Hidden veggie recipes are a big thing these days, and even hidden veggie desserts, and I love them. But you know what I love even more than hidden veggie desserts? Desserts where veggies are the star. Yes, they exist, and they're awesome. If you're a fan of carrot cake you know what I'm talking about: carrots add sweetness, texture and flavor to carrot cake. No need to hide them because they work perfectly as the central ingredient. But there's a lot more to the idea of putting veggies in your sweets.
That's why I'm a fan of Veggie Desserts, the blog from our contributor here at Oh My Veggies, Kate Hackworthy. Kate comes up with recipes for super delicious and super creative sweets that put veggies on center stage, so you get not just the nutritional benefit of veggies in your desserts, but some added deliciousness as well.
Kate has a new cookbook that's actually called Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond and if you're a fan of veggie-centric desserts, or if this is just an idea that you'd like to explore, definitely check it out.
I gave the beetroot and vanilla sorbet a try and loved it. Beets are naturally sweet, so it makes sense that they'd be perfect in a sweet treat like sorbet. This frozen dessert is flavored up with just a bit of lemon juice and vanilla, which go perfectly with the earthy flavor of the beets. And of course the beets give the sorbet a vibrant red color that makes it look as good as it tastes.
A few other examples of recipes that from the book that put desserts in the spotlight are the zucchini lemon poppy seed loaf with lavender glaze, pumpkin cupcakes with avocado icing, and pea and vanilla cake with lemon buttercream.
You can buy Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond on Amazon.
Ingredients
- 10½ oz oz cooked organic beetroot roasted, steamed or boiled
- ¾ cup caster sugar superfine sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp organic lemon juice
- 2 tsp organic vanilla essence
Instructions
- If using an ice-cream maker, freeze the bowl ahead of time, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Purée the beetroot with a hand blender until smooth, then set aside.
- In a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, combine the sugar and water, stirring occasionally until completely dissolved. This could take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- In a food processor, blend the cooled sugar syrup with the puréed beetroot, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth.
- If using an ice-cream maker, pour the cooled mixture into the pre-frozen bowl of the ice-cream maker and churn until thick, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then either serve immediately or pour into a freezer-safe dish to store in the freezer.
- If not using an ice-cream maker, pour the cooled mixture into a large freezer-safe dish and freeze, mixing it well with a fork every half an hour over the next 4 hours. Transfer to the fridge for 15 minutes to soften before serving.
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