Almond Milk Is Perfect for Parfaits

While I was growing up, my father made sure that I didn’t eat too many dairy products. He was a doctor and he felt that the saturated fats in animal products were best enjoyed in moderation. To this day, I don’t really drink milk. Lately, I’m not alone. Many people have come to question the wisdom of drinking cow’s milk every day because of its saturated fat content and possible hormone content.

Also, vegans and those who are lactose-intolerant need a dairy-free substitute for milk. Luckily, there are a lot of milk alternatives out there for drinking, pouring over breakfast cereal, and using in recipes. One that I am particularly fond of is almond milk.

Almond milk is almost as light as rice milk, so it’s perfect for using in coffee and tea in the morning. It’s also great over cereal and contains calcium, omega-3s, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin E. I use almond milk in my Shakeology nutritional shakes and in my Almond-Blueberry Parfaits. Be aware that flavored almond milk can contain high amounts of sugar, so choose the plain variety.

The flavors and colors of the almond and blueberry gelatins play off each other beautifully in this dessert. Blueberries rank very high in their ability to fight free oxygen radicals that damage cells. They also contain vitamin C and antibacterial elements called anthocyanosides, which are great for maintaining vein health.

Almond-Blueberry Gelatin Parfaits

SERVES 6

2 cups blueberry juice
2 envelopes (1 oz. each) unflavored gelatin
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
½ cup chopped fresh blueberries
2 cups almond milk
2 envelopes (1 oz. each) unflavored gelatin
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
Fresh blueberries as garnish

1. To make the blueberry gelatin, combine the blueberry juice and the gelatin in a double boiler and cook over medium-high heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Add the sugar, the lemon zest, and the chopped blueberries and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Cool at room temperature.
3. Pour or ladle the blueberry gelatin mixture into 6 parfait glasses. Chill for 1–2 hours.
4. To make the almond gelatin, combine the almond milk and the gelatin in a double boiler and cook over medium-high heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
5. Add the sugar and the almond extract and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Cool at room temperature.
6. To assemble, pour or ladle the almond gelatin over the chilled blueberry gelatin parfaits. Return parfait glasses to the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

For more delicious recipes, buy Grace O’s latest cookbook, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook