Making a dessert healthy doesn’t mean making it completely sugar and fat free, instead using fresh and nutrient dense ingredients guarantees that your body will benefit from it. I really like to make baked pears or apples and top them with granola or candied nuts and finish it off with some full fat plain Greek yogurt (it is so thick and creamy that it looks like ice cream in the photos). Here I roasted some pears in the oven and toasted almonds on the stove with a mixture of honey, butter , spices and palm sugar (it is lower GI than most sugars and a deep brown color with lots of flavor), which come together to taste like rich caramel sauce. I soaked the almonds in advance for a couple hours then pinched off the skins, this makes them much softer and easier to digest. This is a very simple dessert to make with basic ingredients that ends up tasting like a sophisticated plate that won’t leave you feeling overly stuffed or bogged down like heavier desserts can.
- 6 pears
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 tablespoon butter (or ghee or coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon raw honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Optional: ¾ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
- Soak the almonds in water in a large bowl for around two hours. When you are ready to get started preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the pears in half and cut out the core then place them cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes. Take each almond one by one and pinch it then slide the skin right off, discard all the skins. Place the butter, honey, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a skillet on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil, let it boil for around 2 minutes then add in the almonds. Let them cook for around 5-7 minutes, until they turn a dark, golden brown, stirring often so they don't burn. Remove them from the heat and set aside until the pears are done, as they cool slightly the sauce will thicken up. Once the pears are done plate them all cut side up, top with almonds then two spoonfuls of yogurt.
