Diwali , the festival of lights, is also the season of sumptuous foods. From sweet treats to savory snack, it the time to indulge in Diwali special delicacies. Enjoying food does not necessarily mean, you give up on your fitness goals. How about enjoying delicacies guilt-free? Sounds like a dream come true. Well, your wishes are granted. Here are recipes to some Diwali dishes, both sweet and savory, but sans the sugar, oil, or guilt.


Dry Fruit Laddu
Take½ cup mixed dry fruits of your choice ( almonds, cashews, pistachios, raisins, pumpkin seeds). You also need 3–4 dates (a few more, if you want it really sweet) for this recipe. Now chop the dry fruits, and roast it. Soaks the deseeded dates in warm water for a few minutes, and them blend into a paste. Combine all these ingredients in a bowl. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder for the aroma. Now apply some ghee (this is optional) on your palms, and shape them into small round laddus while the mixture is still warm. Next? Enjoy.



Chakli

is not complete without munching some crispy chakli. Well, don’t worry, this is not fried in oil. It’s rather air-fried. To prepare the chakli dough combine a cup of rice flour with ¼ cup besan. Now the best part - adding spices. Add red chili powder (optional), ½ tsp cumin seeds, or sesame seeds, ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing), ¼–½ tsp salt (to taste). Now mix the flour, besan, and spices together. Now add some warm water. You can add a tsp or two of butter to soften the dough, but it’s optional. Knead the dough. Now load the dough to a chakli maker, and shape spirals on an air fryer tray. Now air fry it at 180°C for 12–15 minutes until crisp and golden. Ensure to rotate halfway for even cooking. The result? Crispy, flavourful chakli.



Cashew-coconut barfi






Eating barfi during Diwali is a unspoken ritual. But most stay away from it, as it is loaded with sugar. But what if you can have healthy barfis? Yes, that’s right. For this barfi, you need, 1 cup fresh or desiccated coconut, 10–15 soaked cashews, 4-5 soaked dates, ¼ cup honey, or a spoon of monk fruit sweetener ( if you prefer it), 1 tsp cardamom powder, salt, 2 tbsp ghee.








Heat a pan, and add the grated coconut to the pan, you can add the ghee and roast it lightly. Now grind the soaked cashews into a fine paste, and add to the pan. Add the dates. Stir this mixture until it thickens. Towards the end add the cardamom, and a pinch of salt and mix well. Now transfer this mixture to a try, and press evenly. You can add the edible silver or golden foil sheets for the bling. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then cut into diamond pieces.