Happy Diwali in advance everyone!

I am sure you all would be very busy with Diwali related preparations. We all have to do lots of things ( cleaning,  cooking Diwali recipes, shopping etc.) before arrival of this amazing festival of light. Diwali  brings lots of happiness and excitement in our life and at the same time, break the monotonous routine too.

Here in USA, festival time is most nostalgic time of year and during this time, I missed my family so much.

But to keep the spirit of celebration vibrant and positive, we had already started Diwali related preparations. And this year, I am trying to add a healthy touch to routine Diwali recipes.

Here are few tips to make healthy Diwali recipes.

Tips to make healthy Diwali recipe

Of course, Diwali is the time to enjoy tasty and delicious sweets and other interesting recipes.  But with little variations, we can make these recipes healthy without compromising taste. Here are few handy tips to do that.

• Do a little research and try to find out the way to do a “Healthy make over” of routine recipes.
• Pay proper attention to ingredients. Use healthy ingredients and substitute the unhealthy ones to healthy ones. For example: use whole wheat flour instead of white flour and oats instead of poha.
• Try to use healthy methods of cooking and preparing Diwali recipes. Instead of deep frying try baking, steaming or swallow frying.
• Be little experimental, and explore new options with healthy ingredients. Instead of routine sweets and dessert, try new options made with fresh fruits and other healthy ingredients.
• Mixed and match, your routine recipes with new, healthy and innovative recipes. With this way, you will have more options to enjoy Diwali recipes with less calories.
• Prepare in advance, with advance preparation you will get enough time to explore more healthy options of both ingredients and methods of cooking.
• Involve your family in preparing recipes and doing other preparations. And explain your kids “how can we do a healthy makeover of routine dishes?”, this thing will make your preparation exciting and you will get a chance to spend some quality family time together.

I am hoping this tips will help you to make healthy Diwali recipes. This year, I am trying some healthy version of routine Diwali recipes. Sharing these three easy recipes here, hoping you would like it.

Oats Chiwda

My brother is a fitness freak and he always told me, amazing benefits of eating oats regularly. Oats is a complex carbohydrate and much healthier options than routine poha or other grains. I eat oats in breakfast, but sometimes it becomes really boring. Since last few days, I was searching some innovative ways to add oats in your diet. And while surfing, I came across with an easy, healthy and interesting recipe called, “Oats Chiwda”.

Luckily, this recipe could be used as a healthy Diwali snack too. Oats chiwda is a great substitute to our routine poha or murmura chiwada. It taste good and you can use it as a routine snack too.

Oats is one of the best healthy ingredients and has great health benefits too. nowadays, oats milk is also gaining popularity among people. read this post to know, amazing health benefits of oats.

http://www.hubsab.com/life-style/oat-milk-and-its-benefits/

Ingredients

• 1 cup thin poha
• 1 cup oats ( roasted)
• Roasted or shallow fried peanuts ( ½ cup)
• Cashew ( 1-2 tbspoon)
• Roasted chana dal ( 1-2 tbsoon)
• Thin sev ( 1-2 tbspoon)
• For tadka, you will need
• Little oil
• Mustard seeds
• Green chillies (3-4)
• Curry leaves ( 6-7 leaves)
• Dry spices ( salt, red chilly powder, hing etc,) as per your taste

Method

• First dry roasted the oats and poha for few minutes either on stove top or in microwave
• Now prepare the tadka. Heat oil and add hing, mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Sauté them for few minutes,  Make sure to reduce all moisture from curry leaves and green chillies. This is one of the important step to store this snack for long time.
• Now, add peanuts and cashew to it, and again sauté it for few minutes.
• Then, mixed all ingredients in a bowl, step by step, add dry spices too. Give this mixture a good toss.
• Your tasty and healthy oats chiwda is ready to eat.
• Store this in an air tight container.

You can use this snack for making healthy Bhel too. Just cut some fresh vegetables of your choice, squeeze some lemon juice and mixed some chat masala..your healthy version of routine bhel is ready to eat.

Green bean ladoo

Ladoo is one of the most important and commonly made Diwali sweet and everyone loved it, so much. So as a next recipe, I had tried to do a healthy makeover of routine besan or mawa ladoo. I had learnt this recipe from my mother in law. Green bean ladoo is famous sweet is Gujrat. It is easy to make, healthy and tasty too.

Ingredient

• Green bean 2-3 cup
• Sugar or jaggery 1 cup or as per your taste
• Ghee ( for mixing the mixture)
• Mixed dry fruit ( cashew, almond, walnut) 1 cup or as per your taste

Method

• First,dry roast the green bean properly for at least 15-20 minutes. This is one of the most importantBk step to make delicious ladoo. You need to roast it properly on medium flame and stir it in between, to avoid burning. When a nice aroma comes, it means your beans is roasted properly and ready to use.
• Now wait for few minutes to get it cool down.
• After few minutes, grind this mixture is grinder for 2-3 minute. Avoid grinding it as a thin powder. Keep this mixture little coarse.
• Now, mixed this mixture with other ingredients ( sugar or jiggery, dry fruit mixture) properly.
• Then, add some ghee to bind it properly. Now, make ladoos either by using mould or by hands ( apply little ghee on hands before making it)
• Your tasty and healthy green bean ladoo is ready to eat.
• Store in a proper air tight container to increase shelf life.

Baked shankarpara

Shakarpara or shankarpara is one of the most famous Diwali snack. And usually, we make fry shankarpara. So, I had thought to give this routine Diwali snack a healthy makeover by changing the method of cooking. Let’s try baked shakarpara, instead of deep fry shakarpara.

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour ( 1.5cup)
• Sugar (1/2 cup)
• Ghee 3 tbsp
• Milk 1-2 to 1 cup
• Salt pinch of
• Cardamom powder ( as per your taste)

Method

• First, mixed milk, sugar and ghee in a pan properly, and heat the mixture on medium flame for few minutes ( until the sugar get dissolved)
• Keep this mixture aside and allow it to cool down properly.
• Now, take whole wheat flour and add pinch of salt, cardamom power to it.
• Then, knead the flour with the prepare milk mixture properly.
• Roll down a medium thick layer like big roti with this mixture.
• Cut the diamond shaped Shankarpara with knife or cutter.
• Pre heat the oven at 180 degree. Now, placed the shankarpara in a baking tray after grease it with ghee.
• Now, baked it for 10 minutes.
• Your tasty and healthy baked shankarpara is ready to eat.
• Store them properly in an air tight container.

So these are some healthy version of routine healthy Diwali recipe from my side. Hoping you will like it. Share what you are trying new this Diwali, with me.

Diwali is also a perfect time to decorate your house, with amazing handmade crafts. check this post to learn easy handmade paper lamp for diwali decor.

https://praguntatwa.com/handmade-paper-lamp-for-diwali-decor/

Diwali is also a perfect time for giving amazing gifts to our dear ones. looking for some cool tips to select perfect gift for your dear ones. read this post,

https://straightalkclub.com/how-to-choose-perfect-diwali-gift/

Until then,

Happy festival season! Enjoy!