Indulge wisely this Ramadan with light dessert recipes

Offering healthy and creative solutions to satisfy the dessert cravings that people often experience during Ramadan, Nestlé culinary experts have teamed up with Nestlé nutritionists to develop light versions of the most popular traditional and international dessert recipes with the same loved taste. Along with the light recipes, nutritionists added nutrition tips for a wiser indulgence this Ramadan.

Consumers across the Middle East looking for innovative ways to prepare healthy dessert delights can access the Ramadan recipes – ranging from delicious Arabic sweets to ice creams, cakes and shakes, all made with Nestlé’s fat-free sweetened condensed milk – by logging on to the Nestlé Desserts Arabia page on Facebook.

Commenting on the recipes, Zeinab Maktabi, Nutritionist at Nestlé Middle East, said, “In a healthy and balanced diet, one doesn’t have to eliminate desserts. What really counts is the quality and quantity of the food you consume; by following a light recipe and by practicing portion control and moderation, you can indulge in your favourite desserts without worrying about packing on the pounds.”

“Some people tend to eat more during Ramadan and find desserts especially hard to resist. By following these healthy tips and habits such as changing cooking methods from deep frying to baking, adding dried fruits in place of sugar, reducing the use of butter and ghee, and adding nuts for texture, consumers can enjoy lighter desserts and maintain a balanced meal plan,” added Maktabi.

Nestlé Middle East had recently organized the Nestlé Desserts Arabia Fat Free Recipe Contest, an online cooking competition that drew participation from women across the Middle East.

Participants were asked to submit a dessert recipe made with Nestlé’s newest product innovation – the Nestlé Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk - on the Nestlé Desserts Arabia Facebook page, along with photos of the completed dish. The winners were selected by a jury headed by renowned Chef Mehdi Katanbaf, based on an assortment of parameters including appearance, recipe originality, nutritional value, and taste. The initial entries received were narrowed down to a shortlist of 50, from which the eventual winners were chosen. The winning recipes were “Al Shaklamah” by Zeinab Said Al Shaer from KSA and “Date and Oat Cake” by Seham Asaad Saleh Ziyay from Kuwait.

“The Nestlé Desserts Arabia Facebook page has over 30,000 active members, and the contest provided these dessert enthusiasts an opportunity to unleash their culinary creativity and explore new menus and dishes to share with family and friends,” said Lydia Gayino, Brand Manager at Nestlé Middle East.

Nestlé Desserts Arabia is currently conducting an opinion poll on its Facebook page to determine consumer eating trends in the region.