Nope, haven't lost my mind, if that's what you're thinking after reading the title. But if you lived with me, you might think otherwise :).
Take a look at the baked hand pies, notice the small nibble in one of them? I have a habit of biting sweets and putting them back in the dessert container/cookie jar/bag. There's a bag of chocolates in our fridge right now and I bit into half of them (I'm soooo bad!). I don't just leave them that way, most of the time, I finish them later. I simply like to take small nibbles throughout the day (unless another little mouse finishes the dessert before I do :). Don't worry, I only do this at home! I think I'm going to have to break that habit soon...especially before I have kids haha.
So veggie desserts? Where are the veggies? Those hand pies pictured were filled with an apple cinnamon concoction (crust adapted from Carol Fenster's pie crust recipe), but the unphotographed ones were stuffed with a spiced sweet potato mixture. Good way to sneak in the veggies...or roots...or starches. Whatever they are, they're healthy...very much so. Tons of nutrients.
Even though he's the little mouse who sometimes finishes off whatever I leave half nibbled in the kitchen, my husband prefers lighter desserts. So I made him a Baked Butternut Squash Fruit Salad that reminds me of a warm summer day; it consists of the star ingredient, baked butternut along with pineapple juice, pineapples, coconut flakes, roughly chopped pecans, honey, and cinnamon. I like to serve it with a dollop of homemade vanilla-cinnamon whipped cream. Not too complicated to make, so I didn't write down the instructions or exact measurements. Add as much or as little as you like of each ingredient, then throw it all in the oven for 15 minutes at 350.
With these desserts, you don't have to feel bad about digging into the sweets before meal time; that last treat could even be a very light meal or snack in itself!
