This Diwali, let’s add a healthy twist to our celebrations with treats that are as nourishing and delicious. Swap the traditional mithai for wholesome delights packed with flavor, nutrition, and the festive spirit we love!
Enjoy the glow of Diwali without the sugar rush and indulge in treats that keep you feeling vibrant and energized. Here’s to a balanced, joyous, and prosperous Diwali filled with light, love, and good health!
5 Diwali Recipes by Rekha Kakkar
Quinoa Kheer
These days, Quinoa is a popular food option for people who love to eat healthily. It’s protein-rich, gluten-free, and rich in fibre. In addition to being a great source of protein, it has many nutrients for people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Replace rice with quinoa in most of the recipes. Make it super creamy and keep this Kheer refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
- 1 litre Milk
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
- ¼ cup Quinoa rinsed and drained
- ½ cup lotus seeds roasted and crushed
- ½ cup Water
- 4 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 10-15 Saffron – few strands
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of milk and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the milk till it is reduced to ½ the quantity.
- Rinse quinoa in water 2-3 times.
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and saute rinsed and drained quinoa for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of water. Cover the lid and pressure cook for one whistle.
- Now open the lid and add reduced milk to the saucepan.
- Cook the quinoa and milk while stirring it in between.
- This will start looking like this after some time. Add sugar and mix. You can also add kishmish.
- Add cardamom powder and saffron.
- Delicious and thick quinoa kheer is ready. Garnish it with pistachio and almonds and enjoy it warm or cold.
Sesame Oats Laddu
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup sesame seeds roasted
- ¼ cup jaggery
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 2-3 tablespoons ghee-roasted nuts
Instructions
The making of til ke ladoos requires three small steps.
Roasting
- Take a pan and put it on low to medium heat. Add the white sesame seeds to the pan. The pan should not be too hot but should be kept at a low temperature.
- Roast the sesame seeds over a low heat. Stir at regular intervals.
- After roasting keep them aside.
- In the same pan roast oats for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Keep them stirring you want the rawness of oats gone.
- Once roasted keep them aside to cool.
- When Oats are cool enough grind them to make oats powder.
Making jaggery syrup
- Combine the powdered or grated Jaggery and water in the same pan or kadai.
- Switch on the heat on low.
- Continue to mix the Jaggery until it dissolves in the water.
- Simmer the Jaggery and water solution over low heat. It will begin to bubble initially.
Combing the ladoo
- After the steps, add powdered oats, sesame seeds, coconut, dried fruits, and cardamom powder to the jaggery syrup.
- Switch off the heat and mix it thoroughly.
- Begin shaping til laddu from the ingredients while it is still hot. If it’s too hot, wait a minute before forming the laddu. To mold the ladoo, spread some oil or water in your palms.
- Store the ladoos in an airtight container or serve it and enjoy.
Chickpeas Chaat
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chickpeas boiled
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 medium potato boiled and cut into cubes
- 1 medium Tomato Chopped
- 1/4 cup Moong Sprouts
- ¼ cup Pomegranate
- ¼ cup peanuts
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Chaat masala
- 1 teaspoon Mint powder
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons green chilli chopped
- 2 tablespoon mint leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Black salt
Instructions
- In a big mixing bowl mix chickpeas, cubed potatoes, pomegranate, chopped green chillies, moong sprouts, and peanuts.
- Also add chopped mint leaves, all the spice powders squeeze fresh lime juice, and then drizzle the honey. Toss nicely and enjoy healthy protein-rich chana chaat.
Instant Bread Dahi Vada – Soft, Non-Fried
Ingredients
- 6 white bread
- 1 cup Milk
- ¾ cup Yogurt
- Salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp Semolina
- 1 tablespoon Raisins
- 1 tablespoon Cashews
- 1 tablespoon Pistachios
- 1 tablespoon almonds
- 2 tablespoon Oil
Instructions
- Start with slicing off the corners of the bread and then cutting them into small square shapes.
- Keep the bread pieces on a plate to create less mess.
- When you are done transfer the bread in a mixing bowl and pour a cup of milk on it.
- Then add half a cup of yogurt, salt to taste, and two teaspoons of sooji in it.
- Now, add chopped dried fruits- raisins, cashews, pistachios, and almonds to the bowl.
- Mix all the ingredients well and keep them aside.
- To Deep Fry– Heat some oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough carefully drop the vadas in the pan.
- Deep fry them until they are golden brown and then take them out on a plate and keep them aside.
- For cooking in Appe Pan– Place the pan on the stove and brush some oil in it. When it is hot enough pour a spoonful of vada batter in the pan. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the vadas so that they don’t burn. Turn them over once or twice to cook from all the sides. When they are cooked take them out with a spoon/knife and transfer them on a plate. When you are ready to serve it, dip the balls in a small bowl of water for a minute and squeeze them out.
- Keep them on a serving plate, and add some chilled yogurt, tamarind chutney, some crushed dried fruits, and salt or red chili powder on top.
- Serve them and enjoy with your friends and family.
Matar Paneer Cutlets
Ingredients
- 100 grams paneer Indian cottage cheese
- 150 g Peas Matar
- 2-3 green chilli
- 1 tablespoon green chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoon mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Crush Peas and green chillies coarsely in a food processor or blender jar.
- In a mixing bowl add these crushed peas and chilies, grated paneer, cooked rice, ginger, green chilli sauce, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and salt to taste.
- Mix them well and make a dough of these.
- Flatten this cutlet dough/mixture onto a chopping board and cut it into desired shape.
- If you want to cook these with minimal oil. Just cook them on a heated griddle which is sprayed with oil.
- When it is brown from one side, spray some oil, flip it, and cook it till golden from this side.
- If you want to make them crispier, heat some oil in a pan and shallow fry over medium heat from both sides.
Contributor: Rekha Kakkar: I am Rekha, I am the Cook, writer, and photographer behind this food blog. Now a YouTuber https://mytastycurry.com/about-me/
Healthy Diwali!
