Sugar Free Archives

Healthy Date and Walnut Cake

Healthy Date and Walnut Cake

This healthy date and walnut cake makes a great healthier treat when you're craving something sweet with your afternoon cup of tea. Made with better-for-you ingredients like oats and tahini. Sweetened only with whole dates, so it's sweet, but not overly so. Make it the next time you're looking for a lighter cake recipe that still tastes amazing! I grew up eating dates almost on a daily basis, so they have a special place in my heart. Growing up in Iraq post the first gulf war and during the time the UN imposed international sanctions that crippled the country financially, things like treats and snacks became a luxury and not something we got to enjoy regularly. I've always had a [...]

Nadia2024-11-21T18:01:20+01:00November 21, 2024|Cakes, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|26 Comments

Easy Hummus Recipe (Authentic Middle Eastern)

Easy Hummus Recipe (Authentic Middle Eastern)

Hummus is something that I eat every single day without fail! I eat it on the side of main meals with salads and cooked vegetables, and it's also one of my go-to snacks. I like to have some peeled chopped carrots in the fridge so when I'm feeling peckish, all I have to do is open the fridge, take out the hummus and carrots and devour! I also like to have it with rice cakes when I run out of carrot sticks and I'm too lazy to peel more!

Nadia2024-06-06T17:07:10+01:00June 6, 2024|Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Raw, Sauces and Dips, Savoury Snacks, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Video|29 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

3-Ingredient Apricot Coconut Balls

3-Ingredient Apricot Coconut Balls

Are you looking for a healthy and delicious treat that will satisfy your sweet tooth? Look no further than these 3-ingredient apricot coconut balls! Made with only a few simple ingredients, these balls are not only tasty but also a nutritious snack or healthier dessert option. It hit me recently that I've never used dried apricots in any of my creations before. I used to eat dried apricots a lot when I went through my fad diet phase. I was a big yo-yo dieter before I studied nutrition and improved my relationship with food and my body. I remember one of the big things at the time was to snack on dried apricots instead of sweets/desserts to help kerb sweet [...]

Nadia2024-02-09T19:32:35+01:00February 9, 2024|Breakfasts, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Free, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|2 Comments

Sesame Pomegranate Chocolate Bark

Sesame Pomegranate Chocolate Bark

This sesame pomegranate chocolate bark is inspired by one of my childhood snacks from the Middle East - sesame brittle aka Simsemieh. It's deliciously crunchy and sweet whilst also being packed with healthy fats and antioxidants! Sesame seeds have long been cultivated in the Middle East and feature quite heavily in both sweet and savoury recipes. One of the most widely known ways of using sesame seeds (aka simsim in Arabic) is blended into tahini, which is basically sesame paste/butter. They have a rich, nutty flavour that works so well in desserts and sweet snacks. Its uses go way beyond tahini though as it's used heavily in desserts (like halva), savoury dishes (as a garnish), baked goods (a lot of [...]

Nadia2023-09-12T11:01:03+01:00September 8, 2023|Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Free, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|20 Comments

Tahini Date Freezer Cups

Tahini Date Freezer Cups

These tahini date freezer cups make a lovely snack or healthier chilled treat to enjoy after dinner on hot days. Best of all is you only need 5 ingredients to make them! I've probably said this about a million times before and I don't think I'll ever stop saying it - tahini and dates are the best dessert combination EVER! Even better when paired with cardamom. That flavour combination is one made in heaven! Every time I post a recipe that includes tahini I still get asked the question 'what is tahini?'. It surprises me because it seems to me that tahini is now everywhere. So many people on social media use it in both sweet and savoury recipes. It's [...]

Nadia2023-09-03T19:18:51+01:00September 3, 2023|Cupcakes, Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|19 Comments

Mango Yoghurt Protein Frozen Bites

Mango Yoghurt Protein Frozen Bites

These mango yoghurt protein frozen bites are a healthy and nutritious way to keep cool on a scorching hot summer day. They're made with only 3 main ingredients and are so easy to put together. I have to admit that when the weather is hot, there are very few things I actually crave eating. I hate the idea of cooking hot meals when the house already feels like an oven and I'm sweating even in my short shorts, vest and multiple fans on around the house. All I want is something cool, chilled and refreshing. I could probably eat ice cream and iced lollies all day every day during hot summer days. Although I almost never buy them from shops [...]

Nadia2024-06-20T15:57:08+01:00June 21, 2023|Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Ice Cream, Protein recipes, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|0 Comments

Spicy Roasted Butter Beans (Healthy)

Spicy Roasted Butter Beans (Healthy)

These spicy roasted butter beans are the perfect healthy snack when you're craving something crunchy and salty. You only need a handful of ingredients to make them and you can easily adjust the flavour to your liking. I'm obsessed with anything butter beans at the moment. A few weeks ago I shared this Middle Eastern butter bean recipe inspired by my Iraqi upbringing as well as this creamy butter bean & tofu stew. Both of which are now staples in my household as they're both nourishing, easy and so quick to put together. There's something so comforting and satisfying about butter beans. Their creamy texture and mild flavour works so well in so many recipes. I've recently discovered they work [...]

Nadia2023-06-19T17:32:19+01:00June 19, 2023|Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Protein recipes, snack, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|0 Comments

Date & Pistachio Rolls

Date & Pistachio Rolls

These date & pistachio rolls are the perfect healthier sweet treat that takes no time at all to prepare! You only need a handful of ingredients to make them and they're so moreish! Up until recently I've always considered being multicultural (half English and half Arab) as more of a curse than a blessing. I've always struggled with identity issues - I never felt I belonged to either ethnicity. I felt I wasn't Arab enough when I was growing up in Iraq, then moving to the UK I felt too Arab/foreign. Basically always an outsider. Now I realise how lucky I am to have grown up and been influenced by two different cultures that are so disimilar from one another. [...]

Nadia2024-01-05T16:09:11+01:00April 21, 2023|Dairy Free, Desserts, Gluten Free, Raw, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian|14 Comments

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies

Amazing tasting chocolate chip cookies that are gluten free, dairy free, vegan and contain no refined sugars? Yes, such a thing does exist! What makes this healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe even better is that it's so easy and only consists of a handful of ingredients.