Healthy 4th of July everyone! While I'm away on vacation in Dublin right now, I thought I'd pay homage to the stars and stripes with this healthy, quick and nutritious (albeit decadent) dessert. We all know the benefits of strawberries and blueberries, but not a lot of people realize that coconut is equally amazing and considered a "functional food" by many! Even though it's high in fat, it contains no cholesterol, is loaded with fiber and is a good source of manganese, a trace mineral that has been shown to keep bones strong, fight free-radical damage and help your thyroid gland operate smoothly.
If you're not familiar with coconut milk, it can be found in the section of your grocery store that carries Asian food. You'll be looking for a can. Don't buy the "lite" version - go for the real deal.
Coconut Berry Parfait
Serves
Ingredients
2 15-oz cans Coconut Milk
1 1/2 c. Shredded Coconut
1 1/2 c. Sliced Strawberries
1 1/2 c. Blueberries
1 tsp. Stevia*
Mix coconut milk and stevia thoroughly. Add in shredded coconut. Pour the mixture in a baking pan (9x 13 will work). Place in freezer, mixing every 30 minutes until it's slushy-frozen. Layer up the berries and sorbet. Enjoy.
After completely frozen, layer the sorbet and berries in parfait style. Serve and enjoy!
*Stevia is a healthy sugar substitute. It can be found in nearly any grocery store these days. If you don't like the flavor of stevia, don't add any other non-nutritive sweetener (i.e. aspartame, sucralose). This blog is all about healthy, real foods. Adding icky chemicals completely defeats the purpose of eating clean. What's more, it's not good for you. Instead substitute honey and follow the modified directions below. Sure, you'll add more calories, but this is a dessert after all!
Tip: If you plan on keeping this in the freezer overnight, it may become too hard. One way around that is to add one ounce of rum to the recipe. Alcohol lowers the freezing point. Needless to say, adding alcohol makes this recipe unsuitable for children.
Coconut Berry Parfait w/ Honey
Serves
Ingredients
28 oz Coconut Milk
2/3 c. Honey
1 1/2 c. Shredded Coconut
1 1/2 c. Sliced Strawberries
1 1/2 c. Blueberries
Bring coconut milk and honey to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and add shredded coconut, mixing thoroughly. Let cool for about 20 minutes then pour the mixture in a baking pan (9x 13 will work). Place in freezer, mixing every 30 minutes until it's slushy-frozen. Layer the sorbet and berries in parfait style. Serve and enjoy!
