Healthy and sweet pastries

Although sweet and healthy may seem like two contradictory terms, nothing could actually be further from the truth. Because Andrés Morán, Healthy Pastry Chef at SHA Wellness Clinic, prepares delicious recipes with whole, organic and sustainable ingredients that are easily digested and give the body all the nutrients it needs. “You won’t find any of the ingredients that form the basis of traditional baking, like sugar, processed flours, eggs and dairy, in SHA’s desserts. But there are many healthy alternatives, such as agar-agar, kuzu and other gelling agents that add texture, provide fibre and facilitate digestion; all types of fruit; grains, like puffed buckwheat and corn flakes and puffed rice, and rice or corn flours”, says Andrés.

Creativity, respect for the ingredients’ natural origin and mastery in getting the most out of each dish allow Andrés to create desserts with clean, surprising, intense and balanced flavours that seduce the eye, sweeten the palate and protect both our health and the planet. “Our bakery provides the body with vitamins and fibre from fruit. We also use a lot of vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, avocado and peas, and probiotics, like the new soya-free yoghurts made from coconut, almonds and cashew nuts, which are suitable for vegans. It’s about enjoying a sweet dessert, but with nutritional value”, adds Andrés.

Dessert is the finishing touch to any culinary journey and is often that guilty pleasure that you treat yourself to after every meal, something sweet after the savoury. But with SHA’s natural and organic desserts you take the guilt out of the equation and are left with just the pleasure; you can even have seconds without feeling bad! Proof is in SHA’s recipe for pea flakes with coconut oil and matcha tea. Andrés explains how to prepare it: “Add a dash of coconut oil and matcha tea to the pea flakes, which are sold ready-made, like corn flakes, to give them colour, flavour and shine. Take two mangoes: dice one and puree the other. Add some lime zest, lime juice and clove powder and mix well. Then fill a siphon with a couple spoonfuls of coconut yoghurt and pump with gas to make a mousse. It’s a fresh, light and very tasty dessert, perfect for summer”.