WOULD YOU BELIEVE: A cup of a typical ice cream has 14 grams of fat and a premium ice cream has 23 grams of fat.
SOME FACTS: Desserts can be festive and healthy if you use just a little bit of imagination. One of the best desserts I ever tasted was frozen bananas run through a Champion® juicer. This produces a consistency very much like soft-serve ice cream. If you add just a hint of vanilla you'll actually get a very tasty ice creamy product, though it's really not necessary. In fact, you can use frozen bananas as a base and then add frozen strawberries, or any other flavor by adding a frozen version of the fruit to the banana mixture.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Try the following, slightly simpler recipe with your kids, they'll love it. Try it on your adult friends. They'll love it too.
Iced Fruit Cream
4C Bananas, frozen
¼C Water or juice
Put 4" segments of frozen bananas pieces in the blender with ¼ cup water or juice. Add more liquid if needed. Blend smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 8 portions. (1 portion = 111.5 calories, 0.581 grams fat, 4% protein, 92% carbohydrates, 4% fat)
Top with fresh banana slices, nuts, or cherries. Add other fruits as desired, or no-sugar- added extracts such as strawberries, blueberries, pears, vanilla, maple, and almond.
A Few More Sweet Delights
Strawberry-Banana Pudding
1½ C Low-fat firm tofu (Mori Nu firm tofu is suggested)
1½ C Fresh strawberries, sliced
1 Banana
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
¼ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Honey
Blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until creamy and smooth. Pour into individual serving dishes, or pour into individual-sized Grape Nuts® pie shells (make by putting muffin cups in muffin pan then pouring in Grape Nuts®). Chill overnight. Makes 4 to 6 portions. (1 portion = 109.4 calories, 1.886 grams fat, 23% protein, 62% carbohydrates, 15% fat)
Honey Almond Fruit Cocktail
1C Watermelon
1C Honeydew melon
1C Apple
½C Cantaloupe or pineapple chunks
1 Peach or pear
6 Tbsp. Agar
2C Water
1C Unsweetened soy milk
3 Tbsp. Honey Almond extract, to taste
Dissolve agar in water, heat.
When completely dissolved, add soy milk, honey, and almond extract, to taste.
Cool and let set. Cut into small chunks.
Cut watermelon, honeydew melon, apple, cantaloupe, and peach or pear into ½" chunks.
Mix agar chunks together with chunks of various fruits for an unusual and colorful fruit cocktail. Makes 8 portions.
(1 portion = 84.72 calories, 0.588 grams fat, 7% protein, 87% carbohydrates, 6% fat)