Healthy Suhoor Recipe: Banana Dates Crumble

Assalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakathuhu…

I am very excited, Alhamdulillah to be on the Muslimah Bloggers as a part of the month long Ramadan series, where you will find Muslimah bloggers from all over the world, chipping in with their views and their insights about this holy month. It makes me feel honored to be posting on this lovely platform that unites a niche yet strong base of bloggers, dabbling with a variety of subjects in a Halaal way. May Allah make your endeavor successful and everlasting, in this world and the Aakhirah… Aameen…

Ramadan is here – the month of mercy, the month when our Quran was sent to the earth as guidance to the human lot, the month where every sincere effort counts in the court of Allah…

“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and righteousness” (Surah Al Baqarah:183)

This is the month when the doors of Jannah is open, the doors of hell is closed, the devils are chained… (Sahih Bukhari) This is the month that has the night which is better than 1000 years. This is a month when the amount of blessings the Almighty showers is unimaginable… May Allah give us the blessings to take full advantage of this beautiful month… Aameen…

A little introduction about myself: My name is Rafeeda, and I blog at “The Big Sweet Tooth”. As the name suggests, it is a food blog which focuses on the sweet part of life, since I love sweet stuff. I am an Indian, residing in the UAE, and a working mother, blessed with two lovely girls, Alhamdulillah… Since I have a busy life, I try to make meals that do not take time in the kitchen, yet are filling and delicious.

In this part of the world where I stay, we are going to have a long and hot Ramadan, just like what we have had for the past few years. The only difference this year would be that the length of the fasting hours would stretch a bit further by the end of the month, instead of shrinking, ie. we will end up fasting upto 15 minutes extra towards the end of the month. Since the temperatures are going to peak between 45 to 48 degrees – sometimes even more! – due to the summers, it becomes extremely important to have food that will help fluid retention and keep your energy to the maximum during the day. At home, we ensure we drink a lot of water, drinks, fruits and vegetables from the time of Iftar to the Fajr prayers. It is also the best to have lighter meals that are highly nutritious and will keep you going for a longer period of time.

Our day is typically like this – we wake up around 45 minutes before Fajr. We all have a tall glass of hot milk, along with toast, boiled eggs and a ripe plantain. Sometimes, I bake a whole-wheat loaf, which replaces the toast, or make some fruit crisp. We end with at least two cups of water and three dates. During Iftar, there is usually water, fruit juice, a glass of tharikanji – a semolina milk drink, lots of fruits including dates and especially watermelon, which comes cheap during Ramadan. Once Maghrib is done, we have a cup of tea along with something light – not necessarily fried goodies and in very small quantity and it is only after Tharaweeh, we have our dinner, which is normally a flat bread (chapathis, parathas) accompanied by a curry and salad. I try not to make non-veg every day and try to mix in a variety of lentils and vegetables while cooking. In between, we try to drink in the maximum water possible, as by the time it is Iftar, our throats would be literally dry. ☺

Since mine is a food blog, I decided to share a recipe. Banana Dates Crumble is a healthy dessert that you can make for Suhoor.

It has everything that is healthy, and even more, there is no sugar! This hardly takes time to put together and baking it is such a breeze, that you can make it and serve it almost very soon! This recipe has been adapted from an issue of Ahlan Gourmet and I managed to make it sugar free, since banana and dates naturally add to the sweetness of the dessert. Adding on some crunch from the walnuts and the oats topping, it is a complete meal in itself. Moving on to the recipe…

Banana Date Crumble {No Sugar!}

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 bananas, chopped

Juice of half a lime

15 dates, deseeded and chopped

6-8 walnuts crushed

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

For crumble:

50 gm butter, softened

1/4 cup instant oats

1/4 cup grated coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Toss the chopped bananas with the lime juice and line at the bottom of a small baking pan. Sprinkle the dates, walnuts and cinnamon and the top.

Into the butter, add the oats and coconut and bring together with your fingers till it mixes well. Spread on the top of the fruit mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or till the top is golden brown. Allow the sizzle to settle and serve warm!

I hope you will try making this healthy meal for Suhoor or Iftar and enjoy it too. JazakAllah Khair to the team of Muslimah Bloggers for this wonderful opportunity to be on this lovely platform. Please do not forget to follow me on Facebook, Google Plus, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram for constant updates and happenings!

ThakabalAllah Minna Waminkum… Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakathuhu…