Tropical Fruit Salad with Toasted Coconut

 Ingredients:

• 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained
• 2 small bananas, sliced
• 2 kiwi fruit, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced
• 3 (6 oz.) containers raspberries
• 1/4 cup light pancake syrup
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Makes 8 (1 cup) Servings 

Combine all the ingredients except the coconut in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the coconut and serve at once or refrigerate, covered, up to 6 hours. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW in 20 Minutes Cookbook. A fruit salad is great way to start your day for  breakfast or as a light lunch. This fruit salad is flavorful and filling. If you have access to fresh fruit such as pineapples and oranges, I highly recommend using them because they are not contained in syrup or sodium. You can also use blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, apples and other fruit to this salad and it will be just as tasty. 

Warm Raspberry Crisp

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh raspberries 
• 1/3 cup granular sugar substitute
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tbsp. granular sugar substitute
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 4 tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil

Makes 8 Servings (1 square per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the raspberries, granular sugar, and vanilla in an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread evenly in the dish.
3. To make the topping, stir together all remaining ingredients in a bowl and then use your hands to crumble it over the berries. 
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Allow the crisp to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Cut into 8 squares and serve. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 13 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. Cooked fruit for dessert is quite delicious and flavorful. The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of granular sugar substitute but you can cut the sugar in half or substitute honey in place of the sugar with the raspberries and the filling will be just as good. I also cut the sugar substitute in half for the topping and added a touch of ground nutmeg with the ground cinnamon for a healthier and more flavorful topping. This dessert is gluten-free and make a wonderful, filling dessert. 

Tropical Shrimp & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking whole-grain rice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 small mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp. grated lime zest
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (11/2 -cup) Servings

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
2. While rice is cooking, heat the oven to 350 F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add shrimp, reduce to a simmer, and cook until shrimp turn pink, 1-2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to the bowl with rice.
4. Add coconut, mango, parsley, oil, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper to shrimp mixture; toss well. Divide shrimp and rice among 4 bowls and serve at room temperature.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. This dish was an unexpected surprise. This shrimp dish was very tasty and filling. The combination of toasted coconut and the mango add a nice sweetness to the dish and make it more succulent and juicy. Don't be intimidated if the dish looks a little messy. It actually tastes good when you combine the shrimp, mango, coconut and rice.

Banana Spice Cake with Coconut Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 1 (8 oz.) package light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp. light coconut milk
• 1 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Makes 16 Servings (1/16 of cake per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. To make the cake, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the remaining cake ingredients in a separate medium bowl. Gradually add the banana mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until blended.
3.  Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
4. Meanwhile, to make the frosting, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat all the frosting ingredients except the coconut in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. With a narrow metal spatula, spread the frosting over the top of the cake; sprinkle with the coconut.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. Who would have thought the combination of bananas, coconuts and spices would be so delicious? This is what I call an elegant and decadent dessert. You can even make these into cupcakes and the sweet treats will still be delicious. Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients in this recipe. You can cut the granulated sugar in half because there are natural sugars in the bananas and the cake will still taste good. I added a touch of nutmeg to the cake because nutmeg and cinnamon go so well together.

Chocolate-Coconut Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• 4 tsp. unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Makes 4 Servings

1. Whisk together the cocoa, granulated sugar and cornstarch in a heavy medium saucepan; slowly whisk in the milk and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the coconut extract. Divide the pudding evenly among 4 dessert dishes; let cool 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the coconut over each pudding. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Best-Ever Desserts Cookbook. This is what I call a decadent home made dessert. This is like eating an elegant Mounds bar out of a dish. This pudding is rich and flavorful yet very simple to make. If you feel like a nut, add some toasted chopped almond with the shredded coconut and top it on the pudding for an Almond Joy flare. This pudding is creamy and delicious it will be a favorite in your kitchen among family and friends.  

Coconut-Ice Cream Bonbons

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
• 1 1/2 pints light vanilla ice cream
• 3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Makes 24 Bonbons (2 per serving

1. Line small baking sheet with sheet of wax paper or parchment paper; freeze 1 hour.
2. Spread coconut on separate sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.
3. Using mini ice cream scoop or teaspoon, scoop ice cream by scant 1 tablespoon to form ball; quickly roll in coconut, lightly pressing coconut into ice cream so it adheres. Transfer bonbon to baking sheet in freezer. Repeat with remaining ice cream and coconut, making total of 24 bonbons. Freeze at least 6 hours or up to overnight (if freezing overnight, cover with foil).
4. Up to 4 hours before serving, put chocolate in microwavable cup or small bowl and microwave on Medium 1 minute; stir. If chocolate is not melted, return to microwave and repeat, stirring every 30 seconds to avoid scorching. Let cool slightly. Scrape melted chocolate into small zip-close plastic bag; squeeze out air and seal bag.
5. Remove bonbons from freezer. Press chocolate into one corner of bag. Snip off tip of bag and drizzle chocolate over bonbons in zigzag pattern. Return bonbons to freezer until chocolate is set. Arrange bonbons on platter or place in mini baking cups. Serve at once.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Family Meal Cookbook. If you loved bonbons as a kid, you will absolutely love these sweet treats. The combination of vanilla, coconut and chocolate is so heavenly delicious. You can serve these sweet treats for dessert whenever you have company for dinner because they are the perfect sweet ending. I highly recommend using dark chocolate in this recipe for a more elegant aftertaste.