Cool summer desserts with a healthy twist

Published 8:00 am Friday, July 6, 2018

Mother Nature is quite the genius. When she turns up the heat, she also sends sweet, juicy fruit for us to enjoy and maybe as a bit of a peace offering, too. Delicious summer fruit not only delights our taste buds, its high-water content cools us down.

If you’ve ever had peach juice dripping from your chin, you know what I’m talking about. I won’t even discuss juicy watermelon. It’s no secret that summer produce finds itself in some of the most iconic and scrumptious desserts.

Read on and bring some relief to your sweltering family and friends.

MANGO MOUSSE

Light and airy, it conquers a craving for something sweet but without leaving you feeling heavy.

• 1 14-oz. coconut cream, or 2 14-oz. cans full-fat coconut milk, placed in the fridge for at least 24 hours in advance of use
• 3 large ripe mangoes (should yield 2 cups pureed mango pulp) or 2 cups frozen mango pieces
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• Finely chopped fresh mint and finely diced fresh mango for topping

Coconut Whip Cream: Chill a small-to-medium size bowl in the freezer for a few minutes. When ready to whip, remove the can(s) of coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk from the fridge. Without shaking the can(s), slowly flip and open. Remove any coconut water (the liquid) into a cup and scoop the solidified coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Store the coconut liquid in the freezer to use another day. Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat until fluffy. Start on low speed and work to higher speeds until peaks start forming. This should yield about 2½ cups coconut whip cream. Place in the fridge.

Mousse: Peel the three large mangoes and completely puree the pulp in a blender with the small amount of fresh lemon juice or, if using frozen mango, defrost and puree. This should make about 2 cups of mango puree. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Remove the pureed mango and coconut whip cream from the fridge. In batches, slowly fold the mango puree into the coconut whip cream using a rubber spatula. Be careful and fold in slowly. Once the mango puree is completely folded in, refrigerate the mousse for at least 2 hours in the mixing bowl. Top with finely chopped mint and diced mango.

NICE CREAM

No need to load the car and head to an ice cream store so everyone can their favorite flavor. The first two ingredients of this recipe make a plain “nice cream” which can be transformed into a variety of flavors. For example, add in unsweetened cocoa powder in varying amounts to create chocolate nice cream.

• 2 frozen bananas, cut into chunks
• Nut- or plant-based milk such as soy, almond or cashew
• Flavor options: strawberries, blueberries, peaches, unsweetened cocoa powder
• Topping or other ingredient options: nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, fresh or dried fruit, cookie pieces

Let bananas defrost just a bit and place them into a sturdy food processor with about a tablespoon of nut/plant milk. Process to desired consistency; add more milk if necessary. Process longer for smoother soft-serve type ice cream and shorter for more traditional ice cream. Add your choice of flavor options. If the Nice Cream is too soft, place it in the freezer. Mix in or top with any of the items listed above or whatever strikes your fancy.

For a Nice Cream Banana Split, top a sliced fresh banana with your Nice Cream and the coconut whip from Mango Mousse recipe.

FRUITY SMOOTHIE POPSICLES 

Turn your smoothie into the ultimate, cool summer treat! Feel free to substitute different types of fruits  — cherries, melon, blueberries — to fit your tastes.

• 2 bananas
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1 cup of pineapple
• 3 dates
• 1 kiwi
• 2 peaches
• 1½ cups water or a mixture of water and plant/nut based milk

Blend all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, just as you would your favorite smoothie. Pour the smoothie into popsicle molds, add a popsicle stick and freeze for about 10-12 hours. Briefly run the molds under hot water to release the popsicles and step aside as the crowd comes running.

KIWI TART

You don’t have to heat up your kitchen to make this raw pie. The dates sweeten the crust and the cashews give the filling a creamy texture.

Crust

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup oats
• 2 cups dates

Filling

• 1 cup cashews
• Handful of mint leaves
• 1 Tablespoon peeled fresh ginger root
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup dates
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Water as needed

Crust: Process the walnuts and oats in a food processor until they resemble a rough flour. Add the dates and process until the mixture starts sticking. Press the mixture into the bottom of a pie plate lined with parchment paper. Set in the fridge.

Filling: Blend the ingredients until smooth. Add as little water as possible to make it creamy and smooth. Evenly spread the filling onto the crust and cool it in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours. 

Topping: Cover the top with kiwi slices and sprinkle with the flakes of coconut to taste. 

Leslie Harrison of Tyler, Texas, is a certified Food for Life nutrition and cooking instructor.