Healthy Diet, Healthy Skin: Thanksgiving Desserts

Many of us who suffer from irritated skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema, work hard to maintain a healthy, balanced diet to avoid unwanted flare-ups and irritation (which are often even more troublesome during the cold winter months). However, these healthy eating habits often disappear during the holidays. With Thanksgiving only a few days away and Christmas, Hannukah and New Years just around the corner, it is important to find ways to maintain a healthy diet during the winter months. Here are a few, delicious Thanksgiving dessert recipes to keep your waistline and your skin in check.

To start off the week, here are a few, delicious Thanksgiving dessert recipes to keep your waistline and your skin in check.

Honey-Glazed Baked Apples Filled with Dried Fruit

from Bon Appetit, November 1999

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

4 large Golden Delicious apples (about 9 ounces each), unpeeled, cored
8 tablespoons mixed dried fruit bits
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
3 tablespoons honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each apple so that apples will stand upright. Place apples in 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish or 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Fill cored-out section of each apple with 2 tablespoons dried fruit bits. Pour apple juice around apples in dish. Drizzle honey over dried fruit filling and apples.

Bake apples until tender when pierced with skewer, basting frequently with pan juices, about 55 minutes. Serve warm, spooning pan juices over apples.

Ginger-Pumpkin Souffle

from Epicurious, November 2005

Yields 8 souffles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk, not low- or no-fat
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin
8 large egg whites

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 8 6-ounce ramekins. In medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring soy milk to boil. Add ginger, remove pan from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes. Strain soy milk, discarding ginger, and set aside.

In large nonreactive bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk in flour until well combined. Gradually add hot milk, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Return yolk mixture to saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until custard boils and thickens enough to coat back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl, whisk in pumpkin purée, and set aside.

Using electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy and slightly opaque. With mixer running, add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into pumpkin mixture to lighten, then add mixture to remaining whites, folding in gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into ramekins, filling almost to top, and lightly run finger around inside rim to create a “moat.” Place ramekins in large baking pan. Place baking pan on middle oven rack and add hot water around ramekins to depth of 1 inch. Bake until soufflés have risen well above rim and tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Apple Phyllo Strudel

Excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine

Yields 12 servings

Ingredients

6 green apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 2 pounds apples)
1/2 cup cried cranberries or dried cherries (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 (1216-inch) sheets phyllo dough
butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray, or a mixture of 1 teaspoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon almond oil
1/2 cup amaretti crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
12 ounces nonfat vanilla yogurt or frozen vanilla yogurt
12 mint sprigs
36 raspberries

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. Let stand for 10 minutes to cool.

Layer 2 sheets of the phyllo on a work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Repeat the layers 2 times with the remaining sheets. Spread the apple mixture over the phyllo. Roll the phyllo from the 12-inch side to enclose the filling.

Place the roll on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Arrange on serving plates.

Serve with vanilla yogurt or frozen vanilla yogurt and top with the mint and raspberries.