Low GI Recipe of the Month

Fresh Plum and Ricotta Strudel
Plums and other blue-red fruit such as cherries, blueberries and cranberries, are rich in a particular type of antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Here’s a low-fat version of the strudel Catherine Saxelby makes using plums instead of apples. From Eating for the Healthy Heart and also reproduced in The Low GI Diet Cookbook.

Photo: Ian Hofstetter, The Low GI Diet Cookbook

Serves 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

30 g (1 oz) monounsaturated or polyunsaturated margarine
½ cup (40 g) fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs (about 3 slices)
1/3 cup (80 g) brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
425 g (15 oz) can plums, drained well (or 6 fresh plums about 250 g/9 0z)
6 sheets filo pastry
olive oil spray
125 g (4½ oz) reduced fat ricotta cheese

1. Melt the margarine in saucepan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and sugar (reserving 2 teaspoons of sugar) and cook for 15 minutes stirring well to break up any lumps. Remove from heat. Stir in the cinnamon. Allow to cool.
2. Halve the plums, removing stones and slice the flesh thinly.
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly grease a baking tray. Lay two sheets of filo pastry on top of one another spraying the upper most sheet with oil. Sprinkle with one-third of the crumb mixture and top with two more sheets. Spray top layer with oil and add another one-third of the crumb mixture. Top with the remaining two sheets and sprinkle with final third of the crumbs.
4. Spread ricotta along edge of pastry. Arrange plums on top of ricotta. Sprinkle with reserved 2 teaspoons of sugar. Roll up pastry as for a Swiss roll, tucking in the edges. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and bake a further 20 minutes until crisp and brown. Serve warm with low-fat vanilla ice cream

Per serving
Low GI, kilojoules 865/calories 205, fat 6 g (saturated 2 g), protein 5 g, carbohydrate 30 g, fibre 3 g, sodium 260 mg