Heart-healthy treats and desserts

Spoil mom this Mother’s Day (Sunday, 10 May) with some heart-healthy treats and desserts from Pharma Dynamics’ Cooking from the Heart cookbook.

The Cooking from the Heart cookbooks contains more than 100 recipes that have been developed for Pharma Dynamics by well-known healthy food consultant, Heleen Meyer and dietitians from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. They are all easy to make, affordable and consist of essential ingredients, which make them ideal for cooking during the lockdown.

Try these delicious heart-healthy treats that’s sure to warm mom’s heart this Sunday: 

Chocolate cake (serves 20) 

There is nothing like some chocolate to treat yourself. This is so easy to bake and ideal for Mother’s Day or to celebrate a birthday while in lockdown.

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 ml) cake flour

1¼ cups (310 ml) sugar

4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder

1 tsp (5 ml) bicarbonate of soda

6 tbsp (90 ml) cocoa

2 cups (500 ml) hot water

½ cup (125 ml) buttermilk

5 tbsp (75 ml) sunflower oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) white grape vinegar

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla essence

Topping

150 ml sugar

300 ml water

1 tbsp (15 ml) soft tub margarine

¼ cup (60 ml) cocoa

½ tsp (2,5 ml) vanilla essence

3 tbsp (45 ml) cornflour

1 tbsp (15 ml) grated chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to a 180 °C and line a large rectangular (20 x 30 cm) baking tin or oven dish with baking paper.
2. Sift all dry ingredients together. Mix the liquids and gradually fold into the dry ingredients. Pour batter into tin or dish.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool.
4. Topping: Meanwhile, place all the ingredients, except the chocolate, in a pot and stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer gently. Stir until the mixture thickens. Cool slightly and pour over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Milk tart (serves 8) 

This no-bake custard filling is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients:

Crust

3 tbsp (45 ml) soft tub

margarine

2 tbsp (30 ml) sugar

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground

cinnamon

¾ cup (180 ml) cake flour

¼ cup (60 ml) whole-wheat

Flour

Filling

2 cups (500 ml) low-fat or fat-free milk

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

3 tbsp (45 ml) cornflour

½ tsp (2,5 ml) vanilla or almond essence

1 tbsp (15 ml) ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Crust: Preheat oven to 180 °C. Beat together the margarine and sugar. Add the egg and mix well.
2. Mix cinnamon and flours together. Gradually add to the egg mixture to form a soft dough. Press the dough into a 22 cm tart or pie dish.
3. Prick with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow cooling.
4. Filling: Place milk in a pot, bring to the boil and remove from heat. Beat eggs and sugar well.
5. Mix cornflour with a little water to make a paste. Stir into the egg mixture.
6. Add half the milk into the egg mixture and stir well.
7. Pour egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the milk and stir well.
8. Return to low heat and stir all the time. Allow to simmer very gently until it thickens – at least 10 minutes.
9. Stir vanilla in and pour into pie crust. Allow cooling and refrigerate. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

Apple pudding (serves 8)

Apples and cinnamon are comforting flavours. Swop your custard or ice cream for plain low-fat yoghurt.

Ingredients:

4 medium Granny Smith apples, seeds removed and cut in wedges

1 cinnamon stick

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

3 eggs, beaten

3 tbsp (45 ml) sunflower oil

¾ cup (180 ml) low-fat or fat-free milk

½ cup (125 ml) plain low-fat yoghurt

1 cup (250 ml) cake flour

½ cup (125 ml) whole-wheat flour

2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder

2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon Syrup

½ cup (125 ml) low-fat or fat-free milk

½ cup (125 ml) water

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

1 cinnamon stick optional

Method:

1. Place apples with 2 tbsp of water and the cinnamon in a pot. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until just tender, but not mushy.
2. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Beat sugar and eggs until well blended. Add oil, milk and yoghurt and mix well.
3. Combine the flours, baking powder and half the cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
4. Beat liquid into the flour mixture to form a smooth batter.
5. Spoon apples into an oven dish and pour batter on top.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked.
7. Syrup: Meanwhile, place all the ingredients in a small pot and stir over low heat.
8. Simmer for a few minutes or until slightly thickened.
9. Prick warm pudding with a fork or skewer and pour syrup over. Sprinkle with the rest of the ground cinnamon. Serve warm with plain low-fat or fat-free yoghurt.

Tip

Make the pudding with fresh pears as above. Or use a tin of pie apples or peach slices and leave out step 1.

Baked sticky pudding (serves 8)

Most baked puddings are very sweet. The combination of buttermilk and ginger makes this an interesting variation of a well-loved favourite.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) cake flour

½ cup (125 ml) sugar

½ tsp (2,5 ml) ground ginger

3 tbsp (45 ml) sunflower oil

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup (125 ml) low-fat or fat-free milk

½ cup (125 ml) buttermilk

1 tsp (5 ml) bicarbonate of soda

2 tbsp (30 ml) apricot jam

1 tbsp (15 ml) white grape vinegar Syrup

½ cup (125 ml) water

½ cup (125 ml) apple juice

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

½ tsp (2,5 ml) vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Combine the flour, sugar and ginger in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix oil, eggs, milk and buttermilk and stir in the bicarb until dissolved.
3. Mix in the jam and vinegar. Gradually stir liquid into the flour mixture until a smooth batter forms, with no lumps.
4. Pour the batter into an oven dish and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Syrup: Meanwhile place all the syrup ingredients in a small pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until syrupy.
6. Prick the warm pudding with a fork and pour the warm syrup over. Allow the pudding to absorb the syrup. The pudding will sink quite a bit as it absorbs the syrup. Serve warm with fresh fruit of your choice like pears or bananas.

Tips

1. Soak ¼ cup chopped dates in hot water. Add with the vinegar to the batter.
2. Chocolate pudding: Substitute 2 tbsp of the flour with cocoa.

Go to www.cookingfromtheheart.co.za to download your favourite Cooking from the Heart recipes – free of charge!

For more tips on heart-healthy cooking during the lockdown, follow Cooking from the Heart author, Heleen Meyer on https://www.facebook.com/CookingFromTheHeartSA/

The Cooking from the Heart initiative forms part of Pharma Dynamics’ overall wellness campaign, to promote healthy eating among the South African public in a practical, affordable and tasty way.