This weekʼs HOW TO... TURN FRUIT INTO A LUSCIOUS DESSERT If youʼre craving sweets after changing your diet, youʼre not alone. Many people can give up fast food, salty processed snacks, and even alcohol with no problem, but sugar addiction is tough to beat. Luckily, there is a way to get your sweet fix in a healthy way — fruit! Fruit is naturally sweet, but itʼs also full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals that keep you healthy. It can get boring eating raw fruit after awhile, and even the sweetest of fruits wonʼt satisfy your cravings if you get tired of them. Read on for a few easy ways to turn a plain old piece of fruit into something spectacular.
GENERAL TIPS •Grill it. If you think grilling is only for meat, think again! You can grill almost any type of fruit to bring out its natural sweetness, turning it into an almost entirely new food. Peaches, melons, and pineapples are especially good choices, but really, anything works. If itʼs a smaller fruit, like berries or grapes, simply skewer them to keep the fruit from falling into the grates. •Blend it. Fruit smoothies are nothing new, but with the right dessert-like ingredients, youʼll swear youʼre drinking a milkshake. Nut butters, coconut milk, vanilla extract, or cocoa powder can all be blended with fruits like bananas and berries to make a dessert-like concoction in a flash. Frozen bananas can even be blended to an ice cream like consistency; add a little vanilla and you wonʼt know youʼre not eating the real thing. •Roast it. Like grilling, roasting at high temperatures caramelizes the natural sugars in fruit and can make it extra sweet and delicious, without adding anything else to it. You can roast fruit you like; blueberries make a delicious sauce for yogurt, while cherries can be eaten with soft cheese for a high protein, sweet and savory snack. Make sure you line your pan with parchment paper when roasting to avoid the fruit sticking to your pan. The next time youʼre craving something sweet, reach for a piece of fruit and try grilling, blending, or roasting it. Youʼll be so amazed at the sweet, concentrated flavor that you wonʼt be tempted to reach for a cookie or cupcake.