Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
That’s quite a name, innit?
This started as a recipe make-over request from my Mary B. at OH (and who also lives in the same state as me…she’s super cool and has done fabulously in her journey!). She saw the Rachel Ray version and thought it could use some snazzing up. I get so honored when folks send stuff our way to remix. It says, to me, that you like what we’re doing and think we can make your favorite recipes into something wonderful for you to enjoy post-op!
(/end sappy moment)
Back to business. So I agree…there was definitely room for this dish to become something great. Before we get into that, though, let me just point out a few things:
- There was a LOT of sugar in Rachel’s version. Hence, a lot of carbs. Now we all know that bananas, in general, are a fairly simple carb. Not evil. Not bad. But they don’t always fit in your daily plan. For the above, I opted to use banana cream pudding as opposed to a banana. I also put the banana equivalent in the recipe for those who want to use the fruit.
- Even though I LOVE Fiber One, any cereal you like with good fiber will do. The key is to crush it in a mini-chopper or food processor until it has a crumb-like consistency.
- Yes, I use both fat-free whipped cream and sugar-free chocolate chips in my recipe. BUT, I only use one serving of each, per parfait. It does bump up the calories a bit, but the chips lend to the authenticity of a cannoli while the whipped cream makes it feel like a finished parfait. And the banana hearts? I just thought they were cute.
So…without further adieu…here’s the recipe!
Nik’s Banana Caramel Cannoli Parfait
(makes approximately 3-4 parfaits)
Ingredients
1 c. cottage cheese (I used lowfat)
1/3 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp sugar-free banana cream pudding mix (or one large, very ripe banana)
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
3 pumps Davinci sugar-free caramel syrup
1/2 c. Fiber One cereal (or any crushed, high-fiber cereal)
2 scoops Any Whey unflavored protein powder
3 tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips
3 tbsp fat-free whipped cream
Optional: Banana slices for garnish
Directions:
In a blender or mini-food processor, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta and pudding mix until the cottage cheese curds are all broken. until the curds are broken. Add lemon juice, protein powder and syrup and pulse until well mixed. Mixture may be soft. If so, refrigerate for an hour before assembling parfaits.
In a parfait glass, sit a layer of the ricotta/cottage cheese mixture. Top with 1 tablespoon of the crushed cereal. Top that with half a tablespoon of sugar-free chocolate chips. Add another layer of the cheese mixture and cereal and then top with two tablespoons whipped cream and the other half tablespoon of chocolate chips!
If you don’t like banana flavor, you can substitute french vanilla pudding and vanilla syrup and make a traditional cannoli. Or you could use any flavor combo that excites you. It’s like we always say…play with your food people! And if you make something yummy, send us a picture! We love to see what you’re mixing up!
