Meatless Monday – Creamy Raspberry, Mango and Cashew Parfait

I Present You With The Parfect Parfait!

This gorgeously delicious parfait is the perfect treat for every occasion! With the hidden apricot ingredient you will be taken to parfait bliss with the homemade cream, fruity blend and almond topping.

As with every Plantifre recipe I’d like to detail out some of the amazing benefits of this scrumptious meal!

Raspberries: One of the most fascinating new areas of raspberry research involves the potential for raspberries to improve management of obesity. Although this research is in its early stages, scientists now know that metabolism in our fat cells can be increased by phytonutrients found in raspberries, especially rheosmin (also called raspberry ketone).  Raspberries are also an excellent source of fiber, and because they rank low on the glycemic index, they’re a good fruit option for those managing their blood-sugar levels.

Mangos: We just spoke about the amazing health advantages and secrets of the Mango in last week’s Mango Summer Delight Smoothie recipe! Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds. It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

Cashews: Cashews help prevent cancer, they promote heart health, bone health, they’re great for your nerves, and prevent gallstones. Cashews are also great for hair and skin health! Cashews are rich in the mineral copper. An essential component of many enzymes, copper plays its part in a broad array of processes. One copper-containing enzyme, tyrosinase, converts tyrosine to melanin, which is the pigment that gives hair and skin its color.

Cashews can also help you lose weight! People who eat nuts twice a week are much less likely to gain weight than those who rarely eat nuts. Cashew nuts are indeed relatively high in fat, but it is considered “good fat.” This is attributable to the ideal fat ratio in the nut, 1:2:1 for saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated, respectively, which is recommended by scientists for tip-top health. Cashew nuts contain less fat than most other popular nuts, including peanuts, pecans, almonds and walnuts. They are dense in energy and high in dietary fiber, making them a very valuable snack for managing weight gain.

Ingredients 

1 ¼ cup dried mango slices
1 cup cashews
1 cup water
8 pieces of dried apricot
1 tbs grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
Pinch fine sea salt
1 cup chopped fresh mango
1 cup raspberries
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

Instructions
1. Place dried mango slices in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit 2 hours to soften.

2. Place cashews in second bowl and cover with warm water. Let sit 2 hours to soften.

3. Drain soaked mangoes (discard liquid) and place in blender together with the apricots, blend until smooth, remove from blender and set aside.

4. Drain cashews (discard liquid) and place in blender. Add water, lemon zest and salt and puree until smooth.

5. To assemble, layer fresh mango, cashew cream, raspberries and mango puree in a parfait glass. Top with almonds and additional zest if desired.

480 cal per serving.

Did this recipe speak to your palate? Take a look at my recipe page!
You may also like:
Hummus Pizza
Date Viaigrette Citrus Salad
Minty Strawberry Melon Gazpacho

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I’d love to hear your feedback! How did you like this recipe? What time of the day is your favorite for enjoying a parfait?