FAT-FREE CHERRY SPREAD

FAT-FREE CHERRY SPREAD

Yield: 3 cups

5+1 cherries, well drained -- 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups)
Nonfat cream cheese -- 1 pound (2 cups)
Ground cinnamon -- To taste
Ground nutmeg -- To taste

Drain cherries on paper towels before weighing them.

In an electric blender or food chopper, combine cherries and cream cheese.

Process until smooth.

Season to taste with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Use as a spread on crackers, bread or muffins.

Thin with cherry juice to serve over fruit or gelatin salads.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 

13 calories, 

1 g protein, 

2 g carbohydrates, 

0 grams total fat (0% calories from fat), 

6 mg potassium 46 mg sodium.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY MOUSSE

Chocolate Cherry Mousse

 

Absolutely gorgeous and rich, but not too sweet, this airy mousse is a beautiful ending to a summer supper.

Perfect with raspberries, blackberries or strawberries, too...

2 ounces unsweetened solid chocolate, chopped
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons cherry liqueur or sugar free cherry syrup
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup diced fresh cherries
6 whole cherries with stems for garnish

Melt the chopped chocolate, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and cherry syrup in the microwave at 30 second intervals, whisking in between, until melted and very smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl combine the remaining 1 cup cream, Splenda, almond, and vanilla extract - beat with an electric mixture until soft peaks form.

Beat 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until well blended to lighten the mixture, then carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Gently fold in diced cherries.

Divide into 6 dessert glasses and chill for at least one hour. Garnish with a whole, fresh cherry. Makes six servings.

Per Serving:
Calories 136;
Protein 2 g;
Fat 12 g;
Carbs 4 g;
Sugar 2 g;
Sodium 10 mg

CHERRY CLAFOUTI

Cherry Clafouti

Clafoutis, sometimes in Anglophone countries spelled clafouti, is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm.

This dessert is an amazing combination of fluffy almond flavored custard studded with a handful of ripe sweet cherries. The biggest, darkest fresh cherries are best for the ultimate flavor, but frozen cherries work well in a pinch if you drop them into the batter while still frozen. If you can’t find cherries in the market, fresh (or frozen) blueberries will also make your mouth water. Learning to live well after bariatric surgery means that you need to be creative in finding substitutes for the high fat and sugar desserts that we used to devour.

½ cup low fat milk
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
½ cup granulated Splenda
½ cup flour * you could use your favorite unflavored or vanilla flavored proetin powder here, adjust nutritional values accordingly.
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh pitted cherries
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine the milk, ricotta, eggs, Splenda, flour, vanilla, and almond extract in a food processor or blender, blending until smooth. Let batter rest for 20 minutes. Spray the bottom of a 9 inch round ceramic baking dish. Pour the batter into the dish and evenly arrange the cherries in the batter. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm, dusted with 1 teaspoon of confectioners sugar and cut into wedges.

Serves 10
Full portion,

Calories 82,

fat 2 grams,
carbs 8 grams,

protein 5 grams

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

Cherry Cheesecake

 

Even though this is a sugar free cheesecake, it is still very rich... so practice your three bite rule! A delicious dessert everyone will rave about.

Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 ½ cups Joseph’s sugar free Almond cookies
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Two, 8-ounce packages, Philadelphia Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
2⁄3 cup Splenda granular or Nature Sweet Crystals
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup reduced fat sour cream
3 large eggs
One jar Smucker’s Sugar Free Cherry Preserves simmered with 10 ounce bag frozen pitted cherries and cooled to room temperature

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Lightly spray a deep-dish pie plate with vegetable cooking spray and place on baking sheet.

Pulse the cookies in the large bowl of a food processor until they are finely ground. Add butter and blend until moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up the sides of prepared pan. Chill crust while preparing the filling.

Mix cream cheese, Splenda, vanilla, and sour cream with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until well blended. Pour the filling into the crust.

Bake at 300°F for 45 to 50 minutes until center is just set. Cool on rack at room temperature.

Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, spread cherry topping to within 1 inch of edges or spoon filling over each slice of cheesecake on serving plate.

Serves 12
per slice:
calories 163,
fat 12 gr,
carbs 8 gr,
protein 6gr