Seven Remarkable Summer Fruit Desserts
Watermelon cake. It's awesome.
Summer is here, which brings many delicious fruits to marketplaces. So how can you best celebrate the joys of summer fruit? Check out these 7 simple and healthy fruit desserts. They're cold, refreshing, and totally delicious.
Seven Remarkable Summer Fruit Desserts
This watermelon cake is far more refreshing and low-calorie than regular cakes
Watermelon Cake - You don't have to turn on your oven for this one. Start by slicing a large, 3-inch thick, horizontal ring from the center of the melon (it helps to cut it in half first). Remove the rind, and place the ring on a platter. Top with yogurt and rings of fresh berries, and you will have a gorgeous dessert sure to please a crowd. Use the additional watermelon in some of our other recipes below...
Watermelon Cookies - Not in the mood for "cake?" Slice your watermelon into rings that are 1/2 inch thick, and cut those rings into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. Arrange a layer of these "cookies" on a plate and top them with chocolate chips.
Summer Fruit Kabobs - Slice pieces of your favorite fruits into chunks and thread them onto bamboo skewers. Place the skewers on a platter and serve them with a side of nonfat yogurt. Our favorite type of yogurt to serve with these skewers is 0% fat Greek yogurt.
Tutti Fruiti - Dice five to six cups of your favorite fruits and toss with fresh-squeezed lime juice. This one looks especially pretty when served in tall glasses.
Peachy Fruit - Another dish that looks fantastic in tall glasses (or even champagne flutes), Peachy Fruit is made of chopped fresh fruit served on top of peach puree and finished with finely shredded mint leaves. If you don't have your supply of fresh peaches, don't worry -- peach baby food makes the perfect sauce to go on the bottom!
Strawberry Sparklers - Just because the Fourth of July is over doesn't mean you can't still have sparklers! Fill a plate with your favorite fresh berries. Arrange another plate with goodies like ground dried pineapple, ground dried cranberries, ground pistachios, ground almonds, and ground chocolate chips. Begin by melting reduced-fat cream cheese into a small dish or ramekin in the microwave and stir until it becomes smooth. Dip the berries in the cream cheese, then roll them in your favorite toppings. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (These sparklers can be served as an appetizer, dessert, or afternoon snack).
Berry Mango Tostada - Who says tostadas need to be heavy and savory? This light, sweet dessert is a perfect way to end a meal. Spray a corn tortilla with cooking oil spray and dip it in cinnamon sugar. Arrange the dipped tortillas on a baking sheet and bake at 375 until golden brown. Once the tortillas have cooled, place them in the freezer. When ready to serve, place berries and mango sorbet on a plate and top with a cooled tortilla.
Serious Calorie Savings
One slice of watermelon cake weighs about 8.5 ounces and has 75 calories. It contains <1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 15 g sugars, and 1 g of protein. On the other hand, an 8-ounce slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting has 832 calories. It contains 37 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 758 mg sodium, 123 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, and 9 g protein. The ENTIRE watermelon cake has only 450 calories, which is still about half the calories in a single slice of that chocolate cake. So... which will you choose?
Love these ideas? Thank our store! These beautiful dessert ideas were brought to you by the Nutrition Education Store -