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Sweet Holiday Strategies by Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research

During the holidays, including the weeks of special parties leading up to them, surrendering to the season’s sweet temptations can actually produce less guilt, and add less to your waistline, if you take an active role in producing those temptations. Here are some strategies that will create great pleasure and minimize the regret.

Take dessert along wherever you go. Make it a surprise if you are not asked to contribute something to the menu. Make cookies and other baked desserts, but substitute an ingredient low in fat for a high-fat ingredient. Evaporated skim milk, for example, can be used in place of cream, and “lite” olive oil can replace butter in many recipes. You can also reduce at least slightly the sugar called for. Decorate the tops of cakes with a light dusting of confectioners sugar rather than those high-fat, super-sweet icings. If ice cream will be served, make fresh fruit compote. It’s as simple as dicing up apples, for example, that are cored but with their peel on, and cooking them slowly (tightly covered) with apple juice concentrate, grated citrus zest and a vanilla bean until tender and slightly caramelized. The whole bean adds a mellow sweetness extract does not. It lets you also add little or no other sweetening, depending on your taste. (One bean costs a small fortune, but I reuse mine at least 10 times in fruit desserts. Or you can substitute a cinnamon stick.)

For a sophisticated but healthful treat, try these whole-wheat biscotti with almonds and fruit.

Cranberry & Almond Biscotti - Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract

Cover cranberries in warm water in a small bowl and soak to plump them, about 20 minutes. Drain, gently squeeze out excess moisture and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil lightly coated with canola oil spray). Set aside.

Grind the almonds with 2 Tbsp. of the sugar, pulsing in 5-second bursts until most of the almonds are a powder, about 30 seconds. Place the nuts in a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining sugar, both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to the nuts. Toss the cranberries and raisins with a tablespoon of this mixture, then stir them into the dry ingredients, mixing well. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, almond extract and 2 tablespoons water. With a wooden spoon, mix until a sticky, dense dough forms, working in all the flour.

Halve the dough. Moistening your hands lightly with cold water, shape the dough into two flattened 13x2 1/2-inch logs, spaced 4 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Cool logs on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Transfer logs to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut each log diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange them cut-side down in one layer on the baking sheet, with slices touching each other. Bake 10 minutes, turn, and bake 10 more minutes, or until biscotti are a honey color and dry to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave biscotti there for 10 more minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. Store sealed in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.

Per cookie: 70 calories, 2 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 12 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 40 mg. sodium.

AUTHOR:

“Something Different” is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy and recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts. AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides a range of education programs that help Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided more than $68 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.

RECIPE POSTED DECEMBER 20, 2004

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