Recipes

Healthy Pistachio Date Cake

Healthy Pistachio Date Cake

This healthy pistachio date cake is made with better-for-you ingredients that will nourish your body, but it also tastes good! What more can you ask for in a dessert? This healthy pistachio date cake is inspired by the blueberry breakfast cake that I posted last month. I was so pleased with the way it turned out, both texture and taste, especially considering it was made with wholesome ingredients and had 13g protein per serving! I wanted to create another version with Middle Eastern flavours I grew up eating in Iraq. Cardamom, pistachio and dates are staples in Arabic cuisine, especially in desserts (but also savoury dishes!). When you combine all three flavours together you get the most delicious and moreish [...]

Nadia2024-07-19T13:57:27+01:00May 1, 2024|Breakfasts, Cakes, Desserts, Protein recipes, snack, Vegan, Vegetarian|18 Comments

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cups

These chocolate peanut butter oat cups make a great healthier dessert or snack in between meals. An oaty cup filled with a simple 2-ingredient homemade chocolate peanut butter. They're also so easy to make! These chocolate peanut butter oat cups were inspired by the peanut butter chocolate oat cups I made a couple of years ago. They're one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and for good reason. They're easy to make, require only a handful of ingredients and they're good for you. Not bad for a satisfying sweet treat! This version is a little different. I decided to bake the oat base, then I filled it with a simple chocolate peanut butter that I made myself by [...]

Nadia2024-06-01T12:41:11+01:00April 24, 2024|Chocolate, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, snack, Vegan, Vegetarian|0 Comments

Healthier Knafeh Recipe (Vegan/Dairy-free)

Healthier Knafeh Recipe (Vegan/Dairy-free)

This healthier Knafeh recipe is my take on one of the most popular desserts in the Middle East. It's much lighter than the traditional recipe with less sugar and fat. It's also easier to make and happens to be vegan & dairy-free! Knafeh, also spelled knafe or kunafa, is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that is popular in various countries across the region, including Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, where I grew up. It's a sweet pastry made from shredded phyllo dough (or semolina dough) that is layered with cheese, typically a white cheese like Akkawi or mozzarella. The pastry is baked until golden and crispy, then soaked in a sugar syrup flavoured with rose water or orange blossom [...]

Nadia2024-04-23T18:06:07+01:00April 23, 2024|Dairy Free, Desserts, Vegan, Vegetarian|3 Comments

5-Ingredient No-bake Pistachio Brownies

5-Ingredient No-bake Pistachio Brownies

These 5-ingredient no-bake pistachio brownies are so moreish, require no baking and are packed with nutrients! Perfect if you’re looking for a super easy and yummy dessert. Why I love making these 5-ingredient no-bake pistachio brownies: No-bake desserts are my favourite type of treats to make. They’re so easy, call for few ingredients and taste so good! What I also love about them is that you can adjust the taste and texture as you go along rather than having to wait for something to bake before you know whether it’s worked or not. I've made a couple of different variations of these brownies over the years, based on one of my most popular blog recipes so far - these 5-ingredient no-bake [...]

Nadia2024-04-16T16:00:44+01:00April 16, 2024|Brownies, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, snack, Vegan, Vegetarian|3 Comments

Palestinian Date Ring Cookies (Kaak Asawer)

Palestinian Date Ring Cookies (Kaak Asawer)

These Palestinian date ring cookies (aka Ka'ak Asawer) are the perfect little treat when you want something sweet, but not overly indulgent. They have a hint of sweetness from the dates and are so aromatic from the addition of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, aniseed and nigella seeds. Kaak Asawer (also known as Ka'ak Asawir or Ka'ak bi ajwa) are traditional Palestinian cookies that are filled with a date paste and shaped into rings. They may look difficult to make, but the recipe is really simple. The only technical part comes into play when shaping them. Even then, you quickly get a hang of the process once you know how much of the dough and date paste you need to [...]

