Happy Endings - low-calorie desserts - Brief Article - Recipe

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Dec, 1999

These three delicious dessert recipes will help you top off any meal without digging too deeply into your fat, saturated fat, and sugar banks. And each will give you at least one serving of fruits or vegetables. We first published them in September 1994.

NO-WORK COMPOTE

4 1/2 cups assorted dried fruits
  (prunes, apricots, peaches, and
  pears)

Put the fruit in a saucepan and add enough water to cover by about a half-inch. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one minute. Remove from the burner, cover, and let sit until the pan reaches room temperature, about an hour. Refrigerate. Serves 6.

PER SERVING

Calories: 290
Total Fat: 1 gram
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Fiber: 9 grams
Sodium: 10 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 77 grams
Protein: 4 grams

BLUEBERRY CRISP

From Sweet Nothings, by Jill O' Connor (Chronicle Books, 1993).

Topping

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 amaretti cookies, coarsely
  chopped
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. low-calorie margarine,
  melted

Filling

4 cups (2 pints) fresh blueberries
  or thawed, unsweetened, frozen
  blueberries
1 lemon, with zest
1 Tbs. granulated sugar or honey
1 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in
  2 Tbs. water

To make the topping: Heat the oven to 350 [degrees]. Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir until the honey and margarine coat the oats and cookies thoroughly. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake until golden and the syrup starts to thicken, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. As the topping cools it will become crisp.

To make the filling: Place three cups of the berries in a saucepan. Grate the zest from the lemon and add it to the pan. Then juice the lemon and add the juice along with the sugar or honey. Cover, place over medium heat, and cook at a gentle boil until the berries are soft, bubbling, and juicy, about 10 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture, bring back to a boil, and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup berries. Cover and chill if not using immediately.

If the oven isn't already set at 350 [degrees], preheat it to that temperature. Pour the filling into a 9" x 13" baking dish and spread on the topping. Bake until the filling is hot and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 8.

PER SERVING

Calories: 130
Total Fat: 2 grams
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Sodium: 30 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 28 grams
Protein: 2 grams

CARROT-RAISIN

Adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet (W.W. Norton & Co., 1990).

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup plain non-fat or low-fat
  yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 egg whites
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1 cup raisins
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325 [degrees]. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and warm water. Set the mixture aside.

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, yogurt, sugar, applesauce, oil, egg whites, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt (if desired), and raisins.

Stir in the whole-wheat and all-purpose flours, then stir in the reserved baking-soda mixture. Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan.

Place the pan in the hot oven and bake the cake for 1 hour or until the tip of a fork inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes before turning the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Serves 8.

PER SERVING (including optional salt)

Calories: 330
Total Fat: 8 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Fiber: 5 grams
Sodium: 350 mg
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Carbohydrate: 63 grams
Protein: 6 grams