Healthy but delicious desserts
Thursday 03 July 2008
Here at Closerdiets we understand that sometimes, a gal on a diet just needs a dessert. Other diets, which insist you're not allowed to go within 5 miles of chocolate for a whole year, are just ridiculous and bound to fail.
We've found three delicious desserts that you can indulge in every now and then, which won't have you cringing as you step on the scales. Just remember, moderation is the key. So enjoy and indulge...but just don't gorge!
Banana and passion fruit sorbet
3 cups of banana pulp
1⁄2 cup of unsweetened passion fruit juice; or 1 can, (8 oz) crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon of honey
Combine all ingredients and pour into ice cube trays or a shallow pan; freeze until almost firm. Put cubes or chunks of fruit mixture into food processor or blender container. Process or blend until fluffy, but not thawed. Pour into a container and freeze until firm. Makes 6 servings.
Chocolate Mousse
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 45 minutes plus cooling.
160ml skimmed milk
60g skimmed milk powder
60g cocoa powder
13g granular sweetener (instead of sugar)
4tsp concentrated chocolate essence
1/2tsp vanilla essence
11g gelatine
90ml water
2 egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
1. Whisk the skimmed milk powder in to the cold milk.
2. Warm the milk mix but don't let it boil, whisk in the cocoa powder and allow to cool slightly.
3. Mix in the sweetener, vanilla and chocolate essence and put to one side.
4. Make up the gelatine according to pack instructions and stir in to the chocolate and milk mixture. Leave in a cool place until the mixture thickens but do not let it set.
5. Pour the egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar into a large bowl and whisk until firm. Fold into the chocolate mixture a spoonful at a time.
6. Leave to set in the fridge before serving.
Chocolate dipped fruit
The key here is to use organic, dark chocolate, which has fewer calories. If you normally find dark chocolate too bitter then fear not, the fruit you are dipping will add a natural sweetness. It’s also crucial to do all the dipping and let the fruit set before you start eating or else only meausre out a modest serving of melted chocolate; putting a big old pot of melted chocolate on the table for instant dipping is just too tempting! So what to dip...
Strawberries are great for dipping as they're full of flavour and a great source of dietary fibre, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids (which keep you you're brain healthy) and can even help osteo-arthritis and athsma due to their anti-inflammatory effects.
Bananas are delicious dipped in fruit and contain four times the amount of protein in apples, tryptophan which can help depression, and iron which is great for giving you an energy boost. Research has shown that two bananas can give you enough energy for an intense 90-minute workout.
Pineapple is a really good aid to digestion, so is perfect when eaten as a dessert!