Tasty Table: Incorporating Fruits and Veggies in Desserts

By Guest Blogger Lana Evans

Getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet are easy when you learn how to incorporate them into your favorite foods. Fortunately, there is a growing trend of sneaking these healthy foods not only into breakfast, lunch and dinner, but desserts too.

While the nutritional value is not as high as it would be if you ate the produce alone, it does give you some needed nutrients. If you have a fussy eater or are one yourself, try one of these fruit- and vegetable-laden dessert recipes that is not only good for you, but tasty too.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe from Kraft

What you need:
~ 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
~ 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
~ 1/2 cup sugar
~ 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
~ Dash ground cloves
~ Dash ground nutmeg
~ 2 eggs
~ 1 ready-to-use graham cracker crumb crust
~ 1 cup of thawed whipped topping

Steps:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees
~ Beat cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in large bowl
~ Add eggs and beat until blended
~ Pour into crust
~ Bake for 40 minutes or until center is almost done.
~ Cool by refrigerating for three hours or overnight
~ Top with whipped topping before serving
~ Store leftovers in refrigerator

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Cake

Recipe from Taste of Home

What you need:
~ 2 cups chopped rhubarb (raw)
~ 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
~ 1 egg
~ 1/2 cup butter or margarine
~ 1 cup buttermilk
~ 1 tsp. baking soda
~ 2 cups all-purpose flour
~ 1 tsp. baking soda
~ 1/2 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Topping:
~ 1-1/2 cups milk
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 1/3 cup sugar

Steps:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees
~ Cream 1 cup sugar and butter in a bowl
~ Combine buttermilk and vanilla
~ Combine baking soda, salt and flour; add with buttermilk/vanilla to creamed mixture
~ Add in rhubarb
~ Mix together remaining sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle on top
~ Bake for 35 minutes
~ For topping, combine milk, vanilla extract and sugar
~ Pour topping over cake

Chocomole

Recipe from Thriving Home Blog

What you need:
~ 1 avocado
~ 1/4 cup cocoa powder
~ 1/4 cup honey

Steps:
~ Cut and pit avocado
~ Place all three ingredients into food processor
~ Mix well

Carrot Cookies

Recipe  from Healthful Pursuit

What you need:
~ 1 cup shredded carrots
~ 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
~ 1/2 cup unpasteurized honey
~ ½ cup finely ground almond flour
~ 2 eggs
~ 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
~ 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:
~ 1/4 cup melted coconut butter

Steps:
~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees
~ Line baking sheet with parchment paper
~ Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
~ Scoop cookie dough onto sheet
~ Bake for 15-20 minutes
~ Cool for 10 minutes
~ Drizzle melted coconut butter on top of cookies

Bonbons

Recipe from Parenting

What you need:
~ 1/4 cup sweet potato baby food (stage 1 or 2)
~ 1/4 cup carrot baby food (stage 1 or 2)
~ 1/4/ cup creamy peanut butter
~1/4 cup wheat germ
~ 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
~ 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Topping (optional):
~ 3 tbsp. sugar
~ 3 tbsp. cinnamon sugar
~ 3 tbsp. sprinkles

Steps:
~ Combine baby food and peanut butter
~ Mix in wheat germ, oats and chocolate chips (if using)
~ Roll heaping teaspoon-sized amounts of batter into balls with your hands
~ Roll balls in topping of choice to coat completely
~ Wrap individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate