The below article is written by the talented Nisrin Mzaloum, owner of MNM Desserts, located in West Bekaa. It took her years of improving recipes, upgrading kitchen utensils and learning new techniques to carefully craft each order while offering the best she has! You can find Nisrin and her amazing bakes on her IG account @mnmdesserts
A Better Nutritious Life for Your Kids
I would love to start this by saying that it's a great honor to share with you these little tips that I've gathered with a lot of trial and errors throughout all these past years.I am not a nutritionist but I am obsessed with finding the best ingredients for a better nutritious life for my kids and so I would like to thank you for taking a chance to read this and for trusting and believing in my baking skills!
How Do You Make the Best Dough?
- Use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar. You’ll get a fluffier and softer outcome!
- Use ghee (pure organic) instead of oil as:
1. It is more nutritious for your kids’ growing bones.
2. It enhances the flavor in a way I cannot explain. You have to try it yourself; I promise you, you’ll get obsessed about it!
3. It makes the dough a lot more pliable, easier to handle and way way softer than if it was made using oil.
- Add milk for manakeesh dough. The milk gives it a different flavor that goes better with the manakeesh!
What About Muffins?
- Always use a blender to add all the ingredients’ hidden gems.
- Add apples, almonds, kiwi, walnuts, chia seeds, dates, peanut butter and/or carrots. Then proceed to add the milk and the rest of the ingredients.
You can add some or all the ingredients mentioned above. And yes, trust me, it is possible to do so!
- Always use olive oil! With all those flavors, you will not get any hint of its taste in the muffins.
- Always mix the ingredients by hand, using a spatula, until integrated. Be careful, if you overmix, the batter will be harder!
- Always use a toothpick to check out if you can remove the muffins from the oven. Insert the toothpick and once it comes out dry, take them out. Never leave them longer or they will dry out.
- Take them out of the muffin tins right away. This helps not to overcook them!
Here’s an Example of Healthy Carrot Muffins!
What to put in the blender?
- 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of avocado oil(or olive oil)
- Dates soaked in water. Use the water to mix it with the skimmed milk
- 1 egg
- 1 carrot
- 1 apple
- 1 kiwi
- A handful of almonds
- 2 tablespoons of chia seed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add in a bowl:
- 2 cups of brown flour
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground cloves
Once all of the ingredients are ready, integrate the liquids in the blender. Then add them using a spatula to the dry ingredients.
For Delicious Healthy Cookies:
- It is indeed hard to make healthy cookies due to the importance of the butter ingredient.
- You can have crunchy cookies without adding any butter, or using coconut oil.
- Don't add eggs to a crunchy cookie; it will flatten easily!
- Add only 2 tablespoons of olive oil per 1 cup of whole wheat flour.
- Use only baking soda for cookies. Never add baking powder!
This gives the cookies the best flat look.
The Best for Last; Pancakes and Waffles!
- The same healthy ingredients used to bake cookies can be applied for the pancakes and waffles but the consistency should be a lot softer! Use half of the flour measurement instead.
- You only need baking powder. Use 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder per 1 cup of flour.
And here’s the good news!There is indeed a substitute for the regular pancake in order not to use flour all the time.
Yes, you guessed it! It’s our traditional Venezuelan pancake made out of corn and a little bit flour.
Instead of pouring maple syrup on top, add cheese, let it melt and enjoy!
Here’s the recipe for our Venezuelan Cachapa:
Use the blender to mix all of the ingredients below:
- 570 grams of organic canned corn
- 100 mL of milk
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
- Use oil to grease the pan before making the Cachapa
For more recipes, you can visit Nisrine Mansour’s website or check her out on Instagram @MNMdesserts. She makes AMAZING cakes (not the healthiest but super delicious), you definitely should check those out on her page!