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.