TIME FOR ANOTHER TIP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT THE FIREFIGHTER THROWDOWN. THIS WEEK WE TALK DESSERT. YUP, THE MEAL THAT MAKES THOSE COUNTING CALORIES CRINGE AND TREMBLE WITH FEAR. BUT FEAR NOT! F&H CO. IS GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME TIPS ON SATISFYING THE CREWS SWEET TOOTH WHILE KEEPING IT HEALTHY....SORT OF.
Dessert in a firehouse can be nutritional disaster. It's hard enough getting everyone to eat healthier at breakfast, lunch and dinner but dessert creates a myriad of issues. One of the biggest being ingredients. I mean lets face it, you can't head straight to the greenest section of the fresh produce aisle and whip up a tasty dessert for the brothers and sisters. But that does not mean we can't be more conscious of what goes in the dish and make better decisions. Here are some tips for making a healthier and delicious treat for the crew....
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Most baking recipes call for tons of butter and shortening, and let's face it, they taste delicious. But believe it or not, the following substitutions add great flavor and reduce calories. You may not even notice the stick of butter that is missing.
Cakes and Muffins: For super moist cakes and muffins replace half of the butter with applesauce, believe me on this one. Mashed bananas are also a great alternative, just keep in mind there will be a noticeable banana flavor.
Brownies: Substitute the called for fat with canned pumpkin or sweet potato puree. Another option is to replace half of the fat with equal parts of dates or prunes puree (place dates/prunes in a blender with water, puree until smooth)
Sugar is found in most if not all dessert recipes. Sweetness in dessert is pretty much essential but there are other options to using sugar. These all natural sweeteners have many benefits not found in sugar or those "artificial sweeteners, which in my opinion should be wiped from the face of the earth.
Raw Honey: While being high in antioxidants, it also boosts your immune system and is a natural anti-bacterial. Oh and it balances blood sugar levels to boot!
Maple Syrup: Probably my favorite of the bunch, REAL maple syrup packs so much depth of flavor and manganese which helps in energy production. Please, please, please do not use the stuff in the bottle shaped like the old woman. It is in one word, garbage. It is worth spending a few extra bucks on the real stuff, in the end you will use less syrup to achieve the flavor you are looking for so it ends up balancing out.