Desserts with no guilt

Indulge your sweet tooth with these exotic desserts and don't worry about the calories...

We all love to indulge our sweet tooth every now and then. Be it traditional sweets or ice cream, we all love sweets. But we always wonder about all the empty calories these sweet treats bring with them. But what if sweets could be healthy? Here are a few recipes that promise equal parts of health and taste for you:

Blueberries Kaju Katli

Ingredients:

Cashew nuts 500 gm; Khoya/mava (solidified milk) 150 gm; Blueberries crush 50 ml; Sugar 350 ml; Green cardamom powder ¼ tsp; Ghee (clarified butter) ¼ cup; Dried blueberries for garnish

Method: Soak the cashew nuts for 2 hours and grind into a fine paste. Grate the mava and keep aside. Mix the sugar with the cashew paste & blueberries crush. Keep it for half an hour so that it melts. Heat a non-stick pan and cook the cashew mixture, sautéing it continuously on a slow flame. Now, mix and stir mawa & green cardamom powder. Remove from the fire. Spread the mixture on a tray greased with ghee. Let it cool. Now take a shape cutter and cut the hardened mixture. Garnish with dried blueberries.

Cracked Wheat Kheer

Ingredients:

Cracked wheat 200 gm; Skimmed milk 1 litre; Green cardamom powder 1 tsp; Sugar 150 gm; Water 200 ml; Cashew nuts 20 no; Raisin 20 no; Saffron, few strands soaked in milk

Method: Soak the cracked wheat for 15 to 20 minute and drain. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat milk till it boils. Add in the cracked wheat and mix well. Let the mixture boil. Add some warm water and sugar. Let it boil well again. Cook till the mixture is of thick pouring consistency. Mix in cardamom powder, cashew nuts, soaked saffron strands and raisins. Serve it cold.

Cracked wheat kheer

Sugar-Free Khajur & Anjeer Cassata Burfi

Ingredients:

Dried figs 1 ½ cup (figs); Seedless dates 1 ½ cup; Cashew nuts 25-30; Pistachios 15-20; Ghee ½ cup

Method: Soak figs in two cups of water for two hours. Drain and make the puree using a little water if required. Alternatively, place dried figs in one cup of hot water to two to three minutes. Drain and let it cool, make a puree using a little water if required. Chop seedless dates and place in half cup of hot water for 15-20 minutes. Chop almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios finely. Grease a tray. In a pan, heat ghee. Add the fig puree and dates puree. Stir well and cook on medium heat, stirring continuously for 10-15 minutes or till excess moisture dries up. Add almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios. Mix well and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously. The mixture will begin to leave the sides of the pan. Spread evenly on the greased tray. Cool it, cut into pieces and serve.

(The author is executive chef, Maziga)