Now I am the kind of person who likes to have something sweet post dinner. Rather, I need to eat something sweet every night. Since eating dessert is more a need rather than an occasional indulgence, I do end up counting calories, especially the calories from refined sugar.


However, this chikoo and date frozen yogurt is something I eat without counting any calories. For one, it uses low fat yogurt, but more importantly, since chikoos and the dates are naturally very sweet, this frozen yogurt doesn't need ANY refined sugar.


So, if you, like me, need to have something sweet after dinner, this frozen yogurt is something you must try - good to taste and nothing on the waist!







Ingredients:


Chikoos: 3-4 nos
Dates: 20- 25 nos


Yogurt: 500 ml
Low Fat sour cream: 1/4 cup


Honey: 3 tbps, optional
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp

Salt: a pinch



Method:

Soak the dates in water for about 4-5 hrs. Once soft, drain the water, remove the seeds and the flaky outer skin as well. Grind to a smooth pulp, using a little milk, if needed. You need about 1/2 a cup of the date puree.


Peel the chikoos, discard the seeds and grind to a smooth pulp. You need 3/4 cup of the chikoo puree.


Hang the yogurt in a clean muslin cloth for about 4-5 hrs, so that the water (whey) drains off. Transfer it to a bowl, add the sour cream and using a hand blender/wooden spoon, beat till smooth and fluffy.


Add the date and the chikoo puree, honey, lemon juice and essence and beat a couple of minutes more. Chill the mixture for a couple of hours and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.



If you don't have an ice cream maker, then there is some work involved: freeze the mixture in a closed box and every time it starts to set along the edges, blend it in the mixie - do this at least 3 times.



This frozen yogurt is high in the total fruit pulp content and is low fat and therefore is best eaten as soon as it sets. Else, let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before scooping it out.

I was never fond of sweet potatoes growing up. Though I was never a fussy eater, there were certain things that I had a mental block for. Sweet potatoes fell in that category. Somehow, I didn't like "sweet" and "potatoes" together.


My fascination with sweet potatoes started a couple of years ago when I had them at a barbeque. Just a blob of butter, a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of salt on the perfectly roasted tuber. It was deliciously sweet and had that 'melt in the mouth' texture and between a few mouthfuls, I was hooked to the sweet potato.


Soon, as if to make up for all the years I scorned them, I was using sweet potatoes wherever I could. Combining them with potatoes. OR replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes.

Aloo chaat is something I make very often. It serves as the perfect snack in the evenings, especially on week ends when we like to nibble on something that is not too high in calories but is very satiating.

Replacing sweet potatoes in the chaat works perfectly: their naturally sweet taste is in fact nicely balanced with the tanginess of the chaat ; adding in chickpeas gives an added protein boost.

Sweet Potato and Chickpeas Chaat


Sweet potatoes: 2
Chickpeas: 1/2 cup




Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps
Chopped green chillies

Onion: 1, cut into cubes



Dry spice powders: Chaat masala: 3.5 tsps, Roasted cumin seed powder: 1.5 tsps

Black salt: to taste
Sugar: 1 tsp



Juice of half a lemon



Oil: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp






Method:




Soak the chickpeas in water for 6-8 hrs. Then, cook them till they are soft and cooked; about 3 whistles in the pressure cooker should be enough to cook them. Once cooked, drain the water and let them cool.


Cut the sweet potato into cubes and steam them till cooked but still firm.



In a bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, the chick peas and the onion, sprinkle the dry spice powders, salt and sugar and toss well so that the spice powders coat the sweet potato cubes and the chickpeas. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the chopped green chillies and the coriander leaves and mix again.



Heat the oil , add the cumin seeds and when the splutter, pour over the chaat.



Serve topped with a dollop of sweetened yogurt.





Sending this to Lisa's No Croutons Required and MLLA - 21 hosted this time at Mirch Masala, event started by Susan.

Yay...it is the weekend and hence time for the round up of Presto Pasta Nights - 155. Say, you were waiting for the round-up, weren't you? It's been worth the wait, let me assure you. For here is a very eclectic collection: from classic Italian to the very Korean and then some in between!

Take a look....

Love them or hate them, there is no denying that instant noodles are perfect for those times when you are very, very hungry , and/or pressed for time and need something quick to satiate your hunger. Just boil water, toss in the flavouring and the noodle cake, simmer for a bit and you have a hot, steaming bowl of noodles!

The very essence of instant noodles is the flavouring. That small sachet, the contents of which when poured into water, morphs into a delicious broth. However, if you look at the ingredients that make up the flavouring, you'd be right in thinking that you should take the sachet straight to a chemistry lab than into your kitchen.

And while having instant noodles is completely ok occasionally, falling back on them regularly? Umm, not quite. Well, at least that is my humble opinion. But this is EXACTLY what I was guilty of, especially in the last quarter of 2009. Being pressed for time, I'd resort very often to instant noodles for the husband's breakfast and my own lunch.

But everytime I'd reach out for a packet of noodles, I'd feel I felt terrible about making them so often and I started to wonder if there was some way of making my own flavouring.

A few disastrous experiments with mixing different spices in varying proportions followed. Till I hit upon a rather simple solution: make the broth in bulk, freeze it in small packets and use when required.

What follows is not a recipe per se; if the idea appeals to you, just play around with different veggies and spices to suit your own taste.



This is what I do:

In a large vessel, add about 12 mushrooms (I use shitake mushrooms) and 2 tomatoes.

This is an excellent way of using up the stalks of certain veggies; I add cauliflower, brocolli and spinach stalks to mine, whenever I have them on hand. Else, add whatever veggies you have. This time, I also had some chicken bones and I used them as well.

Add about 2.5 litres of water and bring to a boil and then continue to simmer for about 15 mins.



Then, add in the spices and seasonings. I used curry powder, dried minced onions, paprika, stir fry seasoning (containing dried garlic, ginger and red pepper), salt, pepper and a dash of sugar. Simmer for 5 more minutes.




Strain the stock and let it cool completely.




Once the broth is completely cooled, transfer to re-sealable bags; I pour about 300 ml in each bag and freeze them.





So, how do you use the broth to make noodles?

You will need about 100 gms of dried noodles - rice noodles, soba noodles, egg noodles - just take your pick.

Take the frozen broth out of the bag and transfer it to a microwave proof bowl; nuke it till it melts. Transfer to a vessel, add the dried noodles and cook till the noodles are done.

That is it....healthy instant noodles in just 10 minutes!

Healthy instant noodles are my entry to Presto Pasta Nights - 155, brainchild of Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and hosted by yours truly this time.