Love. Food. Cook.

Nod your head if you think fat free, addicting and tasty desserts are hard to come by.

Yes, and even when they’re fat free, it’s even more difficult to find one that’s guilt free… because these don’t always go together, you see!  You can have a fat free dessert that really isn’t guilt free because in place of the fat, there’s a ton of sugar, which you should already know (through the head beating process) that sugar are carbohydrates that convert to stored fat (on your hips or under your arms somewhere) if you don’t run at least 5 km after the time of consumption.

Truly, to think that you can have any kind of dessert regularly without paying for it somewhere on your body is naive.  ”Yes, but you need to treat yourself.” Alright, how many times have I heard that?  How many times have you heard that?  Do you realize that that statement alone is just a license to get out of control?  Worse, do you realize it’s the start of putting on weight you don’t want?

Once upon a time I used to say the same thing. Once upon time I used to go all out and run wild with junk food every Friday. That was my treat day.  That, my friends, is long gone.  That kind of thinking was tossed out the window when I lost the first 16 – 18 pounds and made it that far because I stopped doing (stupid) things like having a “treat day”.  It was just a license to let loose and when I did, it was hard to make up for it.

Let’s face it. Fat free really doesn’t exist. That idea is just an illusion for those who refuse to give it up.  We can, however, attempt to achieve guilt freeness.

Panna Cotta
Yields 4 servings.

 3 cups of skim milk
¼ cup of castor sugar (same as fruit or berry sugar)
2 pkgs of gelatin
1 vanilla bean
1 cup of fresh berries of any kind
4 tbsp water

Soften the gelatin with the water in a bowl.

Heat the milk and sugar over medium low heat. Dissect the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk.  Drop the bean shells into the milk to infuse.  After the milk is heated through, taste the milk to make sure it is sweet enough.  If not, add more sugar and then add the softened gelatin. Stir into the milk until dissolved.  Remove from heat and divide the liquid over 4 ramekins.  Refrigerate the ramekins for at least 4 hours to allow the dessert to set. 

When ready to serve, place the ramekins in a tray of hot water for 5 minutes to loosen up the sides of the dessert.  Use a sharp knife to separate the sides of the panna cotta from the ramekin.  Place a plate on top of the ramekin and flip the ramekin and plate pressed against each other.  Firmly tap or shake the ramekin once against the plate.   The dessert will unmold and land on the plate. Serve with berries, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

This recipe really isn’t a panna cotta since it lacks cream, but remember what we are trying to achieve here. 

So, what is guilt free then?  That is a state of mind, depending on how hard you work for your state of mind. You can achieve it but you have to be at peace with yourself to be guilt free… just a little food philosophy for thought.  For me, I had my panna cotta and enjoyed it knowing that I made a good choice with dessert because it is better than a Timmie’s donut.  That’s my peace of mind.