Fruity Treats

There are lots of fresh, fruitful ideas in The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits
Chunky Applesauce
Banana-Yogurt Ambrosia

FRUIT AND YOGURT PARFAITS
4 servings

Two 8-ounce containers vanilla soy yogurt (or try lemon- or orange-flavored yogurt)
Two cups fresh fruit (see suggestions, following)
Grated semi-sweet chocolate, toasted sliced almonds, or low-fat granola for topping

Use 4 parfait dishes if you have them; if not, medium-sized glass tumblers will do. For each serving, layer 1/4 cup each of yogurt and fruit in the parfait dish; repeat each layer, then do the same for the other parfaits.

Sprinkle with the topping of choice, and serve.

Fruits and Combinations for Parfaits
For four parfaits, you can generally figure on using 2 cups of fruit. Try the following combinations or come up with your own.

Strawberries: Remove the hulls from 1 pint of very sweet, ripe strawberries and slice them.

Strawberries and blueberries: Combine 1 cup of strawberries, hulled and sliced, with 1 cup fresh blueberries.

Peaches or nectarines with berries: Combine 1 cup diced ripe peach or nectarine, with 1 cup of berries.

Mango and berries or banana: Combine 1 cup diced mango with 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries., or 1 cup thinly sliced banana.

CHUNKY APPLESAUCE
4 to 6 servings

The perfect thing to make after you’ve gone apple-picking or to celebrate the first crop of apples at local farmers’ markets. Please, use organic apples!

6 to 8 large sweet cooking apples, such as Cortland or Rome, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons natural granulated sugar, or to taste
Cinnamon to taste

Combine the apples and juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Add sugar and cinnamon to taste, and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BANANA-YOGURT AMBROSIA
4 to 6 servings

Young children often balk at dishes in which ingredients are "touching." However, I served this often when my sons were younger and had friends visiting. I found that if kids decide for themselves what’s touching what, they don’t seem to mind a mixed dish. In fact, most kids loved creating patterns in their yogurt with the other items, and often asked for seconds.

1 to 2 medium bananas, sliced
1 cup (about half of one 16-ounce can) unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
1 large pear, peeled and diced
1/2 cup small seedless grapes
1/2 cup dark or golden raisins or dried cranberries)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
1 cup granola, optional
2 to 3 cups vanilla soy yogurt

Place all the ingredients except the yogurt into separate, small bowls.

Divide the yogurt among 4 to 6 individual serving bowls. Let everyone take a little of whichever ingredients they'd like to dress up their ambrosia.

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