The winter season is here, and with delicious food. But, despite the elaborate savoury dishes you plan, no menu is complete without sweets. Barfi, Ladoo, Kheer, Halwa with various flavours and dressings are put on the plate for family, guests, and friends to enjoy. However, with rising consciousness about health and wellness, the caution about refined and processed sweet indulgence has increased. But how can winters be complete unless one has relished the famed desserts to their heart's content? Therefore, avoiding desserts seems like the obvious choice for health-conscious folks until you substitute them with nutritionally rich ingredients, which is why it is pertinent that we look at organically grown ingredients to add to your desserts for a healthier and brighter season. Shriya Naheta, Founder of Zama Organics, shares five organic ingredients that are the perfect sustainable swaps for your winter menu and healthy dessert ingredients that don’t disappoint your taste buds.
Almond Flour
Almond Flour should be on your radar if you are bored of using wheat flour for every other dish. Almond Flour is made by grinding organically grown blanched almonds into fine powder. This gluten-free flour is an easy substitute for refined flour and can be used in recipes at an equal ratio with the added benefit of its nutty flavour that works wonderfully in Indian desserts.
Desserts made with refined flour are high in carbohydrates but fall short in fat and fibre, leaving you tired and increasing your cravings. Alternatively, almond flour is lower in carbohydrates and high in healthy fats and fibre. Almond flour works well in baked goods like pancakes, cookies, scones, and biscuits and any dish that requires refined flour.
Cinnamon Sugar
Cinnamon Sugar is a blend of cane sugar with ground cinnamon in a 1:4 ratio. This integration reduces the sugar content comparatively and replaces it with the sweet cinnamon aroma and flavour. The replacement of refined sugar with organic cinnamon sugar adds a punch of flavour to your dessert and makes it a healthier choice for you and your family. Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants and has many known health benefits. Using it as a sweetener or sprinkling it as a topping will upgrade the taste of your dessert.
Crushed Jaggery Powder
Jaggery has extinguished itself as an undefeatable healthy alternative to refined sugar. Jaggery, a direct derivative of sugarcane, is known to be a boon to our digestive system because of its fibre-rich content. It also acts as an antioxidant and exercises glucose control. So to replace sugar with jaggery in your traditional sweet dishes without having to compensate for your sweet tooth cravings.
Desiccated Coconut
Desiccated coconut is essentially coconut meat that is flaked and dried. It is an easy and popular ingredient in various vegan desserts due to its healthy fat content and yummy coconut flavour. This festive season, experiment with this “flour” to make barfis, ladoos, and even kheer (with dairy-free milk!) to satisfy all your sweet cravings.
Rose Water
Rosewater is known for its visible benefits to the skin and hair. However, what is not known well is its role in food. Edible rose water brings out your recipe’s sweetness and balances the tart ingredients with its floral aroma and sweet taste. The best part is that it can be added to any dessert, whether barfi or cake.
