No festive party is complete without food. So, a Diwali celebration also means feasting. With food ranging from mithais, chocolates, snacks, heavy meals and drinks on the platter, one can't help but indulge in these delicious temptations. It's a paradise for those who love to binge on all these food items but can be a trying occasion for all the health conscious people as they keep struggling between indulging and refraining from the array of festive treats.
Well, with us as your health care partners, you need not feel deprived nor you need to go off your fitness regimen. And this year we bring you some mouthwatering but healthy recipes.
Here are some tips to eat healthy and yet not deprive yourself from the delicious Diwali treats…
- Use skimmed milk in preparation of sweets as ras malai, shrikhand, burfis. They will have the same great taste
- Instead of buying sweets which are ladened in ghee, mava, etc., try to make them at home using lesser amounts of ghee and sugar
- Some healthy sweet dishes include rasgullas, ras malai, shrikhand, fruit custard, jelly, kheers and sheeras
- Use sugar in moderation. Use fruit pulps and dates to sweeten your dish instead of plain white sugar
- Do not indulge in heavy meals late at night as they will certainly give you an upset stomach the next morning
- Limit your intake of salted and fried snacks. Try to have fruits, baked snacks as chakri, puris, etc. instead
- Keep your self well hydrated. Drink atleast 10 - 12 glasses of water as this will prevent you from dehydration
- Choose fresh fruit juices and lime water over colas, aerated drinks and alcohol. Fruits contain natural sugars, vitamins, minerals and, most importantly, fiber, and therefore their use will result in a more nutritious and deliciously sweet
- Roast starters like cutlets or kebabs instead of frying them
- If you plan to serve an Indian meal to your guests, serve rotis or parathas with less butter as an alternative to oily puris
- Make pulav a part of your menu rather than biryanis
- Make salads an important element of any meal
- Add green leafy vegetables to your recipes
- Eat plain nuts in natural form instead of fried, salted or sweetened nuts
- Get a good night sleep, atleast 8 hours, a day
Festive meals are incomplete without sweets. So save place for sweets and desserts by consuming less rice, bread, chapattis and other high calorie foods during the main course of a meal.
We tend to consume 50 percent more calories when we socialize with our relatives or friends. So, this Diwali - be on your guard and eat sensibly.
MAIN COURSE WITH A DIFFERENCE
Diwali also means lots of lunch and dinner parties. This Diwali surprise your guests by cooking something absolutely different yet healthy and tasty!
1. COTTAGE CHEESE IN GINGER SAUCE
Ingredients
- Paneer - 100g
- Onion - 50g
- Garlic - 2/3 cloves
- Ginger - 1inch piece
- Tomatoes - 100g
- Sugar - 1 tsp
- Corn flour - 1 tbsp
- Oil - 10ml
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
- Spring onions - to garnish
Method
- Cut paneer into cubes.
- Chop onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes
- Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions, ginger and garlic
- Add the tomatoes and cook till done
- Add the seasonings. Add water
- Mix corn flour in water to thicken the consistency like sauce
- Add paneer and let the mixture thicken
- Serve hot garnished with spring onions
- Tastes best with fried rice or noodles
Calories: 165 kcal
Fat: 7g
Protein: 7g
2. VEGETABLE RATATOUILLE
Ingredients
- Brinjal - 100g
- Capsicum - 100g
- Potato - 100g
- Bottle gourd - 100g
- Tomato - 4
- Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves
- Onion - 2
- Oregano - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 1 tbsp
- Butter - 2 tsp
- Ketchup - 2 tbsp
- Pepper powder - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Parsley - 1 tsp
Method
- Wash and dice all vegetables (brinjal, bottle gourd, potatoes, tomatoes)
- Parboil the vegetables
- Chop onion, garlic, parsley
- Blanch half the tomatoes and chop them
- In a pan, add butter, garlic, and onion and saute till done
- Add blanched tomatoes, herbs, ketchup and sugar. Cook till done
- Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and mix well. Keep on low flame for 10 min
