If I were to give a single food item the Makes Us Fattest Award, hands down the winner would be refined sugar . . . under all its aliases—evaporated cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, and fructose.
The sad fact is that we are not aware of how deadly sugar is—both in causing rapid weight gain and in degrading our health by damaging all our major organs. As if that isn’t bad enough, sugar also feeds the bacteria in your body—a process that increases your risk for disease. It’s even been shown to feed cancer cells. We put so much effort into getting t, and yet the sugar that’s in nearly everything we eat is a Trojan horse, cutting our health-promoting efforts off at the knees.
Desserts like this Pear Cobbler with Balsamic Syrup are a tasty way to enjoy a little some- thing sweet after dinner without bombarding our bodies with a wave of refined sugar. It’s just sweet enough to satisfy that tooth . . .
Note: It’s really easy to make your own Coconut Milk Ice Cream at home. Simply combine the following ingredients in a food processor: the cream from 2 (13.7-ounce) cans coconut milk that have been chilled overnight in the fridge and then drained, 2 frozen bananas (peeled), 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and then pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and run it until the mixture is creamy.
8 Bosc pears, cored and sliced
½ cup coconut palm sugar
½ cup blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil, chilled
1 tablespoon coconut cream
1 egg yolk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
COCONUT MILK ICE CREAM
¼ cup balsamic glaze
Preheat the broiler to high. In a medium bowl, toss the pear wedges with 3 tablespoons of the coconut sugar. Spread the pears over a large rimmed baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven, flipping them halfway through. Remove the pan from the oven and adjust the heat to 375°F.
In a large bowl, combine the almond our, remaining 1/4 cup coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil and, with your fingers, rub it into the mixture evenly until it reaches a crumbly texture. Stir in the coconut cream, yolk, and vanilla until fully combined. Chill the topping in the fridge.
In a bowl, toss the cooled pears with the lemon juice and divide among six 8-ounce ramekins. Sprinkle them with the crumb topping and bake until the topping is golden and the pears are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve with the coconut ice cream and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Calories: 322
Fat: 14g
Carbohydrates: 43g
Sodium: 125mg
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 6g
Sugar: 23g