NOT GUIL'TEA

Indulge and satisfy your sweet tooth guilt-free. 

Like many of you, we stepped into 2021, intending to eat clean. Last year, it was challenging to set health goals. The pandemic closed gyms and cooped us up at home for most of the year, anxiety levels were high, and most people suffered from stress eating. Combined with little exercise, this was a recipe for disaster. 

A lot has changed since then. Our favorite fitness instructors started taking classes online, some of us splurged on fitness equipment, and we at The Chai Bar resolved to reduce our sugar intake. The first step was to stop adding sugar to our daily cup of chai. 

So first off, it is important to remember, balance is vital in all aspects of life. For one, we can't go cold turkey sugar-free, and that's okay; if you can, that's okay too; the important thing to remember is to be kind to yourself. That means no beating yourself up with guilt after eating some cake or having a cookie. It means taking charge of your health goals by managing your sugar cravings, substituting processed food for clean alternatives. The body does take a while to get used to this new lifestyle, but it's not impossible, and we are here to help. 

Most times, sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables and sugars naturally present in milk are enough to help carry the craving along. For instance, making banana nut bread without sugar or sugar substitute isn't so bad; the banana sweetens it up quite a bit. 

But sometimes, we want to taste that sweetness from a decadent dessert. So here is our recipe for

Sugar-Free Cake. 

PREP TIME 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME 60 minutes
SERVINGS 10 skinny pcs 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Medium-large bananas 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas with brown spots
• 3 Eggs large
• 1/4 Cup date paste
• 1/4 Cup melted butter
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Chai masala
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 Tsp salt
• 2.5 Cups almond flour (not almond meal)
• 1/2 Cup chapati/ roti atta (or you can use All purpose flour)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Mash bananas

Step 2: Add eggs, chai masala, vanilla, melted butter, salt and combine well.

Step 3: Add date paste to step 2

Step 4: Add almond flour + chapati flour + salt + baking soda and powder.

Combine well. Do not overmix

STEP 5: Grease a 9-inch pan, line with parchment, pour the batter in, sprinkle cocoa nibs if you like, and bake for 50 mins at 350'F or until the toothpick comes out clean.

TEA'P: If you like your cake on the sweeter side, you can add 1/2 cup date paste.

The perfect pairing with the sugar-free cake is Anurakti green tea. 

While we prefer to skip a milky chai with this dessert, if you want a steaming hot cup of creamy spiced chai, try our recipe for homemade date-paste. 

Add a tsp of date paste to your cup before pouring in the strained chai and enjoy the sweet-spicy flavors, guilt-free. 

Dates are one of our favorite natural sweeteners. They are full of essential minerals, like calcium and iron, good for bone density, skin elasticity, fibrous, and sp tas'tea. They also have a low glycemic index, which means your body actually processes them better than sugar without causing large glucose spikes. 

We have shared many tea'licious dessert recipes with you guys on the blog, and just like we give you an option to sub dairy with no-moo brew, we wanted to share a way to use dates as a sugar substitute in practically ANY recipe. 

The best way to incorporate dates into food is to make a date paste. 

This is a recipe by AUTHOR Megan Gilmore for date paste slightly modified by The Chai Bar. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Medjool dates, pitted (about 2 cups tightly packed)
• 1/2 -3/4 cup water (we find that the water measurement depends on the kind of blender you use. If you use Vitamix, you would need 1/2 cup of water, whereas if you use a less powerful blender, you need 3/4 cup of water.) 

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, combine the pitted dates and water. 

STEP 2: Process until very smooth, scraping down the bowl to make sure all of the dates are incorporated.

STEP 3: Store the date paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, and use it in your favorite healthy recipes.

Have a happy, healthy weekend, 

Tea'Ta, 

Sargam & Madura.