Easy Desserts to Cut Sugar

Janet Groene’s Low Sugar Desserts

     I climb on a soap box when readers clamor for sugar-free dessert recipes. It isn’t always the sugar. Sometimes it’s the carbs and fats that turn a “sugar-free” dessert into a speed trap for people who are watching their glucose readings. A slab of sugar-free pie can contain enough lard to clog every arterial cloverleaf in your body. A “serving” of sugar-free fudge may be no larger than the fingernail on your pinkie.  “Sugar-free” may also mean chemical dyes, preservatives and artificial sweeteners that make doctors cringe.  

     There is no substitute for reading labels, measuring ingredients and adhering strictly to the “serving size” specified in the recipe or on the label. That said, here are some ways to cut down on carbs, calories and refined sugars. 

 * Poach fresh pear halves in red wine or no-sugar-added grape juice. Drain and fill the cavity with a half teaspoon of low-sugar strawberry preserves. Serve warm drizzled with a teaspoon of heavy cream.  

 * Make popsicles with fruit juice, diet fruit-flavored soda or with KoolAid sweetened with a non-nutritive sweetener.

 * Keep cake servings small. Instead of frosting, serve with fruited yogurt, sugar-free pancake syrup, pureed fruit or lightly sweetened real whipped cream instead of frosting. 

 * Make a root beer float with low-sugar ice cream and diet root beer.  

 * Design pretty parfaits using sugar-free puddings and gelatins. Add texture with a light sprinkling of finely chopped nuts or cookie or graham cracker crumbs between layers. Finish with a tiny spritz of “lite” whipped cream. 

 * Fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Then add a tablespoon of lemonade or limeade concentrate and a straw.

  * Tres elegant! Try the French habit of serving cheeses for dessert instead of sweets.
 
See Janet Groene’s tips for RV women at https://SoloWomanRV.blogspot.com

It's Crunch Time

Janet Groene’s
Chicken and Vegetable Salad
    On your way to the campground, pick up a deli-roasted chicken to use in this crisp, crunchy, veggie-packed, whole meal salad. The secret is to fold in the Fritos immediately before serving.  If you won’t be eating the entire salad at once, fold Fritos only into the portion you’ll eat now. 

2 cups diced, cooked chicken
2 cups matchstick carrots
2 cups diced celery
½ cup sweet onion, diced
1 cup ranch dressing (or more to taste)
2 cups Fritos 

    Combine chicken, vegetables and dressing and chill. Fold in Fritos and serve. Makes 4 to 5 portions.

See more of Janet Groene's easy recipes for camping and RV trips at http://www.campandrvcook.blogspot.com

Belly Up to the Bar (Cookie)

Janet Groene’s
OrangeNilla Cookie Mix

    If you love an Orange Julius you’ll make this bar cookie recipe time and again. The best part is that you can measure and bag all the dry ingredients ahead of time, then whip up a batch  at a moment’s notice in the campground. Keep dry ingredients well sealed and in a cool place for up to a month.
 

½ cup each sugar and Tang powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder
1 ½ sticks butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

    Grease or spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan. Combine dry ingredients in a bag or bowl so you can just dump them in later. Put melted butter in a bowl and let it cool to lukewarm. Whisk in eggs, vanilla and water. Dump in dry ingredients and mix until no dry spots remain.
    Put batter in the pan and bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until firm. Score in 24  squares but let cool in the pan. Then cut and remove. 

See Janet Groene’s easy recipes for RV travel in her cookbook Cooking Aboard Your RV, 2nd Edition. 

The World Is Your Oyster

Janet Groene's
Oven-Fried Oysters
    The easiest way to put a golden crust on oysters is in the oven. You decide how much is a “portion” depending on appetites and the size of the oysters. Serve these crunchy critters simply with lemon wedges so all you taste is the salt tang of the oysters, the buttery bed and a whiff of smoky bacon. Choose a pan just large enough to accommodate the oysters in a single layer.

3 pieces bacon, cut up and fried out
4 portions oysters
2 cups crumbs made from buttery crackers

    Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Drain oysters well and pat dry with paper towels. Butter a baking pan and layer half the crumbs in the bottom. Nestle oysters in the crumbs, touching but not overlapping. Sprinkle with the other half of the crumbs. Drizzle with bacon fat and sprinkle with fried-out bacon bits. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, just until oysters are firm and crumbs golden. Serves 4.

See more of Janet Groene’s RV-ready recipes at http://www.campandrvcook.blogspot.com