Sai Latha, an organic food advocate, shares three healthy dessert recipes made without refined sugar, artificial colours or preservatives

Colorful dry fruit laddu
(5 servings)

Ingredients

Laddu ball

• ½ cup soaked almonds
• ¼ cup soaked cashews
• 1 ½ cups of deseeded dates
• ¾ cup grated dry coconut
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder

Coating for laddu

• 2 tbsp roasted and chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp roasted and chopped cashews
• 2 tbsp roasted and chopped pistachios
• 1 tbsp dry rose petals
• 1 tbsp roasted poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp roasted white sesame seeds

Preparation guide

• Soak ½ cup almonds and ¼ cup cashews in water for five hours
• Blend all ingredients of the laddu ball in a mixer. Don’t make it into a smooth paste.
• Make small laddu balls out of the blended mix.
• To make your laddus colourful, place each ingredient from the laddu coating separately in different plates.
• Roll laddu ball in the coating individually until the ball is coated on all sides.
• The laddus can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Tip: If you don’t have time to soak almonds and cashews for five hours, you can soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes.

Health benefits
Dates are rich in iron, fibre, copper, vitamin B6 and magnesium and provide quick energy while almonds and cashews provide good fats and protein.

Chocolate Mousse
(4 servings)

Mousse

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups boiled, peeled and mashed sweet potato
• 1 ¼ cup deseeded dates
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder

Topping

• Few roasted and chopped almonds and cashews

Preparation guide

• Soak dates in hot water for 10-15 minutes.
• Blend all ingredients listed for the mousse in a mixer. Blend into a smooth cream.
• Pour blended mixture into serving glasses and refrigerate for two hours.
• Garnish with roasted almonds and cashews.

Tip: Replace coconut milk with almond milk for a healthy option.

Health benefits
Dates and sweet potato are rich in fibre and aid digestion. This nutrient-rich dessert also keeps your skin healthy.

Ragi Laddu
(4 servings)

Ingredients

• ¼ roasted almonds
• ¼ cup roasted cashews
• 1 cup deseeded dates
• ½ cup of ragi flour
• 2 tbsp of ghee
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• Few roasted and chopped almonds, walnuts and cashews

Preparation guide

• Heat a pan on low flame.
• Add ghee and ragi flour and mix it well. Stir on low flame until you get a nice smell of ragi.
• Add blended dates, almonds, cashews and keep stirring on low flame for five minutes. Let it cool.
• Blend the mixture with cardamom powder. Place blended mixture into a bowl and add crushed almonds and cashews. Mix well.
• Make small laddus out of the mixture and serve.

Tip: Use sesame seeds instead of cashews for extra energy.

Health benefits
This is an iron and calcium rich dessert that aids bone health. It has good fats and high fibre content, promoting gut health.