White Peaches Stuffed with “Ricotta” and topped with Pistachios

This is my healthy version of a dessert we made in cooking class a few weeks ago. I loved the concept but wanted something that we could eat without guilt. This dessert is light and beautiful. The fat percentage on this is higher than most of my dishes but the total calories are so low that it can be part of a healthy diet without ruining the daily fat percentage.

If your fruit isn’t quite ripe you can grill the cut peach to soften the texture. This will add beautiful grill marks at the same time. You can also make this dessert with other stone fruits. White peaches happen to be a personal favorite of mine. They always make me think of bellinis at Harry’s Bar in Venice. But that is another story. If you find yourself with too many white peaches (as if that is even possible), you can puree them in the blender and freeze the juice. I do this every year so that I have white peach juice for those bellinis.

White Peaches Stuffed with “Ricotta” and topped with Pistachios
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 white peach
4 tablespoons of tofu, cashew, coconut and chia seed ricotta substitute
½ tablespoon of pistachios, roughly chopped
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon of amber agave

Directions:

Cut the peach in half. If it won’t sit upright on its own take a thin slice off the bottom so that it is steady. Fill each peach half with 2 tablespoons of the tofu ricotta substitute. Top the ricotta with the crushed pistachios, a fresh grind/grate of nutmeg and a drizzle of agave.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 88.38
Calories From Fat (44%) - 39.13

Total Fat - 4.7g
Saturated Fat - 1.66g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 30.2mg
Potassium - 229.54mg
Total Carbohydrates - 9.8g
Fiber - 1.73g
Sugar - 7g
Protein - 3.85g

Tofu, Cashew, Coconut and Chia Seed Ricotta Substitute
Makes 35 tablespoons

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of raw cashews
½ cup of light coconut milk
½ tablespoons of chia seeds, freshly ground
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ scoop of stevia
14 ounces of extra firm tofu, squeezed of excess water

Directions:

Place the raw cashews in your food processor and grind until they are as fine as you can get them. You want a little “grittiness” to remain to mimic the texture of ricotta. If you use the blender it will pulverize the cashews and the grittiness will be gone. Add the remaining ingredients and process until everything is thoroughly combined. Put everything in container with a lid and refrigerate until needed.

Nutritional Information (per tablespoon):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 22.8
Calories From Fat (66%) - 15.05

Total Fat - 1.81g
Saturated Fat - 0.77g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 14.88mg
Potassium - 29.07mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.75g
Fiber - 0.12g
Sugar - 0.11g
Protein - 1.36g

Comments:

This is a very light dessert that is also pretty on the plate. It is a nice summer dessert when the weather is warm and you don’t want anything heavy.

While this is dessert isn't exactly healthfood it does have ingredients that fight cancer. The soy protein is reported to fight cancer. The chia seeds are high in Omega 3's, another cancer fighter. Finally, the raw cashews and pistachios contain vitamin E which is another antioxidant that is important to maintaining good health.

Middle Eastern Spiced Beets, Orange, Red Onion, Mint and Pistachio Salad

Beets are a food that people are passionate about. You are either a beet lover or a beet hater. My husband is a beet lover and I have learned to love them to, but it did take a while. If you aren’t a beet lover because you had some bad childhood beet experience give beets another chance. They are so good for you, and the flavor is wonderful if they are treated properly.

I decided to go Middle Eastern today with the beets. I knew I wanted to use them roasted and in a salad, but didn’t decide on the middle eastern twist until I went in the kitchen and saw the ras el hanout looking at me from the spice drawer. There is a recipe for the spice blend on my blog with a link in the recipe.

This salad is a combination of things that make me think of Middle Eastern food. I have included spiced beets, oranges, red onion, fresh mint and chopped pistachios. The beets are high in anthocyanins. The oranges provide vitamin C. The red onion is packed with antioxidants and is reported to be good for your heart and well as preventing cancer. The pistachios provide healthy fat. Most herbs are full of flavonoids, so I assume that mint is no exception.

Middle Eastern Spiced Beets, Orange, Red Onion, Mint and Pistachio Salad
serves 4

Spiced Beet Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds of beets, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons of ras el hanout
½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Remaining salad ingredients:

1 orange, segmented and cut into bite sized pieces
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of vinegar to soak the onion
½ cup of fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put all the ingredients into a glass baking dish (if using metal increase the temperature to 350 degrees) and toss to combine the spices.

Roast the beets in an uncovered pan for 60 minutes and check the beets for tenderness with the tip of your paring knife. The exactly cooking time will depend on the size you cut the beets. Cook the beets until they are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife.

Cool the beets and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. These beets can be served cold or hot. It serving hot you can reheat them in the microwave if you don’t want to make the salad.

Add the segmented orange to the cold beets. Soak the slivered onions in a little white vinegar to take the edge off the bite. After 15 minutes drain the vinegar from the onions and add them to the cold beet and orange.

Add the roughly chopped mint just before serving. Sprinkle the pistachios on the top of the salad and serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 196.73
Calories From Fat (18%) - 35.66

Total Fat - 4.21g
Saturated Fat - 0.59g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 330.95mg
Potassium - 1062.22mg
Total Carbohydrates - 37.59g
Fiber - 10.8g
Sugar - 19.47g
Protein - 6.34g

Comments:

These beets have a lot of flavor and a terrific aroma from the ras el hanout. The beets could be served hot on their own, or as part of this salad.

The next time I make this salad I will add another orange. If you weren’t watching your fat as closely as we are the salad would be fine with a few more pistachios, and the inclusion of a few sliced black oil cured olives would take the salad over the top.