Pumpkin soup with touch of pesto.

Soup:

• 1/2 of pumpkin
• small ginger
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• salt/pepper

Cook peeled and chopped pumpkin with salt and ginger in small amount of water. Once soft blend using a hand blender or Vitamix. Add almond milk and black pepper.

Pesto:

• handful of fresh basil
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts
• small garlic (optional)
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• salt

Mix all together in the Vitamix. Pour it over the pumpkin soup. Enjoy with micro greens.

Recipe by Kasia Fraser, originally written for Hello Delicious

Wish to try some gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free, guilt-free desserts?
Here is a perfect recipe you can whip up during fasts to snack on. Nuts Laddu is filled with goodness and yet free of fat. Check out the recipe here:

Ingredients:

• Roasted Peanuts – 1 cup
• Dates – 4 pieces
• Cardamom seeds – 1 pinch
• Organic jaggery – 1 tablespoon

Method for Preparation

1. Grind the peanuts and the cardamom seeds into a fine powder in a grinder.
2. Add jaggery and seedless dates to this mixture and grind again. Once it is well ground, place into a mixing bowl.
3. Take a handful of the mixture and mold them into medium sized spherical Laddus. Place a few sliced almonds and pistachio on the top of each laddu for garnish.

Love Dosas? What if we told you that your favorite Dosas can also be eaten during fasts? A simple, healthy and quick way to prepare this dish is given below:

Ingredients:

• Sama Rice Flour – 1 ½ Cups
• Water – ¾ Cup
• Whole Cumin Seeds – 1 pinch
• Sea salt – ¼ tsp
• Green Chilly Paste – 1/8 tsp
• Dates – 12 pieces
• Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp

Method for Preparation

1. Add water to the Sama Rice Flour and mix it well.
2. Add whole cumin seeds, green chilly paste, and salt to the mixture to make a smooth batter.
3. Heat a non-stick pan, spread one large serving spoon of the batter evenly on the pan (like a pancake) to prepare the Dosa. Once ready, fold the dosa and place onto a serving plate.
4. Grind the dates into a fine paste and add some lemon juice to it. You can also add the lemon juice while grinding.
5. Serve the Dosas with this tangy sweet date chutney.

Do you want to eat something exciting this fast season? Why not try sweet potatoes? It has a low calorie count, is healthy, and is easy to prepare. Have your favorite aloo in a whole new avatar. Here is how you can make it:

Ingredients:

• Yam (Ratalu) – 500 grams
• Sweet potatoes – 200 grams
• Fresh coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon
• Fresh coconut – 1 tablespoon
• Green chili paste – ¼ teaspoon
• Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Raisins – 5 to 6 pieces
• Oil – 1 tablespoon

Method for Preparation

1. Peel and grate the yam. Do the same with the sweet potatoes.
2. Boil the yam and sweet potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes and then mash them. Be careful, they might be very hot.
3. Add fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice, green chilies, and salt to the mashed yam-and-sweet-potato mix.
4. Mix well. Make small balls out of them.
5. For the stuffing – heat oil in a pan, add sesame seeds, a pinch of green chili paste, fresh coconut, salt, and raisins.
6. Flatten the balls a little, put some coconut stuffing and close the balls properly.

When fasting, it is only natural to crave something light and healthy. Add the right kind of food to your Shivratri fast by making some lip-smacking Shrikhand.

Ingredients:

• Yogurt - 500 grams
• Pomegranate - 200 grams
• Saffron -1 pinch
• Cardamom – 2 tablespoons
• Sliced Almonds -20 grams
• Pistachio - 5 to 6 pieces

for Preparation

1. Tie-up the yogurt in a thin white cloth for about 30 minutes till all the water from the yogurt drains out. This is also called as hung curd.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients into the yogurt and refrigerate it.
3. Garnish with some extra sliced almonds and crushed pistachio.

We all know that dry fruits are packed with essential nutrients. They are an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fiber, and are a perfect addition to your food choices on the days you choose to fast. Here is a recipe with all that goodness in each bite.

