Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Caramelized Peaches with Soy Ice Cream and Almonds - A Delicious Low Calorie Vegan Dessert


Peaches are now available at your local farmer's market.

Boil each peach for 30 seconds before removing skin.
Caramelized peaches after broiling for 5 minutes.

Peaches are in Season
At the Sebastopol farmers market this weekend, it seemed like every stand was selling big, juicy peaches. Most of them were about $3 a pound but we found someone who was selling 10 pounds for $10 dollars. Only a dollar a pound, what a deal! With all of these peaches, I started thinking about simple and healthy ways of preparing them. This dessert makes a lovely presentation and takes less than 15 minutes.

I Can't Believe a Dessert This Good is Less Than 100 Calories
You wouldn't think a half of a peach with a few tablespoons of ice cream would be this satisfying, but it is. It’s a pleasurable mixture of textures and temperatures. The firm peach, the creamy ice cream and the crunch of almonds together with the frozen ice cream melting on the hot, caramelized peach delights your senses. And if you must, eat two halves. It’s still less than 200 calories, which is also considered a low calorie dessert.

Peaches - Sweet, Delicious and Rich in Fiber and Vitamins
A large peach is only 68 calories and contains high amounts of fiber (3 g) and vitamin C (11.6 mg). It’s also a good source of vitamin A (570 IU), niacin (1.4 mg) and potassium (333 mg).


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Caramelized Peaches with Ice Cream and Almonds [serves 4]
2 large peaches, 2 3/4 inches in diameter
4 teaspoons Sucanat or organic cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup soy or other non-dairy ice cream
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Boil peaches in a small sauce pan of boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skin. Remove and skin the peaches, cut in half and discard pits. Arrange peach halves in a pie pan. In a very small bowl, combine Sucanat or sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the 4 peach halves. Broil the peaches 5 inches away from the broiling element for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the peaches caramelize. Remove from the oven and place each peach half in a small, shallow serving bowl. Scoop out the soy ice cream with a mellon baller and place a small scoop (about 2 tablespoons full) on each peach half. Top with sliced almonds and serve immediately.

Per serving: 98 calories, 2.2 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.9 g protein, 19.1 g carbohydrates and 2.6 g of fiber.

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