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Fierce Foodie: In Which I Attempt to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes (Despite My Deep and Abiding Love of Dessert)

You know that song that goes, “I can’t live, if living is without you, I can’t live, I can’t live anymore”?  That is how I feel about dessert.  I love sweet things.  Pastries of every denomination, danishes, pull-aparts, cupcakes, claws, hamentashen, rugala, babka, baklava, jalebi, ensamada, wife cakes, red bean buns, meringues, cookies, brownies, donuts, funnel cakes, cream puffs, crumbles, crisps, betties, cinnamon buns, fritters, dumplings, tarts, cakes and pies, both fruit and cream based.  I love them all.  My idea of heaven is a cup of black coffee and a something sweet to balance it.

And yet, somewhere inside me, a tiny voice coughs and raises its hand.  This is when I remember that I am the daughter of two Type 2 diabetics, giving me a 50% chance of becoming diabetic myself.  On top of that genetic luck, I am a good 70 pounds overweight, rarely active and Asian, three more risk factors.

So what to do?  If I lose weight and exercise daily, my risk will drop.  But I can’t live without dessert, so I am going to have to start finding recipes for sweets that won’t send me on a sugar high.  The first is inspired by my friend Catherine, who rightly pointed out that pears are the delicious fruit we all seem to forget about.


Roasted Pears With Gorgonzola, Honey, and Pistachios Recipe

From everydayhealth.com

Ingredients

3 pear(s), (about 1 pound firm, ripe Anjou or Bartlett)

cooking spray

1/3 cup(s) vinegar, balsamic

2 ounce(s) cream cheese, light, (1/4 cup)

2 ounce(s) cheese, crumbled Gorgonzola, (1/2 cup)

4 teaspoon honey, divided

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon nuts, pistachio, finely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Peel and core pears. Cut each pear in half lengthwise. Place pear halves, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.

3. While pears bake, bring balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until reduced to 11/2 tablespoons.

4. Combine cream cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, 1 teaspoon honey, and salt; stir until smooth.

5. Place warm pear halves, cut sides up, on individual dessert plates. Spoon about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture into the center of each pear half, and drizzle each pear with 3/4 teaspoon balsamic syrup and 1/2 teaspoon honey. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon pistachios over each serving. Serve warm.

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 156, Saturated Fat: 3.5g, Sodium: 224mg, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Total Fat: 6g, Carbs: 23.5g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Protein: 4g

Carb Choices: 1.5

featured image credit: :Salihan