Use Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for More Nutritious Treats

Whether you’re preparing treats for the classroom, testing recipes for the holidays or simply in the kitchen to unwind, fall is the season when baking comes alive. With seasonal ingredients like pumpkin and apples, who doesn’t want to turn on the oven and have a little fun? The downside to the baking madness: the calories, added sugar and unhealthy fats that can come along with the delicious taste.

Leave it to Chef Genevieve Ko to find an answer. In her latest book, Better Baking, Genevieve shows us that you can make and enjoy pies, cookies, crisps and cakes when you let fresh produce shine, use more healthful ingredients and enjoy your sweets in moderation. With fruits and vegetables as the stars and whole grains, healthy fats and natural sweeteners on the ingredient lists, Genevieve has created recipes for wholesome treats in exciting and unexpectedly nutritious ways.

Grab a copy of Better Baking or gift it to a friend. For a sneak peak (and taste) try out her recipe for Pistachio Pudding with Pears made with avocado, and follow us on Instagram to catch Genevieve’s Instagram Takeover next week!

Pistachio Pudding with Pears

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (96 g) shelled roasted unsalted pistachios, plus more for garnish
  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) sugar, or more to taste
  • 7¼ ounces (205 g) ripe Hass avocado (1 medium), quartered, pitted, and peeled
  • 8 ounces (226 g) very ripe green D’Anjou pear (1 large), cored and chopped (generous 1 cup), plus pear slices for serving
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Combine the pistachios and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor and process until fine crumbs form, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add the avocado, pear, vanilla, lemon juice, and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and process until very smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Taste and pulse in more sugar if you’d like. Transfer the pudding to serving dishes, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. To serve, garnish the pudding with pistachios and pear slices.

Published 10/1/2016