Ingredients

• Walnut – 200 grams
• Almond – 200 grams
• Cashews – 300 grams
• Figs – 200 grams
• Dates – 150 grams
• Ghee – 1 tablespoon

Method for Preparation 

1. Place the nuts in a food processor and grind into a coarse powder. Remove half of the mixture into a bowl. Grind the remaining half in
2. Chop the dried figs as finely as you can and place in a bowl.
3. Deseed the dates (if you are using seeded dates) and mash them in a food processor.
4. Take a heavy pan, add some ghee into it and set it on medium heat. Add the figs and dates and combine with the ghee. After a few mins, add the ground nuts and bind all the ingredients together.
5. Remove the mixture into a square dish. Spread it evenly in the dish and leave to cool. Once cooled, cut it into squares.

Protips:

1. You can bind the mixture into ladoos (small balls) and garnish with a whole almond on the top of each ladoo. 
2. You may replace almonds with hazelnuts or pistachio.
3. You may add rose petals or lavender petals to give your barfi a scented fresh taste. A box of scented dry fruit ladoos are also a perfect gift to present to your loved ones on any occasion!
    

Khandavi is a light and delicious Gujarati snack. It is easy to prepare, healthy and makes a perfect snack for your Shivratri fast. Here is how to prepare it.

Ingredients 

• Water chestnut flour (Shingada) – 1 cup 
• Buttermilk – 4 cups 
• Ginger-green chilli paste – ¼ tsp 
• Rock salt – 2 tsp 
• Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp 
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp 
• Asafoetida – a pinch 
• Oil – 2 tbsp 
• Coriander leaves – 10 nos. 
• Grated coconut – for garnishing 

Method for Preparation 

1. Sieve the water chestnut flour into a bowl. 
2. Mix the flour with the ginger-green chilli paste. Add salt, turmeric powder and buttermilk to it and combine until no lumps remain. 
3. Cook this mixture in a thick bottom pan for about 8-10 minutes on medium flame. Keep stirring continuously until it becomes a smooth thick batter. 
4. Quickly spread portions of the mixture over inverted plates or a marble table top, as thinly as possible while the batter is still hot. 
5. Once it cools down, cut into two inches wide strips, and roll them tightly and place each piece on a plate. 
6. Take a small pan, add the oil and heat it, add a pinch of asafoetida and mustard seeds and keep on heat till they splutter. 
7. When they splutter, pour the oil over the pieces of the khandvi. Garnish with scraped coconut and chopped coriander leaves. 

Protips:

1. Shingada or water chestnut flour is made from dried, ground water chestnuts and is high in fiber and potassium. If you are on a gluten-free diet, Shingada is a great ingredient to cook with.
2. Shingada is also called as Singoda flour or Singhare ka atta, and is commonly used during fasting. It can be used to make many items such as flat bread, dhokla, sweets, etc.

Red Ripple as it is called is a refreshing drink on the days when you are fasting. With the natural flavor of the hibiscus flower, and the tangy flavor of lemon, this is a perfect and easy-to-make drink. Follow these steps:

Ingredients:

• Hibiscus flowers – 2 whole
• Honey – 1 ½ tablespoons
• Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons
• Water – 1 glass

Method of Preparatio

1. Wash and clean the Hibiscus flowers and separate each petal from the flower. 
2. Put the flower petals, honey, lemon juice and water in a grinder or a blender. Blend well and serve.  

Method of Preparation

1. Wash and clean the Hibiscus flowers and separate each petal from the flower. 
2. Put the flower petals, honey, lemon juice and water in a grinder or a blender. Blend well and serve.  
    

Amla is also referred to as Indian Gooseberry and its health benefits are well known. During fasts, many people prefer to have amla for this reason, while it also does a great job at warding off the hunger. For those whom fasting is quite a task, this recipe can really help you.

Ingredients:

• Amla – 10 (medium-sized)
• Jaggery syrup – 1 ½ tablespoons
• Salt –A pinches
• Water – ½ glass

Method of Preparation:

1. Cut up the amla and remove the seeds.
2. Grind the amla with a little bit of water. Place the mixture into a strainer and strain out the juice of the amla.
3. Put the juice into a glass and dilute it with some water. 
4. Add salt and jaggery syrup as per taste.

Pro Tips:

1. Amla is rich in Vitamin C and helps fight common cold and strengths the immune system. Having amla daily makes the skin beautiful and naturally glowing.