Directions:

1. Add almond flour, coconut flour, cacao powder, salt and cardamom powder. Mix it well.
2. Add almond milk, coconut oil, syrup and mix with your hands.
3. Raw - Roll them into round balls and gently tap it with fingers to flatten like a peda. Garnish with a pistachio.
4. Baked - Bake it at 120 degrees for 5-7 mins in an oven. Let it cool.
5. Indulge!

For an additional Näck twist, you can add 1-2 scoops of Näck unflavoured Plant Protein Powder for an extra boost of energy.