Coconut-Banana Ghost Pops
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1⁄2 cup vanilla yogurt
- Options for eyes and mouth:
- Raisins
- Chocolate chips
- Dried cranberries
- Peel bananas and cut in half crosswise.
- Gently insert a popsicle stick into the center of the flat round end of each banana half.
- Place bananas on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, pulse coconut in a blender or food processor until it is fine. Set coconut aside on a wide shallow plate.
- Remove bananas from freezer. Dip each banana in yogurt until it is lightly covered. Sprinkle coconut evenly over each banana.
- Gently but firmly press raisins, chocolate chips, and/or dried cranberries firmly into each “ghost” to make their eyes and mouth.
- If ghost pops won’t be eaten immediately, place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, so they won’t turn mushy. Pops can also be eaten frozen.
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The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Pumpkin Seed Bars
Pepitas + Cranberries = A Delicious Snack!
- Cooking spray
- 1 1⁄2 cups toasted pumpkin seeds
- 1⁄2 cups dried cranberries
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 1⁄2 tsp orange extract
- Lightly oil a loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Combine pumpkin seeds and cranberries in a small bowl.
- Stir together honey and orange extract together in medium-size bowl.
- Add pumpkin seed mixture to honey mixture and stir well to combine. Press into loaf pan.
- Refrigerate approximately 2 hours, or until mixture has set. Cut into individual servings.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Herb Syrup with Sage
- 3⁄4 cup sugar
- 2⁄3 cup water
- 1⁄2 cup fresh sage leaves
- Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking often, until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Add sage leaves.
- Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into an airtight container. Discard solids.
The Complete Guide to Healthy Drinks
Your one-stop guidebook to healthy hydration with 160 recipes for expense-saving, sugar-sparing, all-natural beverages. It captures the test kitchen's discoveries and best techniques for juicing, brewing, smoothie making, fermenting, and more.
You'll appreciate knowing why our blends work and what each ingredient brings to the table. Try a zucchiña colada, lemongrass and star fruit infused water, and tepache, a flavorful fermented drink made from the rind of a pineapple.
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Bubbly Sage Cider
- Ice
- 1⁄4 cup apple cider
- 1 Tbsp Herb Syrup with Sage
- 1⁄2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3⁄4 cup seltzer, chilled
- Apple slices, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh sage
- Fill a chilled glass halfway with ice.
- Add apple cider, sage syrup, and vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Add seltzer and, using a spoon, gently lift cider mixture from bottom of glass to top to combine.
- Top with additional ice and garnish with apple slices and sage leaves, if using. Serve.
The Complete Guide to Healthy Drinks
Your one-stop guidebook to healthy hydration with 160 recipes for expense-saving, sugar-sparing, all-natural beverages. It captures the test kitchen's discoveries and best techniques for juicing, brewing, smoothie making, fermenting, and more.
You'll appreciate knowing why our blends work and what each ingredient brings to the table. Try a zucchiña colada, lemongrass and star fruit infused water, and tepache, a flavorful fermented drink made from the rind of a pineapple.
America's Test Kitchen
Cook with test kitchen recipes and resources and become a better cook, guaranteed. Learn how and why recipes work, and get all the secrets for easier cooking and great flavor and save money and time on shopping and food prep.
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Warmed Berries with Honey and Ricotta Cheese
A Healthy and Comforting Dessert
- 1 cup raspberries, divided
- 1 cup blackberries, divided
- 1⁄2 cup blueberries, divided
- 5 Tbsp honey, divided
- 2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- Combine 1⁄2 cup each of the raspberries and blackberries and 1⁄4 cup of the blueberries along with 2 tablespoons of the honey in a saucepan. Gently mash berries with a handheld potato masher or the back of a large spoon. Set heat to medium-low and warm berries for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and lemon juice.
- Using a handheld mixer, whip ricotta cheese, softened cream cheese, remaining 3 tablespoons of honey, and remaining teaspoon of vanilla until mixture is well combined and smooth. Refrigerate cheese, covered, for 2 hours.
- Spoon cheese among 6 dessert goblets. Top each portion with warmed berries.
- Garnish with remaining raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Serve immediately.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Caramel Rice Pudding
Have a serving of comfort
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 1⁄2 cup raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Grease the inside of a 2 to 3 1⁄2 quart slow cooker.
- Mix all ingredients except sugar and cinnamon in cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat setting 3 to 4 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Stir pudding.
- Sprinkle pudding with sugar and cinnamon and serve warm.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Turkey-Cran Salad Wraps
- 1 cup diced cooked turkey breast
- 1⁄2 cup chopped celery
- 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 whole-wheat wraps
- Combine turkey, celery, and cranberries in a medium bowl.
- Add mayonnaise and combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place 1⁄4 of the turkey salad on each wrap. Roll up and refrigerate or store with a cold pack until ready to eat.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Chocolate-Cashew Fudge
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (minimum of 60 percent), chopped into small pieces
- 1⁄2 ripe avocado
- 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cashew butter
- 1⁄3 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1⁄3 cup chopped cashews
- Line an 8 1⁄2 x 4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang on 2 sides of pan.
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Set aside.
- Blend avocado, cashew butter, maple syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Add melted chocolate to blender and blend until smooth.
- Scrape mixture into pan and smooth top. Lightly press chopped cashews over top. Chill 2 hours.
- Lift fudge out of pan using parchment paper overhang. Place on a cutting board and cut into 8 bars. Store leftovers in fridge.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Fruity Almond Oat Bars
- 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 stick, plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 3⁄4 cup of your favorite fruit jam or preserves
- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, oats, sugar, and almonds until well combined.
- With your fingers, work butter into flour mixture until well combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1⁄3 cup of this mixture.
- Press remaining flour mixture firmly into the bottom of an 11 by 7 inch baking dish. Spread jam evenly over flour mixture. Sprinkle reserved 1⁄3 cup of flour mixture over jam.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool and cut into bars.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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Coconut-Almond Granola
- 5 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 cup dried coconut flakes
- 1⁄2 cup coconut oil
- 1⁄2 cup honey
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- Add oats and coconut flakes to the insert of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Stir in oil, honey, and salt. Be sure all oats are coated with oil and honey.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on High for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Remove lid during last hour of cooking.
- Stir in almonds and transfer to an airtight container to store.
The Taste for Life Test Kitchen
The Taste for Life staffers have a wide variety of backgrounds and dietary needs. We're always experimenting in the kitchen, and love to share what we cook—and what we learn in the process.
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