- Serve hot with chopped parsley
Calories: 55 kcal per serving
Fat: 5g
3. MEXICAN RICE
Ingredients
- Rice - 100g
- Capsicum - ½ no
- Tomatoes - 3
- Onion - 1 small
- Chopped garlic - 1 tsp
- Oregano - ½ tsp
- Oil - 10ml
- Celery chopped - 1tbsp
- Pepper corns - few
- Parsley chopped- 1 tsp
- Bayleaves - 2
- Pepper powder - ½ tsp
- Salt - to taste
Method
For sauce…
- Blanch and chop tomatoes
- Heat the oil in a pan. Add pepper corns, bay leaves, garlic, celery, onion and saute till light brown
- Add blanched tomatoes and make a sauce
For rice…
- Boil rice in water and keep aside
- Now, cut capsicum, onions and remaining tomatoes into cubes
- Again heat oil in a pan; add garlic, onion and saute
- Add capsicum and tomatoes
- Add the red sauce, oregano and boiled rice
- Mix well, adjust the seasoning and serve hot
- Garnish with chopped parsely
Calories: 115 per serving
Fat: 5g
4. VEG CACCHIATORA
Ingredients
- Cabbage - 1 cup (diced)
- French beans - 1 cup (diced)
- Tomato (blanched and chopped) - 3
- Red capsicum - 1
- Yellow capsicum - 1
- Green capsicum - 1
- Mint - 1 tsp chopped
- Celery - 1 tsp chopped
- Onion - 1 chopped
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
- Oil - 2 tsp
- Black olives - few
- Green olives - few
Method
- In a pan, heat oil, saute onion and garlic in it
- Add chopped celery and capsicum dices and saute
- Add the blanched tomatoes and cook well
- Then add cabbage dices, little water, and cook well
- Add boiled beans and carrots
- Serve hot decorated with olives and mint
Calories: 76 per serving
Fat: 3g
5. PENNE WITH PEPPER SAUCE
Ingredients
- Penne pasta - 50g
- Garlic chopped - 1 tsp
- Crushed pepper corn - 1 tsp
- Oil - 10 ml
For white sauce
- Maida - 1 tbsp
- Milk - 150ml
- Pepper corns - few
- Butter - 1 tsp
- Nutmeg - pinch
- Salt - to taste
Method
- Boil the pasta in salt and ½ tsp oil and set aside
For white sauce…
- Heat butter in a non stick pan on a low flame
- Mix milk and maida together to form a smooth paste. Make sure no lumps are formed
- Add the milk mixture to butter and stir continuously
- Cook till the mixture thickens
- Add salt to taste
For the pasta…
- Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and saute
- Add the pasta. Saute
- Add the white sauce and crushed pepper
- Add salt to taste
- Serve hot
Calories: 185 per serving
Fat: 7g
MOCKTAILS WITH A TWIST
Diwali brings to our minds ladoos, burfis and malpoas, chakris, shakkar para, kachori and all that. But after Diwali when we check ourselves on the weighing scale, we usually get depressed with the weight we have put on. So, the smarter thing would be to EAT SMART.
This Diwali we bring in some recipes that are unique which will also take care of those dreaded extra calories. And so, instead of serving your guests the same old drinks, this Diwali serve them either of these low cal mocktails, and yes they will surely ask for more…
1. SUNRISE SNAP
Ingredients
- Lime juice - 3 lemons
- Orange juice - 1 cup
- Crushed ice - as required
- Soda - 1 bottle
- Honey - 2 tsp
Method
- Extract juice from the lemons and keep aside
- Take a tall glass; fill it half with crushed ice
- Add 2 tsp lemon juice
- Fill it half with orange juice
- Fill the remaining glass with soda
- Decorate with mint leave
Calories: 65kcal
Fat: 00g
2. GOLDEN GLOW
Ingredients
- Strawberry crush - 2 tbsp
- Pine apple juice - 1 cup
- Soda - 1 bottle
- Crushed ice
Method
- Half fill the glass with crushed ice
- Add pine apple juice and mix well
- Add strawberry crush. Top it with soda
- Decorate with chopped pine apple pieces and mint
Calories: 85 kcal per glass
Fat: 00g
3. GINGER MINT SPICE (Assists in digestion and cures acidity)
Ingredients
- Mint leaves - few
- Ginger juice - 1 tbsp
- Lime juice - 1 tsp
- Sprite - 1 bottle
- Pepper powder - 1/4th tsp
- Crushed ice
- Soda - 1 bottle
Method
- In a glass, add crushed ice
- Add 1 tsp ginger juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4th tsp pepper powder
- Add sprite till the glass is half filled
- Fill the remaining glass with soda
Calories: 45 kcal
Fat: 00g
4. PINACOLADA
Ingredients
- Pine apple juice - 1 cup
- Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop
- Dessicated coconut - 1tsp
- Ice
Method
- Mix together vanilla ice cream and pine apple juice in a blender.
