103 replies to this topic

[alternativista]

We didn't seem to have one of these threads so I'm starting one for the resource.

Here's a fancy looking one from Martha Stewart. Very pretty and elegant if you arrange the slices back into pear shape.

Granola-Almond Pear Crunch

Ingredients

Serves 1

* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 ripe Bartlett pear (red or regular), cored and sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges
* 2 tablespoons almond butter (or melted dark chocolate)
* 1/4 cup granola (or better yet, make your own mixture of nuts or oatmeal and spices.)

Directions

1. Spread one side of each wide bottom of pear wedge with almond butter. Place granola in a bowl and nestle pears, almond-butter-side down, in the granola.

I notice they neglected to tell you what to do with the lemon juice, but it's usually sprinkled on fruit to prevent the fruit from turning brown due to the anti-oxidant activity of the vitamin C.

Picture

[alternativista]

This is an interesting alternative to instant Jell-o. It's mostly fruit and doesn't seem to be any more difficult to do. It's using agar agar for the gelatin and has apple juice and honey, but I wonder if you'd want the gelatin to be that sweet when you use such sweet fruit. Maybe it should be lemony.

http://www.wholelivi...ntaloupe-kanten

[sleaman]

This isn't really a recipe, but sauteeing apples in some ghee or coconut oil and sprinkling with cinnamon is soo good. Its like apple pie without the pie if that makes any sense.

[alternativista]

This isn't really a recipe, but sauteeing apples in some ghee or coconut oil and sprinkling with cinnamon is soo good. Its like apple pie without the pie if that makes any sense.

Yeah, I do that all the time. It's funny you say that. My mother always bakes sliced apples and calls it 'Apple pie without the pie.' She thinks that's clever.

It used to be a family habit of ours to have baked apples for breakfast with pancakes and/or sausage, but I saute so I can cook them as little as possible and because I never use the oven unless it's cold outside. It's faster. And I'm trying to be more energy efficient.

The apples also get better flavor that way than baking. I was surprised last time I had my mom's baked apples at the lack of apple flavor. She slices them really thin and small then bake to death. I don't know why when she used to bake apple halves when I was a kid.

You can saute or simmer other fruit, or bake and just sprinkle on chopped nuts and/or toasted oatmeal.

Also, broiling fruit, especially nectarines. I've discovered chinese five spice powder is really good sprinkled on them. Or sprinkled on some yogurt used as a topping.

And there's plantains, which need to be really, really brown before they are ready to be cooked this way.

A lot of these things are posted in the other what to eat and recipe threads. There's some fruit ice and 'ice cream' recipes there, I just have to find them.

Edited by alternativista, 21 December 2009 - 07:09 PM.

[samariah]

my favorite healthy desserts:

Coconut Oil Fudge

Mix virgin coconut oil with cocoa powder, almond butter, nuts such as cashews or almonds and a sweetener like stevia. Put in freezer till firm. More decadant than chocolate. seriously, i effing love this stuff.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Get a can of high quality coconut milk, preferable organic and place it in fridge for several hours until cream separates. drain liquid and then mix cream with vanilla, stevia, nut butter and melted 100 percent chocolate mixed with stevia. put in freezer and stir occasionally for a rich, decadant yummy treat.

Creamy Banana Nut Smoothie

In blender mix one banana, a big tablespoon of nut butter, flaxseed, cinnamon, fresh ginger and a little almond milk.

[rakbs]

If you tolerate cream, then mixing chopped fruit/berries with homemade whipped cream and cinnamon is delicious and very simple.

[Paul25]

my favorite healthy desserts:

Coconut Oil Fudge

Mix virgin coconut oil with cocoa powder, almond butter, nuts such as cashews or almonds and a sweetener like stevia. Put in freezer till firm. More decadant than chocolate. seriously, i effing love this stuff.

