Yogurt Trifle : No Bake, No Cook: Dessert In A Glass: Healthy No Added Sugar Dessert

It was 5 years ago when I went to Istanbul Turkey when I first tasted a yogurt enriched with kefir and it was a love at first sight for me. Beautifully fermented and so authentic that my body immediately realised that I ate something good. What is Kefir, if you ask? Kefir or kephir (ke-FEER), is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic symbiotic culture. If you want to know more about the health benefits of kefir I highly recommend you read this.

Now, I am someone who takes probiotics supplements everyday because my gut health is not that good. So when I was recently asked if I would like to try products from the company called Biotiful Dairy, I instantly said yes and was so excited to give it all a try because their products are loaded and enhanced with kefir. Their portfolio of products is so interesting and attractive, from Original Kefir Drink to Kefir Cheeses. From Kefir+Protien deepened Drinks and Yogurt to Kefir Ice-cream and Kids Friendly Kefir range-they have it all covered.

Biotiful Cultured Dairy Milk is a great alternative to those sugar loaded drinks. On a dull afternoon while we played chess we gulped on Mango and Strawberry flavoured yogurt drink and were absolutely hooked. Nutritious Dairy drinks that are light and fruity- smooth, luscious bursting with fresh flavours.

I also tried my hands on Kefir Cheeses and I can bet they are amazing alternative to cottage cheese, feta cheese or those cheese spread you get in the market. There are so many ways you can use these cheeses in day to day recipes such as in sandwiches, omelettes, on your salad, over crackers with some tomatoes or just have them as a dip with crunchy cucumber and carrot sticks. I used two big spoons Herbs & Garlic Cheese into my tomato pasta and it made it so creamy and just so yum. The cheeses can beautifully flavoured and so light on tummy-you have to try them.

Biotiful also sent me Kefir + Protein snack tub which combines the gut-friendly benefit of Kefir with the high-protein creaminess of Quark. It has a pure, natural taste and a delightfully thick and creamy texture. This is a perfect after meal dessert idea or just to beat your hunger pangs during the middle of the day. You can add in some chopped fruits or berries or even top up it with handful nuts to make it even better and scrumptious. One day, when the temperature went up, I skipped my lunch and had mango and blackcurrant flavoured from this series and I was completely filled up and sufficed.

To tell you more about Biotiful Dairy; they produce cultured Kefir Dairy drinks and snacks using British milk and the ancient method of fermentation. The result? Cultured milk drinks and snacks that are naturally lower in sugar, full of gut-friendly cultures and high in protein. Almost all of their products are:-

• Billions of gut-friendly bacteria
• High in protein & calcium
• Source of Vitamins B12 & B2
• No sugar added
• Red Tractor approved farms
• Free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives
• Gluten free
• Suitable for vegetarians
• Kefir made in the UK

When I was left with Strawberry flavoured Kefir + Protientub, I knew I wanted to create something with it. I understood that this ‘just rightly’ sweet snack will make a perfect dessert. Desserts in a glass are my all time favourite ones. Easy to make, easy to serve and looks beautiful too! So, with that thought I decided to make Yogurt Trifle. No bake, no mess, no cooking-easy peasy summery Yogurt Trifle.

This layered gorgeous looking dessert gets ready in a jiffy and there are tons of variations you can do here. I used Lotus Biscoff biscuits as my first layer but you can use any digestive biscuits, oreos, cream biscuits, cookies or even granola or crushed cornflakes. For the second layer I used Biotiful Dairy’s Kefir + Protien Starwberry tub but you can use any flavoured yogurt, fresh cream or just plain yogurt too. For the final layer I chose to use melted chocolate, but you can opt for caramel sauce, dark chocolate gauche, melted white chocolate or even fresh fruits or nuts. There are so many ways you can mould this recipe as per your choice and preference.

Ingredients:

½ cup of crushed biscuits. I used lotus

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup flavoured yogurt. I used Biotiful Strawberry

4 Tablespoons melted chocolate

Method:

Melt the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. When done add in crushed biscuits and mix well. You should have crumbly biscuits.

Take a glass in which you want to serve the trifle and start layering.

Add in around ¼ cup of crushed biscuits to the bottom of the glass and press well.

Beat the yogurt well so that it becomes creamy. Top the yogurt on the biscuits layer. Around ½ a cup.

Add on biscuits layer on the yogurt now. Around ¼ cup of it.

And then top it off with the remaining biscuit mix.

Finally add the melted chocolate on the top. Keep it in the fridge and serve cold.