- Top it with dessicated coconut.
- Serve chilled with ice
Calories - 205 kcal
Fat - 5g
SWEET DIWALI
Sweets - they form the most important part of the festive meal. You welcome your guest with something sweet. Here are some recipes that are unique and low in calories. Now with these recipes, play perfect host!
1. PINE APPLE MALAI BURFI
Ingredients
- Milk - 1 litre
- Pine apple juice - 1 litre / pine apple syrup - 1 cup
- Pine apple pieces - 1 cup
- Citric acid - 1 tsp
- Pine apple essence - ½ tsp
- Powdered sugar - 150g (can use sugar free also)
- Chopped nuts - few
Method
- Boil pine apple juice and reduce it to a concentrate. If using syrup, do not boil it
- Boil milk and reduce it to half the quantity. Add citric acid and chopped pine
apple pieces
- Now add sugar / sugar free and pine apple juice concentrate to the milk.
- Cook together till the mixture leaves the sides
- Add pine apple essence and cool
- Spread over a tray
- Garnish with chopped nuts
Calories: 75 per piece
Fat: 2g
2. RAS MALAI
Ingredients
- Cow's milk for chenna - 1 litre
- Milk - 250 ml
- Saffron - 1 gm
- Powdered sugar - 250g (can use sugar free too)
- Vinegar - 1 tsp
- Water - 1 litre
- Maida - 1 tsp
Method
- Boil the milk (1lit), add vinegar and stir. Allow the milk to split
- Strain the milk in a muslin cloth to collect chenna
- Allow it to cool, add sugar, maida and knead gently to form a smooth paste
- Cool the mixture in a refrigerator for 30 min
- Remove from fridge, make lemon size balls of the mixture and flatten it between
palms
- Dissolve sugar in water and cook for 5 min to make thin syrup
- Put the chenna balls in the sugar water and cook for 10 min
- Remove them in a bowl
- Also, boil the remaining milk (250ml). Flavour with saffron. Add sugar syrup to
sweeten
- Pour the sweetened milk over the chenna balls
- Allow it to cool for 2 hours
- Decorate with nuts
- Serve chilled
Calories: 65 per piece
Fat: 4g
3. SHRIKHAND
Ingredients
- Hung curds - 500g
- Sugar - 150g
- Saffron - 1g
- Nutmeg - ½ tsp
- Mix nuts - 1 tbsp
- Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Method
- Hang the curds in a muslin cloth in a cool place for 4-5 hr until all the liquid has
drained off
- Mix the hung curds and sugar together with your hands to make a smooth paste
- Pass it through a sieve to obtain a smooth mixture
- Dissolve saffron in a little water / milk and add to the above mixture.
- Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, chopped nuts
- Serve chilled
Calories: 60 kcal per serving
Fat: 5g
4. CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Ingredients
- Milk - 100 ml
- Hung curd – 100g
- Low fat whipped cream – 50ml
- Chocolate syrup – 100ml
- Powdered Sugar – 100g
- Gelatin – 20g
- Warm water
Method
- Whip the cream with powdered sugar. Add hung curd and mix all the ingredients well
- Dissolve gelatin in warm water
- Blend the dissolved gelatin in the above mixture
- Fold in the chocolate sauce lightly
- Set in moulds
- Refrigerate for an hour before serving
- Serve chilled with grated chocolate
Calories : 120 per serving
Fat : 7g