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!
This chocolate protein chia pudding is the perfect prepare-ahead-of-time breakfast on busy mornings. A fuss-free breakfast that's healthy, balanced and tastes like a dessert! If you've been following me for a while, you'll know I'm a big chocaholic. Most of my dessert and snack recipes feature chocolate. I'm not sure when the obsession started, because growing up in Iraq, chocolate was very rarely eaten in my household, or in general. What I remember used to be referred to as 'chocolate bars' were cheap chocolate dipped biscuit wafers. When I say cheap, I mean the chocolate was so thin, you could actually see the wafer pattern underneath. There was barely any chocolate on them! Maybe that's why I'm so obsessed with [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
