Happy, Healthy Holidays: Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait

DessertsGluten FreeRefined Sugar FreeSnacks

Dec. 9

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What are cooking this Holiday Season?

The Holiday Season is upon us! And that usually means all the cookies, cakes and pies you can imagine!

But this, year I want to bring you some awesome new ways to lighten up and healthify your Christmas goodies.

Today, I am sharing a new recipe for Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait. Sounds decadent, right?! But it is actually super easy, delish and secretly healthy too!

Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait

This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover Cranberry sauce that you might have from Thanksgiving. For this sweet treat, we are pairing the cranberry sauce with some new ingredients and flavors, so you never feel like you are just eating the same thing over and over again.

For the cheesecake layer, I am doing an awesome little swap, by using some greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients because it is so high in protein. Often times, when we have a sweet treat, we don't really feel full afterwards. This is likely due to the lack of protein in most dessert recipes. So in this recipe, we are amping up the protein content with this simple swap. I also infuse the greek yogurt with some fragrant citrus flavors to really make the parfait feel fancy!

One of my favorite parts of the parfait is the "crust". Now normally, we use graham crackers for a cheesecake crust. But today, I wanted to make this healthier and whipped up some super easy graham cracker inspired crumbles. These crumbles are also packed with protein and healthy fats to make sure we feel full from eating this festive dessert.

This year, I made my own Cranberry Sauce and it was incredible! Also, it was super easy to make and I could not get over how much people raved about the sauce! So I decided to include this quick and easy Cranberry Sauce recipe too.

A Crowd Pleasing Dessert

This Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait would be a great dessert for the whole family. You can even get everyone incolved in making their own parfaits. Simply have all the ingredients on the table, give everyone their own tall glass, and have them fill their glass in layers to create their own version of this decadent tasting treat.

https://youtu.be/-viLZWZL-vQ

You could even add different toppings or flavors to this parfait. Don't like cranberries? Swap them for an easy berry jam (recipe is here!). Can't do dairy? Swap the greek yogurt for a non-dairy yogurt and mix in some vanilla protein powder. You can also add different toppings like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, even some mint leaves or citrus zest would be great options!

Watch me make this new holiday favorite right here in my FB group, Get Nourished with Renata. In this group, I share new recipes, tips and tricks for healthier cooking and living. Make sure you join up today!

I hope you love this recipe! If you make it, make sure to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram and Facebook. I would love to see what you make!

Cranberry Cheesecake Parfait

A quick and easy dessert that you can easily whip up using leftover cranberry sauce!

For the Cranberry Sauce:

3 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1 orange, (juiced and zested)
1 cup monkfruit sweetener

For the Cheesecake layer:

10 oz unflavored greek yogurt
2 tbsp monkfruit sweetener
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange, (zested)

For the Graham Cracker Inspired Crumbles:

2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp monkfruit sweetener
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp vanilla protein powder

For the Cranberry sauce, add the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, water and monkfruit sweetener into a medium sized pot. Stir to combine.
Heat the pot over medium heat and cook till the cranberries burst and bubble, stirring occasionally. You can also mash the softened cranberries with the back of a spoon, to get a smoother consistency. Continue to cook till the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, and allow to cool.
For the cheesecake layer, mix together the greek yogurt, monkfruit sweetener, vanilla extract and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside till ready to assemble to parfaits.
For the graham cracker inspired crumbles, add the almond flour, monkfruit sweetener, cinnamon, coconut oil and vanilla protein powder into a small bowl.
Using your fingertips, gently work the coconut oil into the rest of the mixture, to gradually create small crumbles, about pea sized and smaller. Continue to work the mixture till you get the crumble size you desire.
To assemble the parfaits, take a glass and add 1-2 tbsp of the crumbles to the bottom of the glass. Top with a layer of 1-2 tbsp of cooled cranberry sauce, and half of the yogurt.
Continue adding another layer of 1-2 tbsp of cranberry sauce and the final layer of yogurt.
To top the parfait, sprinkle over another 1-2 tbsp of the crumbles and a little bit of any remaining orange zest. You can also top with some cranberries rolled in monkfruit sweetener for an extra special touch!
Enjoy immediately!