My boyfriend K has gone on a low-calorie diet, and in order to keep our lives easy and meals simple, I have unwittingly followed suit. He’s doing very well so far – eating less, eating on time and targeting all the major food groups. I, on the other hand, am secretly prowling through the cupboards and fridge every night looking for a sweet fix. My year-old, frostbitten, sweet glutinous rice cakes have never looked better. Oh, the things I do for love how I miss the magical combination of sweetness and carbs.
To deal with this most practically, I have turned to my old, faithful copy of Divine Indulgences: Rose Reisman’s Sensational Light Desserts and dog-eared more than a dozen, perfectly passable dessert recipes to make. I swear I will have my desserts (as I raise my clenched fist into the air), and K is more than welcome to partake. They shouldn’t throw him off the weight loss bandwagon too far, I would hope.
These date turnovers are your quintessential diet food in that they make you miss the real thing. Don’t get me wrong - they’re naturally sweet, taste great and have a surprisingly flaky exterior. They just ain’t turnovers. More like empanadas.
To punch up the flavour and texture a bit, I’ve added some salt and toasted walnuts to the filling. Yes, an additional five calories each, but so worth it. Next time, I’ll even brush on a layer of egg wash to further their appeal, or perhaps sprinkle on some icing sugar. Unless, diet foods are suppose to look anemic…
Adapted from Divine indulgences: Rose Reisman’s sensational light dessserts
2 1/2 oz light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tbsp water
2/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 egg (for egg wash)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with vegetable oil.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vegetable oil and butter; process until smooth. Add the flour and 1 tbsp of water. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly, adding more water as necessary. Gather the dough into a ball, shape into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for 20 minutes.
To make the filling, combine the dates, orange juice and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Mash the mixture until smooth. Add the salt. Let it cool until ready to use.
On a floured surface, roll the dough into 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cutter, cut 16 circles.
Fold the walnuts into the filling. Place 1 1/2 tsp of the filling on each pastry circle, off centre. Dab a little water around the edges, and fold the circles in half. Press the edges tightly. Space the turnovers 1 inch apart on the cookie sheet.
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg with 1 tbsp of water. Lightly brush the top of each turnover with the egg wash.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the turnovers are golden.
Hahahaha I once was also forced to diet to avoid making two menus! Here’s the frustrating thing: even if you don’t want to diet, you do expect to lose some weight if you’re actually eating light… but men lose it so much quicker than women! So we have all the cravings and nail-biting exasperation, while they effortlessly shed the pounds! Unfair nesting!
These look nice, like you say, a nice substitute for the real thing.
I’ll tell you my favourite diet dessert (beware: looks ugly, tastes yummy!): non-fat cottage cheese, a couple of tbsp of cocoa, pinch of cinnamon, some splenda, some wheat bran. Mix and eat. It gets thick like a pudding, but it’s sweet and temporarily satisfies the choco-needs!
Date empanadas don’t sound too bad actually!
You know what are freaking amazing? The new coconut milk So delicious ice cream bars. 100 calories each and the ingredients aren’t too scary either.
The other thing I love is healthy home baked goods… 80-200 calories and so good for you. I have posted some recently if you look back or shoot me an email and I will compile some suggestions. I fully just went through this myself.
yah. I hear ya on the low-carb desserts. I’m not crazy about dried fruit in anything, but your date turnovers actually look appealing!
I figured the only way I can eat all my desserts is I’ve got to run like crazy to earn my piece of cake and it’s working for me better than the low-sugar, low-carb thing. Cheesecake and creme caramel are my favourite low-carb desserts. At least you’re satisfied!
Dear goodness. Please continue to share more. My sweet tooth really is the death of me and no amount of working out will help if I continue to indulge in sweets the way I do. I need more alternatives!! thanks, love.
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Reminds me of a date filled cookie my mother used to make — I love dates, so chewy and sweet. Unfortunately, these wouldn’t work for me when on a diet … I’d end up eating them all, very quickly!
I bet these would be good with some salty cheese, like a slice of Parmesan or some Manchego.
I just came over to your blog from Taste Buddies, and I’m delighted! These look right up my alley. I have quite a sweet tooth too