Vegan Strudel - Only 99 Calories
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If there's a fruit I absolutely love, it's all types of berries. (We're getting back to the vegan strudel in a second!)
Beyond the wonderful amount of antioxidants they contain and the array of vitamins and minerals, they also have a high water content.
Why is that good?
Because that’s the reason berries are so low in calories.
For example: a cup of berries like raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries contains well under 100 calories — usually around 60-70 calories per cup.
You get a large, satisfying volume of fruit for a very small amount of calories.
True, it can be hard to find fresh berries in Israel, and when they are available, they're usually quite expensive.
Therefore, a great, accessible, cheap, and healthy option is to buy frozen berries.
The freezing process significantly slows down the degradation of vitamins and antioxidants, making the fruit's nutritional value highly available.
So, besides snacking on them as they are or adding them to your morning porridge, you can make plenty of wonderful desserts, where the berries balance the total calorie count of the treat.
Take this recipe, for instance: one slice of vegan strudel contains only 99 calories. If we had used apples, as in the classic recipe, the calories would soar to around 150.
A bit about the Vegan Strudel
I used 3 sheets of phyllo dough. You'll be happy to know they contain no fat at all (no trans fats, no margarine) and they are excellent for low-calorie desserts.
One phyllo sheet weighing 15g (it weighs almost nothing) has about 40 calories.
Phyllo is very easy to work with; you buy it frozen and thaw it in the fridge overnight.
It's very important to brush the phyllo sheets well during the process so they don't dry out. You can dilute the oil with a mixture of soy milk if you like; in my experience, it works quite well.
I used Sunfrost frozen blackberries. They have a wide variety of frozen fruits that work perfectly for fillings, like berry mixes, cherries, blueberries, and even strawberries.
Anything goes in this recipe.
I used coconut sugar because it has a slightly nutty, deep flavor, but you can use any sweetener you prefer.
I wouldn't recommend omitting the sugar entirely, as it's needed to create the jam-like consistency and it wouldn't be sweet enough otherwise.
Lemon juice is also necessary for the jam setting process and adds a nice delicate tartness.
To give it a sweet almond flavor, I used almond butter. You can substitute with raw tahini, but the flavor profile will change.
Regarding the soy cheese:
You can use a store-bought vegan cream cheese you like and skip the curdling steps, but make sure it’s a firm cheese without excess liquid, as fluids will cause the strudel to burst during baking.
You cannot use almond milk or any plant-based milk other than soy for the homemade cheese process. The curdling requires protein, which almond milk lacks.
Nutritional Values:
One piece of strudel (85g):
99 Calories
3g Protein
6g Carbohydrates
3g Fat
Want another berry recipe? Maybe Pink Chia Pudding?
Berry and Almond Strudel with Homemade Soy Cheese
Ingredients
- What you'll need:
3 sheets of thawed phyllo dough
2 cups frozen Sunfrost blackberries
2 cups a major dairy brand soy drink
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp sliced almonds
3 tbsp coconut sugar
Juice from 1 whole lemon
Powdered sugar
3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
-
Preparation steps:
Prepare the cheese:
Pour the soy drink into a small pot and heat until small bubbles form. Important: do not let it boil.
Pour in half of the lemon juice and stir. Within a few minutes, curds will form in the liquid.
Strain through a cheesecloth (cotton cloth). Fold the cloth and hang it over the sink to drain all the liquid.
It is important to drain as much liquid as possible.
When the cheese is ready and dry, mix it with 2 tbsp of almond butter and 1 tbsp of sugar, then set aside.
Prepare the raspberry jam:
In a small pot, place the raspberries, 2 tbsp sugar, and the remaining lemon juice. Mix well.
Cook over very low heat for about 10-15 minutes until all liquid evaporates and a thick raspberry jam forms.
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Assemble the strudel:
Brush the phyllo sheets with coconut oil.
Place a narrow, long layer of the soy cheese along one edge, top it with the raspberry jam, and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
Roll the phyllo once over the filling.
Fold the right and left sides of the phyllo inward and continue rolling until the end.
Brush the outside of the strudel with a little more coconut oil.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the strudel is golden and crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Dust with powdered sugar and slice.