Nadia2024-04-11T18:19:05+01:00April 11, 2024|Cookies, Dairy Free, Desserts, Vegan, Vegetarian|9 Comments

Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Healthy Blueberry Breakfast Cake

This healthy blueberry breakfast cake is my new favourite way to start the day. Who said you can't have cake for breakfast? Packed with 20g protein, 5g of fibre as well as essential nutrients, antioxidants and healthy fats. It also tastes absolutely delicious! What makes this healthy blueberry breakfast cake a good option for breakfast? This cake is much lighter than your average cake with less sugar, more protein and nutrients/antioxidants. It's packed with good-for-you ingredients that you would usually associate with a healthy breakfast like oats, almonds, yoghurt, eggs, peanut butter and blueberries. As well as protein, this healthy blueberry breakfast cake also offers 5g of fibre and probiotics in the yoghurt to help feed your gut microbiome and [...]

Nadia2024-09-07T23:08:47+01:00April 9, 2024|Breakfasts, Cakes, Desserts, Gluten Free, Post Workout Meals, Protein recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian|20 Comments

Healthy Baked Tortilla Samosas

Healthy Baked Tortilla Samosas

These healthy baked tortilla samosas are a lighter take on the much loved south Asian classic pastry. As well as using tortilla wraps instead of phyllo, they're also baked instead of fried making them even better for you! Typically associated with Indian cuisine, but did you know that samosas are believed to be derived from the Middle East? They were first mentioned in Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi’s work where he referred to them as 'sanbosag'. They're now popular in many countries around the world. I grew up in the Middle East where we have our own version of samosas, aka Sambousek. Usually filled with minced meat, or the vegetarian version filled with cheese, spinach and herbs. The version I grew [...]

Nadia2024-04-03T17:01:16+01:00April 2, 2024|Dairy Free, Main Meals, Sauces and Dips, Savoury Snacks, Side dishes, snack, Vegan, Vegetarian|2 Comments

Healthier Muhallebi Recipe (Mahalabia) Milk Pudding

Healthier Muhallebi Recipe (Mahalabia) Milk Pudding

This healthier Muhallebi recipe is my lighter take on a classic Middle Eastern dessert popular during Ramadan and Eid. I've sweetened it with whole dates - a great source of fibre, as well as added tahini for healthy fats and flavour. Muhallebi, also known as mahalabia, is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that originated in ancient Arab cuisine. It is a creamy pudding-like dessert made primarily from milk, sugar, and cornflour (or rice flour), flavored with rose water or orange blossom water, and garnished with pistachios and rose petals. It's served chilled and can be found in various Middle Eastern countries under different names and variations. Muhallebi is known for its smooth texture and delicate flavour, making it a popular [...]

Nadia2024-03-28T17:29:28+01:00March 28, 2024|Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|0 Comments

Healthy No-Bake Brownies

Healthy No-Bake Brownies

These healthy no-bake brownies are a must-try. You only need a handful of easy to find ingredients and there's no baking required. They're also a great source of fibre (from the oats), healthy fats (from the tahini) and antioxidants (from the cocoa/dark chocolate). They taste decadent whilst being good for you - that's the kind of dessert I want more of in my life! One of my most popular recipes on my blog are these no-bake chocolate covered brownies. I get why they're so loved - they're easy, tasty and fool-proof, so anyone can make them. They're also just as decadent and satisfying as a regular brownie (I think so anyway!), but made with healthier ingredients like dates, tahini, cocoa [...]

Nadia2024-03-26T12:45:45+01:00March 22, 2024|Bars, Brownies, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|9 Comments

How to make Tahini (Easy Homemade Tahini Recipe)

How to make Tahini (Easy Homemade Tahini Recipe)

Have you ever tried making your own tahini? This easy homemade tahini recipe is so simple and you only need 2 ingredients to make it - tahini and oil. The only equipment you need is a food processor and the blending will only take 5 minutes! The results is a super runny and delicious tahini that's better than most jars you buy from the supermarket! If you've followed me for a while, you'll know my deep love and obsession with tahini. It's a big part of my heritage, culture and childhood. We didn't have much growing up. Even snacks were limited, but we always had a jar of tahini in the cupboard. The only snack I remember having was dipping [...]