Dessert takes on a new meaning when you try to work the word “healthy” into it. You can tell by the looks on your husband and kids’ faces that they have visions of dry, hard, granola bars and vegetables masquerading as dessert. But you can spin a lot of healthful foods into dessert dishes with just a little tweaking and a promise to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Fondue Party!

(Recipe ideas adapted from the November 2009, Health Magazine)

Kids-and some adults, too!-like nothing more than playing with their food. If you have a fondue pot, get ready to entertain and fill the family up with some nutrient-rich desserts.

If you don’t own a fondue pot you can still take part in the fun by microwaving chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Just heat in 1-minute intervals with a stir after each minute so that the chocolate doesn’t burn. When it is silky smooth, you’re finished!

Dip a ginger cookie in melted dark chocolate. Ginger is a digestive aid and dark chocolate provides many health benefits. It lowers blood pressure and is chock-full of antioxidants. Dark chocolate releases serotonin and endorphins in the brain giving you that happy feeling. Just remember that dark chocolate has caffeine and should be given in small doses or traded for milk chocolate when given to young children.

If you don’t like the flavor of ginger, you could substitute dried fruit. Apricots taste great with dark chocolate and so do dried banana chips. Any way you dip it, we guarantee a great time.

If dark chocolate is too bitter for you, or you’re serving dessert to young children, you could use milk chocolate. Try hazelnuts dipped in milk chocolate. Hazelnuts contain the healthy fat – monounsaturated fatty acids – which help to reduce belly fat. Consumption of the “good” fats like those found in nuts and seeds are good for your heart. Stay cognizant of how much fat you consume, though. The American Heart Association suggests limiting fat intake to 30% of your daily calories.

 

Decadent Honey-Roasted Bosc Pears

(Adapted from November 2009, Health Magazine)

You can dress boring old pears up with a little honey and serve them alongside a small scoop of low-fat ice cream.

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 25 min |Yield: 10 Servings | Total Time: 35 min

What you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 5 firm-ripe Bosc pears, halved lengthwise (leave stems) and cored
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2/3 cup honey
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat ice cream

To begin, preheat your oven to 400 F. Pour the melted butter into a large baking pan. Tilt the pan in every direction so as to evenly coat the bottom with the butter.

Now, take your Bosc pears and lay them with the cut sides down in one layer across the bottom of the pan. Bosc pears are the brown pears you see at the supermarket and they are in season from September through May. Roast them for 20-25 minutes.

 

Next, combine the vinegar and the honey. When the pears are finished roasting pull them out of the oven and spoon the liquid mixture over the pears, letting it drip down over their skins. Bake the pears for 5 more minutes.

Now, for the presentation! Arrange the pear halves on the 10 serving plates with the cut half face-up. Delicately spoon the pan juices over the pears allowing a small puddle to collect underneath the fruit. Grind some pepper over the tops.

The bite of the pepper is a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the roasted pear. Scoop out 1/4 cup of ice cream to go alongside each pear slice and then serve.

This dessert is less than 200 calories per plate; you can’t do much better than that! It has only 3 grams of fat and you’re getting almost a whole serving of fruit at dessert. You won’t find that option in the cookie aisle.

Small Substitutions Make a Big Difference

 

You don’t need to make big changes to increase the nutrition on some desserts. For instance, if your family likes to eat strawberry shortcake just omit the shortcake and serve 1 cup of strawberries with 2 tablespoons of low-fat whipped topping.

You can mix up the berries with some raspberries and blueberries for an increase in antioxidants and variety. Adding fresh berries to nonfat frozen yogurt, sorbet, or a Greek yogurt is also a great substitution for ice cream sundaes.

 

Strawberries can also be dressed with balsamic vinegar. This is a traditional Italian dessert adapted from restaurateur and chef Joe Bastianich. Chef Bastianich notes that, “The acidity of the vinegar brings out the sweet-tartness of fresh strawberries.”

To make, mix 2 drops of balsamic vinegar to 1 teaspoons of sugar. Rinse off your strawberries and remove their green tops. Toss the strawberries in the sugar/vinegar mixture and let it sit for a minute so that the flavors can penetrate their skins.

Note-you have to wash strawberries differently from other fruits with less porous skin. If you just run them under water from the kitchen sink then they will get water-logged. Strawberries can absorb a lot of water, unlike fruits like apples or tomatoes. Instead, take a damp paper towel and gently wipe their skin to remove any residual dirt.

This takes a bit longer but you’ll be happy when your strawberries retain their firm texture. Remember, strawberries are one of the top foods suggested to purchase organic. Again, this is because of their absorbent, porous skins.

There are many other substitutions that chefs use. First Magazine’s December 2007 issue included an article titled, “Professional Chefs’ Slimming Tweaks for Holiday Favorites.” It suggested such ingenious techniques as switching pureed white beans for butter. Chef Julie Van Rosendaal suggests substituting cannellini or white kidney beans for 1/2 of the butter when you make cookies so that they are low-fat.

 

Chef Nancy Fox dips her pastry brush in water before she dips it in butter when she makes strudel, cutting the fat by almost 30%! Don’t forget to squeeze it out between the water and butter immersions so that it doesn’t become over-saturated.

Chef Missy Chase Lapine uses baby food instead of vegetable oil when baking cakes. They retain their moisture and then come with the added benefit of a serving of either fruit or vegetable, depending on what was added. Baby food purees can take the place of half of the oil. She suggests pureed prunes for chocolate desserts and pureed carrots for white and yellow cakes.