Bio-wise and otherwise

Dates for dessert, anyone?

As a kid, I was skinny as a beanpole. Mom used to place my breakfast plate in front of me and coax me to tuck into the gooey mass of fried eggs. But all I would do is to pop a morsel in my mouth before puking on the dining room rug.

I was always good with veggies and so I am and will continue to be, a confirmed vegetarian.

Our moods can be governed by what we eat and how we live. I always find that on days that I eat well-balanced light meals, drink lots of fluids, and follow my regular Yoga routine, I just don't seem to get tired or irritable. But when I eat fat-rich food, I know it's time for that dreaded drowsy feeling to sink in shortly thereafter.

I am always reading stuff on health, fitness, yoga. Not to mention food for the soul- meditation tips, and a 'V' bit o' Vedanta.  So I thought to myself, why not start a blog and share all this with all my blogger friends out there?

Let me start by sharing a recipe of a sweet made with dates.

Dates have been known to the Arabs and Indians from 5000 BC. The scientific name is real pretty- Phonenix dactylifera.

Dates are low in calorific value (a single date might contain around 23 calories) and rich in minerals like Selenium. Selenium is said to lower the risk of cancer and heart diseases, keeping the immune system healthy. Dates also contain vitamins A1, B1, N2, B3, B5 and C.

Upon much coaxing, Rahim sent me this recipe for making date 'burfis'.

Ingredients:

Condensed milk or milk cream- 100 gms
Dates (deseeded and coarsely crushed) - 500 gms
Ghee (clarified butter)- 2 tbspns
Marie biscuits (low sugar biscuits) - 10.12 nos

 
Procedure:

Heat ghee  (clarified butter) in a pan. Add the dates and  condensed milk.
Cook it well, constantly stirring the  contents, until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Add powdered biscuits and cook for another couple of minutes.
Spread the mixture on a plastic sheet or an aluminium foil. Twist it into a roll (like a Swiss roll)
Refrigerate the roll until it thickens.
Remove the roll from the fridge and cut it into small pieces. You can eat it all by yourself or serve to the bunch of folks who are watching with hope.

For some ayurvedic recipes made of dates, do check out:

http://franlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/recipe-date-molasses-scones.html

Until next time then.

Namaste! 

Posted at 09:23AM Sep 06, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |