Holi Hai; It is such a vibrant feeling when there is a mix of colour and celebration right in the midst of Lent. A blend of religion and beliefs between different faiths is something to marvel at in a country as diverse as ours. Hope you all had a fun filled wonderful celebration. While Lent has come to be known as more of a ‘detox’ to abstain from sweets by abstaining from the same as something given up in penance, not that I believe that food is the answer, (rather more a societal adherence these days), my first reality check with this deadly substance happened a few years ago when my sugar levels were alarmingly high.

 We, in Goa, love our sweet. Lets face it. Goa poses a high number of diabetic cases due to either hereditary or lifestyle choices and no one is safe from this deadly condition. With many family members and loved ones battling this, I am susceptible to it myself. However, I was given my warning bells that tolled a lot earlier to take drastic steps in regards to monitoring the same. Prevention and observation is the only way one can keep a check. My blood sugar count every month, periodic blood tests every 6 months and trying to maintain a stress free lifestyle by eating healthy are some of the remedies undertaken. It’s a tall order but something’s got to give, right?

 Speaking of which, my routine breakfast habit has a high calorie impact, where I normally splurge on a sweet product. Raw Honey has substituted processed sugars and at times the urge for a bit of Oreo Cadbury diary milk. Tea is boiled with readily available Stevia leaves for that added sweetness, though most folk prefer my lemon cardamom tea sans dairy.

The one thing that posed a challenge with was ‘Jam’ for my poi. I love Jam especially the Mixed fruit ones and they are one of the biggest processed harmful sugar contributors to ones blood count irrespective of what the label tells you. While in a conundrum over this I happened to meet a travelling Yogi from California. She happened to enlighten me on the simple process of making a homemade jam that got me addicted to the point of Dr.Victor Frankenstein where no fruit was spared. Experiment after another with many trials and errors had me select a few favorites and processes, which are rather simple to make. I’m assured of your gratitude a little later.

 The concept is RAW. Raw jams hold all the nutrients intact especially the good sugars and what’s more the process is really simple. To make a raw jam, one simply needs to puree your fresh fruits with ground chia seeds and freeze until ready to use. The chia seeds are what cause the fruity concoction to gel, completely natural. The general recommendation is 1 tablespoon of chia seeds per cup of fruit. I happened to receive this lovely packet of juicy strawberries that deserved some overall share.

 Here’s how I went about making compote in less than 15 minutes for all to savor on the dining table. 8 strawberries, 2 tsp of chia seeds, ½ cup of water. Chop up the strawberries. Add the Chia seeds and blend to a pulp. Do taste to see if the sweet quotient is apt. If not add a bit of raw honey, though try and avoid it. Refrigerate it for 30-40 minutes for the seeds and fruit to work their magic. If the kids wish it sweeter, a great PBJ- Peanut Butter and Jelly combination over toasted bread loaves would hit the spot and add the nutrition calorie count required in the process. It is one of my favourite combinations. Note, the chunky peanut butter jams. For those not convinced there is a cooked version as well. You simply cook the fruit down until it is a thick jam-like consistency. Freeze, and only thaw enough to use within a week or so. Do note that the less sugar there is in your finished product, the shorter your end product’s keeping time. Also since this would be a first time you try it, use common sense when you open up your containers of jam or jelly. If it doesn’t look, smell, or taste right, don’t take your chances!

 May you keep experimenting and whisking up a vibrancy of colours for months on end this year.