Notes: 

The amount of ingredients you use is also dependent on the size of the glass you are serving.
I like my desserts to be rightly sweet, so if you like extra sweet then you might need to add some honey or sugar in the yogurt. I feel that biscuits and chocolate balances the overall sweetness well.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Biotiful Dairy  for sending products for review.

Beetroot Suji Halwa: Rava Halwa With Beetroot

Happy New Year!!

A goodbye to 2016. A year with more downs and less ups. A year that gave more bad memories then good. A year that wasn’t that fulfilling. A year that made me fight. A year that made me strong. Yes, 2016 wasn’t the best year for us. It gave us less smiles and more frowns but like always it taught us to be a fighter. And with this new fighter in me, I welcome 2017.

So, dear 2017-please be little polite to us. Give us stress and problems, lessons to learn but give us good health to battle with it. Shower on us your love mother nature. Bestow on us little laughs, cuddles and memories. Be a great year 2017.

I promise to spare sometime and read a book. I promise to play with camera atleast once a week. I promise to call my friends and family. I promise to take a nap. I promise to take it easy. I promise to find happiness. I promise to not let die the child in me. I am ready for you 2017.

As always, here is a sweet recipe to begin a new year. Beetroot Suji Halwa. Infact, Beetroot Suji (rava) Halva. To be honest, I don’t know if the recipe already exist on internet/blogging world or not, coz I never googled it. One day I and friend were discussing, she wanted to make sure that her 2 year old daughter eats beetroot-and it was then when this Beetroot Halwa with Sooji was invented.

The steps are similar to plain Suji Ka Halwa. Beetroot brings on lovely pink (red velvet cake kind) colour and its healthy nutrients (ofcourse). So when I made this halwa and served it to two kids-they both loved it. Ah! Those happy mothers!. Such a blessing.

So this halwa is a good looking and nutrients loaded twist to good old Suji ka Halwa. Serve with ice cream to make a class statement in parties. 

Ingredients:

1 cup suji/rava/semolina

2 tablespoons ghee

1 medium size beetroot

1 cup hot boiling water

¼ cup sugar

2 green cardmoms/elaychi

Chopped nuts (optional)

Method:

Peal the beetroot .Grate the beetroot through a fine grater. I used a fine cheese grater.

In a heavy bottom pan, on a slow heat, dry roast the suji till you see the change in the colour and aroma is noticeable.

Next mix in the ghee and keep mixing till ghee is separated and suji becomes more fragrant. Also throw in the cardamom. Mix for 1 minute.

Add in beetroot. Mix for 30 seconds.

Add sugar and mix again. Mix till sugar crystals are not visible.

Finally add in the water and stir. You will notice that suji has fluffed up. Keep mixing till you see ghee on sides and halva is not sticking to the pan.

Garnish with nuts. Serve hot.

Notes:

Do not rush, make sure that you do the whole process on slow flame. If you are in hurry, you can dry roast the suji beforehand.

Feel free to add pistachios, almonds or any nuts of your choice.

Quick and Easy Diwali Sweets

Festive month is here. Diwali is festival of enthusiasm and with enthusiasm comes cooking inventions. Diwali is a time when we all love to make different sweets and dessert to please our guests.I have posted quite a few desserts and sweet recipes that are apt for Diwali and don't require you to slog in the kitchen. Who doesn't like a quick and easy Diwali sweet?? But more than that, who doesn't like a list of them! Here's mine. Hope it will be helpful.

Milk Powder Churma

Rice Kheer/ Rice Pudding

Chocolate Sandesh

Mango Phirni

Almond Cardamom Cookies/Naankhatai

Do try these. Happy diwali

Mango Phirni

I wanted to have a dessert in form of a refreshing drink, so I thought of making Phirni- it’s a dessert that can be served as a drink. I used mangoes to give it a twist and add some colour. For all those who love kheer and aam ras then this drink is for you.

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

½ mango pulp (fresh or canned)

4-5 tbsp sugar (adjust according to mangoes’ sweetness)

8-10 cardamom/ilaychi crushed

10-15 Almonds, cashews and pistachios –sliced

½ cup rice

Method:

Soak rice in cup of milk for an hour and then blend in the mixer to make coarse paste

Boil 2 cups of milk on slow flame, when bubbles appear add in the rice mixture and keep stirring.

When the milk starts getting thick add sugar and cardamom.

Keep stirring till thick and rice is cooked.

Take off the flame and add mango pulp and mix.

Decorate with chopped nuts.

Serve cold.