By Catherine S. Katz, Ph.D

Catherine developed the recipes and meal plan for The Flavor Full Diet

She also contributes to ABetterBagOfGroceries.com

(Prepared by The Culinary Team @ Griffin Hospital Dining Services.)

This cake is similar to the luscious, buttery galettes from Brittany in the north of France, except, of course, it has no butter! Its dense flat batter topped with fresh peaches rises slightly as it bakes to embrace the fruit, so it’s not only delicious, it’s also beautiful. Surprisingly, it’s quick and simple to make. Freeze any leftovers and save for another Peach Day.

Ingredients
Serves 6 *
1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 cup Smart Balance spread
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
2 eggs
1/4 cup soft wheat pastry flour †
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 medium ripe peaches, peeled and thinly sliced, or 1 can (8 ounces) juice-packed sliced peaches, drained

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a round cake pan with 1/2 teaspoon of the spread.
2. Place the dry milk, sugar, almonds, and the remaining 1/4 cup spread in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and beat for a few minutes, or until the batter is “airy.” Add the flour and baking powder and mix again until well blended.
3. Pour batter into the pan and lay the peaches in a circle on top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Per serving
151 calories, 9 g fat (2 g sat fat), 4 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 60 mg cholesterol, 118 mg sodium

* Serving size: 1 slice
† Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour or any other brand of soft wheat (not whole wheat) flour with fiber is fine. You can also use Hodgson Mill Oat Bran Flour

Cherries with Ricotta & Toasted Almonds

by Eat Well

Warm cherries topped with luscious ricotta cheese and toasted almonds makes for a rich-tasting—yet calorie-conscious—treat.

1 serving

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup frozen pitted cherries
• 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta
• 1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds

PREPARATION

1. Heat cherries in the microwave on High until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Top the cherries with ricotta and almonds.

TIPS & NOTES

• Healthy Heart Variation: To reduce saturated fat even further, use nonfat ricotta in place of the reduced-fat ricotta.
• 133 calories, 0 g saturated fat.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 150 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 10 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 3 g fiber; 39 mg sodium; 329 mg potassium.

Creamy custard that tastes just like rice pudding – without the rice.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 4 oz non-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup fat-free half & half
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3.8 g sugar substitute

Directions

1. Heat oven to 250 °F (120 °C).
2. In large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat ricotta and cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar substitute and beat until well combined. Add egg, egg white, half & half, and vanilla; beat until well blended.
3. Transfer mixture to 4 (8 oz) ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking dish. Add hot water to baking dish to a depth of 1 inch. Bake until custards are set, about 45 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool on rack.
4. Serve chilled or at room temperature, sprinkled with cinnamon.
5. Note: based on recipe from South Beach Diet Recharged book.

Recipe provided by FatSecret.com

Per serve – Energy: 131kcal | Carb: 7.78g | Prot: 12.27g | Fat: 5.56g

Sugar free delicious brittle.

Ingredients

• 1 cup maltitol crystals sweetener
• 8 sticks sweet cream butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecan nuts

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large, non-stick fry pan.
2. Add the Maltitol sweetener and heat on medium, stirring until it is blended and golden.
3. The mixture will separate and then blend together again. Give it time for the color to darken, but don’t over cook.
4. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle nuts on the top.
5. Allow to cool. Cover and let set up. If you are in a hurry, hasten the cooling by setting the pan in a larger pan of ice.
6. Cover and let set up. When the brittle is cooled, break it into pieces.
7. Variations: add 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut. If you use walnuts instead of pecans you can deduct all the carbs. 1 cup of peanuts makes it peanut brittle.
8. Note: based on a recipe from Low-Carb Sweets.com

Recipe provided by FatSecret.com

Per serve – Energy: 88kcal | Carb: 0.94g | Prot: 0.62g | Fat: 8.57g

Baked Apples

by Staness Jonekos

The Menopause Makeover

A delicious desert

10 to 12 servings

This is my hubby’s family favorite!

Ingredients
12 tart Jonathon apples
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
12 tablespoons light margarine (Smart Balance Light)
6 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Core the apples but leave the bottom intact, so it looks like a “well” in the apple.
• Prick the apple skins with a fork so the apple can “breathe” while baking.
• Fill the hole with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of butter substitute.
• Then place the apples in a baking dish with a thin layer of water on the bottom, and sprinkle each apple with cinnamon.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (10 minutes covered with foil and 10 minutes uncovered) until the apples are tender and begin to caramelize.

You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans to the “stuffing”. And you may want to top this yummy recipe with a low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt.

Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

by Staness Jonekos

The Menopause Makeover

Healthy dark chocolate has a cocoa content of 60-70 percent or higher. Eating 2 ounces (50 grams) a day of plain chocolate with a minimum content of 60 percent chocolate solids, can be beneficial to health – providing protection against heart disease, high blood pressure, and many other health hazards – as well as providing vitamins, and essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium.

A 1-1/2-ounce square of chocolate may have as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a 5-ounce glass of red wine. And chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation.

Don’t feel guilty, enjoy this delicious snack on special occasion, or as desert after a romantic dinner.

4 servings
prep time = 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 small carton of medium-sized whole strawberries

Directions
-Microwave chocolate in a glass bowl, stopping after 30 seconds, then every 10 seconds until almost melted.
-Stir until smooth and glossy.
-Wash strawberries and pat them dry (any moisture from the fruit will spoil the texture of the melted chocolate).
-Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate, covering the lower half of the strawberry.
-Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
-Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Per chocolate strawberry
Calories 48
Protein 0.5 grams
Carbs 6.8 grams
Fat 18 grams
Fiber 1.1 grams