Healthy dessert & snack recipes
Recipes from the Centenary Institute’s Good Gut anti-inflammatory diet book. Recipes from Fast Ed Halmagyi.
EASY OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE-CHUNK COOKIES
Preparation time: 10 minutes • Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: about 48 • Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
3/4 cup (185 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup (200 g) stevia powder
1/2 cup (125 ml) molasses
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
11/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon almond essence
13/4 cups (260 g) plain flour
1 cup (130 g) buckwheat flour
11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk
300 g sugar-free dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped into chunks
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Combine the olive oil, stevia, molasses, eggs, yolks, vanilla and almond essence in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
2 Sift the flours, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together, then gently fold into the egg mixture. Mix in the buttermilk and chocolate.
3 Place tablespoon amounts on lined oven trays and sprinkle with the salt.
4 Bake for 18–20 minutes, until just firm halfway to the centre. Cool on a wire rack.
WHIPPED VANILLA CUSTARD WITH APRICOTS
& CRISP PARMESAN-WALNUT WAFERS
Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 • Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
2 cups (500 ml) milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup (100 g) stevia powder
40 g (1/3 cup) cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon almond essence
400 ml whipping cream
1 cup poached or tinned apricots (approx. 16 apricot halves)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (35 g) plain flour
1/4 cup (25 g) grated parmesan
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
1 Bring the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over a moderate heat.
2 Meanwhile, crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Add the yolks from the remaining 2 eggs, reserving the whites. Add the stevia, cornflour, vanilla and almond essence and whisk until smooth.
3 Mix the hot milk through the egg mixture. Pour into a clean saucepan and simmer over a moderate heat until thickened. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool completely.
4 Whip the cream to stiff peaks, then fold it through the custard. Put the apricots in four glasses and top with the custard.
5 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C. Beat the egg whites, butter, flour and parmesan in a bowl until smooth. Spread thinly on lined biscuit trays, then scatter with walnuts. Bake for 8 minutes, until browned.
6 Serve the wafers with the custard.
GREEN GODDESS BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE
WITH GOAT’S MILK YOGHURT
Preparation time: 5 minutes • Cooking time: nil
Serves: 4 • Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆
2 ripe bananas, peeled
4 kiwifruit, peeled
1 green apple, cored
1 Lebanese cucumber, seeded
4 cups (200 g) baby spinach leaves
1/2 bunch mint
2 teaspoons vitamin C powder
3 cups (750 g) goat’s milk yoghurt
3/4 cup (185 ml) monkfruit syrup
ice cubes
1 Combine the fruit, cucumber, spinach, mint, vitamin C, yoghurt and monkfruit syrup in a blender and purée until very smooth.
2 Add the ice, then blitz until the ice is crushed.
