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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Try a healthier peach cobbler

Minus so much fat, sugar, peaches get chance to shine

The Columbian
Published:

Cobblers are staples at Labor Day barbecues and other summer parties, making delicious use of in-season fruits. But most recipes are loaded with refined flours and sugars, butter and milk. Paula Deen’s peach cobbler recipe uses an entire stick of butter and two cups of sugar. The nutritional value of the peaches is completely overwhelmed by the high content of sugar and fat.

So how do you create a cobbler worthy of nutritional merit?

When selected and stored properly, peaches are Mother Nature’s summertime candy. But unlike candy, they offer important nutrients, including fiber and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin C (promotes immune and skin health) and vitamin A (important for skin, hair, eye, teeth, bone and vision health), and they also contain vitamin E, which offers protection from some chronic diseases and helps protect our bodies from cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease and cataracts as we age.

A good, ripe peach should feel heavy for its size. Squeeze gently to feel for firmness; it should have a slight give. The skin should be blemish-free, fuzzy and firm. Another trick to see whether the peaches were picked at the ideal time is to look near the stem (or where the stem was) and view the color beneath the red hue or “blush.” It should have a yellow or golden undercolor as opposed to green. If it is green, then the peach was picked prematurely, and it probably will never reach its full potential.

If the peaches are not yet ripe, store them in a paper bag to speed ripening. Once ripe, store them at room temperature and eat them within a few days. You can also keep them in your refrigerator to slow the ripening process a bit.

Healthful recipe: Light Peach Cobbler

This lightened-up spin on the classic peach cobbler is butter-free, lower in sugar than traditional cobbler, gluten-free and vegan (no dairy).

To get the most nutritional benefit out of peaches (and to save some prep time), leave the peel on for added fiber. Instead of white flour, use heart-healthy whole-grain oat flour. And, for the biscuit topping, try almond flour, which is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. Almond flour also is a good source of fiber, vitamin E and magnesium, and provides iron and calcium.

Rather than loading the cobbler with butter, try substituting a bit of creamy almond butter to cut down on saturated fat and cholesterol while adding protein and fiber. And use cinnamon and naturally sweet dates and orange juice for a flavor boost. This recipe calls for only five tablespoons of organic brown sugar, relying instead on the natural sweetness of the peaches without drowning them in unhealthful ingredients.

Offseason advice

Peaches ripen by early to late summer. If you want to make peach cobbler outside of peach season, use frozen, unsweetened peaches that have been defrosted and well drained. Frozen fruits have a comparable nutrient content to fresh because they are packed at their peak of freshness.

Canned peaches can also be an inexpensive and convenient way to enjoy this dessert year-round.

Plus, canned peaches have been found to be nutritionally equivalent to fresh, according to research conducted by Oregon State University. Fresh and canned peaches had similar levels of vitamin E. In fact, vitamin C levels were found to be almost four times higher in canned than fresh peaches. Folate levels were found to be 10 times higher, and antioxidants were also found to be 1.5 times higher.

You might be wondering how canned peaches could have more nutrients than fresh. In “Maximizing the Nutritional Value of Fruits & Vegetables,” Diane M. Barrett, a food scientist at the University of California at Davis, writes that the canning process may open the cell walls of a fruit’s flesh, making nutrients more readily available to the body. This is also true for higher levels of lycopene in tomato sauce as compared with fresh tomatoes.

So, you can enjoy this recipe year-round. Just pay attention to the sugar content, because canned peaches are often packed in juices or syrups. Look for canned peaches packed in water (the label will say “no added sugar”). But keep in mind that the skin is typically removed when canned, which means a bit less fiber.

Light Peach Cobbler

8 servings.

If you love cinnamon, feel free to increase the amounts in the filling and the topping to as much as 1 tablespoon each.

Be sure to pick fruit that’s ripe and sweet for this recipe.

MAKE AHEAD: The baked cobbler can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave on LOW before serving.

For the filling:

5 medium ripe yellow peaches

1/4 cup packed organic light or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, preferably gluten-free

8 pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup almond meal or almond flour

1 tablespoon organic light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh orange juice (may substitute unsweetened, plain almond milk or other nondairy milk)

3 tablespoons raw, unsalted, creamy almond butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 6-cup-capacity baking dish with canola cooking oil spray.

For the filling: Pit the peaches, then cut the skin-on flesh into thin slices, transferring them to a mixing bowl as you work (5 to 6 cups). Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, arrowroot or cornstarch, stirring to coat evenly, then stir in the water and vanilla extract. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, spreading it evenly.

For the topping: Pulse the oats in a mini food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a mixing bowl (the one you used for the filling is fine), along with the dates, almond meal, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Use a fork to stir in the orange juice and almond butter until well incorporated and clump-free.

Distribute the topping evenly over the surface of the filling. To crisp up the topping, if desired, spray lightly with the canola cooking oil spray. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes; the topping will be slightly darker and the peaches will be tender but not mushy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Per serving: 210 calories, 4 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 270 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 24 g sugar.

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