What has the power to add vibrant color, added moisture, texture and nutrients to all types of recipes, and is easily at home in breakfast, snack, and treat or dessert recipes?
Veggies of course. With the array of color choices that fresh veggies offer along with the built in nutrition and fiber they provide, they are the real super-stars of any recipe including sweet choices.
Unfortunately, for the most part, people simply don’t view them that way. They have never been taught to view vegetables as a valid ingredient for sweet dishes and so the role that most veggies have played have been severely limited.
It’s all about perception and most people’s perceptions about using veggies in desserts is pretty narrow…if that. But, times are changing. The power of the Internet is educating people on every topic…health and nutrition included. With a world of information literally at people’s fingertips, curious people are researching and more and more vegetables are gaining ground as valuable contributors to sweet as well as savory dishes… beyond the typical raw “carrot or celery stick.”
Not only will vegetables provide a boost in nutrition to any dessert, they are the perfect binding agent replacing eggs and fat in most recipes while adding sweetness and moisture.
This broader acceptance and “view” of the use of vegetables in sweet as well as savory dishes is not a new concept but is experiencing an expanded acceptance as word gets out quickly in the digital world.
Statistics show that dessert consumption is on the rise. Of 1500 consumers polled, a whopping 99% stated that they enjoy dessert occasionally. Seventy percent admitted to eating it once a week…a 57% increase from the same study done three years previous.
One of the reasons desserts are growing in popularity so quickly is that many people are now experimenting and trying new ingredients and flavor profiles in sweet dishes as well as savory dishes that include an array of healthy vegetables.
Truth is, creating healthy desserts and treats that are made with a bounty of nutritious ingredients is an exploding trend and there are endless opportunities for innovative cooks who have vision to reinterpret the classics with a broader perspective or combine ingredients into a completely new taste treat.
It’s time to take dessert and sweet treats off your “do not eat list.” Denying yourself something you love just creates more desire for it.
Don’t deny yourself those sweet rewards as though your sweet tooth will naturally disappear. Reinvent things. Simply change your perception about what ingredients to use and create ones you can feel good about serving…to yourself and to others.
It’s not desserts that are a “no-no” it’s your perceptions about their creation that needs to change.
You can love dessert, satisfy your sweet tooth and boost your health all in one bite.
For some incredibly delicious veggie based dessert and treat recipes visit: “Blended Bites” a compilation of 50 desserts and sweet treats that use veggies as ingredients. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what the possibilities are once you open yourself to them!
