31 March 2009 - 0:40Desserts with a Healthy Twist
When you work hard all day, it’s hard to resist the urge to indulge now and again. For some it’s drinking a nice glass of wine, for others it’s enjoying a sweet treat. As scrumptious as desserts can be, they can also be a little hard on the hips or midsection. But if you find or create your own special recipes, you’ll get to enjoy your dessert but keep it off of your waistline. Here are just a few ways to make your own healthy and easy desserts.
It’s important to first remember that baking is not meant to be a chore, but an enjoyable and satisfying creative escape. One simple way to make an easy dessert is to buy a favorite pre-mixed package and adjust the required ingredients to make it less fattening. You can even add additional ingredients to come up with a very different dessert than the original.
For example, try purchasing a devil s food cake mix and making it into something other than a cake. I have enjoyed using the mix to make low-fat pancake cookies. This can be done by adding two capfuls of oil, about one half cup of soymilk, and a little water. Mix the ingredients until you get a cookie like consistency and then spread heaping spoonfuls onto the pan. As these cookies bake, you’ll notice that they become rather large and puff up. After about 7-8 minutes, open the oven and press the cookies down so that they flatten like pancakes. Let them bake another 3 minutes or so and then remove while they are still a bit soft.
You can eat these cookies plain or you can even top them with some fresh fruit like chopped strawberries or raspberries. The cookie will be soft, not crunchy and it tastes wonderful with the fruit on top. You can enjoy these with some fresh roasted coffee, chocolate milk or hot chocolate. It’s a great treat for kids and grownups alike.
Another quick and healthy idea is to grab a box granola and a variety of mixed berries from your grocery store. Take the berries and heat them up in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Then take the granola, add a bit of soymilk and heat it up in the microwave for a little less than a minute. Place the heated fruit on top, stir it up and indulge. This taste pairs perfectly with a nice herbal tea.
So now you have some fun, easy recipes to try. Remember that you can take any of your favorite dessert recipes and make them a little healthier. There are also wonderful recipes online that can be adapted to your own special tastes. And be creative because you never know what cool new desserts you may come up with. And you can even name them after yourself, wouldn’t that be fun?
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