Are you a sweet or savoury person? I’m definitely sweet – my eyes are always drawn to the dessert section of a menu before looking elsewhere. Since going whole-food plant-based, it’s more of a quick ‘just in case there’s something’ glance.Sadly there is rarely something I can eat as most vegan options include lots of saturated fat in the form of chocolate or coconut. Delicious for sure, but not worth the potential negative effect on my multiple sclerosis. It’s the downside of using food as medicine.
But all is not lost. I just have get my dessert ‘fix’ at home rather than in a restaurant. And if you check out my ‘sweet treats’ options on the website, you can see there are many to choose from.
Another bit of good news is that a tasty, creamy dessert does not equal hours in the kitchen. Like this gorgeously creamy and tasty fruity yoghurt crunch; simple, fresh ingredients combined together hit that sweet spot in a matter of minutes.
There is a huge range of dairy-free yoghurt options available in the shops now. My personal base of choice is soya. It’s a reasonable source of plant proteins and supportive phytoestrogens that help balance fluctuations in oestrogen levels, particularly for menopausal women. It’s also more affordable than almond yoghurt. Coconut is another good option if you don’t need to avoid it.
There is one dominant brand of soya-based products in the UK – Alpro. They have huge purchasing power and appear in most main supermarkets. Why the power? They’re owned by Danone, one of the largest dairy companies in the world. And whilst they do not own farms directly, buy milk from producers around the world, many using intensive farming practices that are bad for animal welfare and the environment. There’s a lot of talk on their website about regenerative farming practices but I feel this and their purchase of brands like Alpro are effective ‘greenwashing’. So I prefer to avoid their products if I can.
My favourite soya brand is Sojade. Generally only available in independent health food stores or supermarkets, this French organic soya company products a delicious range of creamy yoghurts that taste lovely. They have recently launched a Skyr version which has a higher protein content. Personally I didn’t enjoy this as much as their plain or Greek yoghurt. But it’s good to know there’s ethical tasty options out there. (And no, I’m not getting anything for promoting them! I just like to give a shout out to great products that also care for the environment and animals 🙂 )
Right, back to the recipe. Whilst I’ve given you guidelines for type and amount of fruit, please use whatever you enjoy or is in season. If fresh is not an option, then frozen fruit is a great alternative and generally good value for money. And feel free to use whatever granola you like or have. Of course, I’d recommend my yummy oil-free granola which I can’t seem to stop eating at the moment!
I’ve allocated this recipe to both desserts and breakfast categories. It works for both rather brilliantly. And there’s always a delightful naughtiness about eating dessert for breakfast, even when it’s pack full of healthful ingredients. Enjoy!
Fruity yoghurt crunch
Ingredients
Method
- Wash and chop the peach/nectarine. Wash and dry the remaining fruit.
- Place ½ of the granola in the base of a bowl/large glass. Cover with ⅓ of the prepared fruit then add ½ the yoghurt.
- Add another â…“ of the fruit, top with the remaining yoghurt, the remaining granola and finished with the last of the fruit.
- Eat straight away
Published by