Serving a dessert can be a tasty and nutritious way to make a meal last a little longer. Unlike most traditional desserts, which are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, the recovery recipes found in our book, “Food For Recovery” are made from hearty whole-grain flours, fresh fruits, nuts, and other whole foods ingredients. There are also wheat-free, egg-free, and even no-bake recipes.
The recovery desserts provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Unlike many desserts, these recipes do not rob the body of nutrients but rather enhance a recovery diet.
So yes, when eating for recovery you can make a dessert and eat it too.
Here is one to try that is perfect for the fall season and can be made with many variations of fruit.
Apple-Blueberry Crisp
This is a nutritious low-fat recipe. This crisp is high in fiber, biotin, and manganese. Any favorite fruit combinations will do.
Serves 10
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or 3/4 cup barley flour and 3/4 cup soy flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup iced apple juice
2 tablespoons apple juice
10 apples, preferably McIntosh, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup crushed walnuts or pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, and salt. Add the oil and with a fork stir the mixture until it resembles small peas. Add the iced apple juice a little at a time, adding just enough so that the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a rough ball. Press together with your hands, then return the dough to the bowl and set aside 10 minutes.
3. Break the dough into tiny pieces and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until the dough is crunchy.
4. In a large pot, bring the apple juice to a boil over high heat. Add the apples and blueberries, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into an 8 x 8 X 2-inch baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the cooked dough and nuts over the fruit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. You may want to put a piece of foil or a baking sheet under the pan, since the juices may bubble up and out of the pan onto the oven floor.
Variation: Peach-Strawberry Crisp: Substitute 12 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced, and 2 cups sliced strawberries for the apples and blueberries. Substitute 1/2 cup crushed pecans for the walnuts.
Variation: Pear Crisp: Substitute 10 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced, for the apples.
Note: You can substitute frozen blueberries if out of season and just bake a little longer as crisp may have more liquid. You can also cover with foil at the end if it browns too quickly on top.
Gluten Free: You can substitute a gluten free flour mix for the 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour. I love King Arthur’s Gluten Free “Measure For Measure Flour” as you can simply substitute equal parts (1-1) for an easy and convenient swap for conventional flours.
Health and Happiness,
Mary P. Cheney, H.C.
From: Food For Recovery 4th Edition: The Complete Nutritional Companion for Recovering from Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and Eating Disorders
Copyright © 2018 by Mary P. Cheney, H.C., Joseph D. Beasley, M.D. and Susan Knightly
FOOD FOR RECOVERY: EATING FOR RECOVERY 