That sounds gorgeous

[alternativista]

Dark Chocolate and dried fruit bark with no added sugar, making them low sugar, not no sugar.
http://www.epicuriou...od/views/240687

You could always make them with unsweetened baking chocolate and stevia. Or if you want to go for the low sugar chocolate chips, to make it an easier, one dish thing, spread the chips out on parchment on a baking sheet, then melt in low oven, then spread around if needed and sprinkle on the fruit and nuts.

[Murmur]

These are awesome ideas, thanks for posting!

You can make a really good, sweet, tangy "dressing" for fruit by mixing honey, ACV, and cinnamon. I love this on sliced bananas, apples, berries, and kiwis.

[gMARIAs]

I wonder if it HAS to be with pears. I don't like pears. Maybe another fruit would work? And I'd definitely use oats over granola. I have an addiction to oats!

[alternativista]

These are awesome ideas, thanks for posting!

You can make a really good, sweet, tangy "dressing" for fruit by mixing honey, ACV, and cinnamon. I love this on sliced bananas, apples, berries, and kiwis.

Sounds good. I like yogurt and honey on fruit. Or cream cheese and honey thinned with some fruit juice, but the yogurt is easier. Obviously not good if you don't eat dairy at all.

Also, I've found that Chinese 5 spice powder is really good on fruit. Especially on things like broiled nectarines or plums. I tried it in my baked oatmeal with apples recipe but was disapointed. Baked apples go with cinnamon. Period.

[Murmur]

Sounds good. I like yogurt and honey on fruit. Or cream cheese and honey thinned with some fruit juice, but the yogurt is easier. Obviously not good if you don't eat dairy at all.

Also, I've found that Chinese 5 spice powder is really good on fruit. Especially on things like broiled nectarines or plums. I tried it in my baked oatmeal with apples recipe but was disapointed. Baked apples go with cinnamon. Period.

i LOVE cream cheese but dairy does seem to break me out -- perhaps I could try this in moderation eventually since it's thinned anyway. I think I'll stay strict for a while though since I'm just starting out with this. I have always loved cream cheese based fruit dips!!

Where do you find the Chinese 5 spice powder?

[alternativista]

Where do you find the Chinese 5 spice powder?

I bought it in a humongous Asian supermarket. It was like an Asian Super Wallmart. With an incredible volume of people coming and going. You would have thought a Rock concert was starting. And the produce is fabulous. I've been wanting to go back for so long because they had these boxes of powdered coconut milk very inexpensive. I bought one box and ended up using it all in my cocoa.

Anyway, I think you can get the 5-spice powder in any supermarket with the Asian foods. It's a blend of ginger, cinnamon and some other baking type spices plus black pepper.

You should also look in the Hispanic products for a chili pepper seasoning meant for fruit. Not really a desert thing, but it's good for you. If you know people who like to put salt on melon, get them to try this.

I wonder if it HAS to be with pears. I don't like pears. Maybe another fruit would work? And I'd definitely use oats over granola. I have an addiction to oats!

Have you tried d'anjou pears. As far as I know they are the only pear I like. For eating raw anyway. Some of the harder ones can be better for cooking.

[meat_pirate86]

Oatmeal Pudding

1 1/2 cups oats
2 1/2 cups water
pinch of sea salt

Boil salted water. Add oats and cook until mixture thickens. Take off heat and let cool in tupperware. This usually makes about a week's worth, with one serving per day. Eating starches cold reduces their impact of blood sugar.

This is a nice dish with stevia and cinnamon, you could also add nutmeg. Sometimes I'll have this with flakes of unsweetened coconut and eat it with a piece of dark chocolate.

[alternativista]

Chocolate Garbanzo Bean Cake (gluten-free!) Recipe

Ingredients

* 2 eggs .
* 1/4 tsp baking powder .
* 1/2 tsp vanilla .
* 3 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder .
* 4 pitted dates .
* 1 c canned chick-peas, drained, rinsed, & loose skins discarded


Directions

* Step #1 Add all ingredients to a mixer or food processor/blender & puree.
* Step #2 Pour into one 9 inch pan or two mini spring form or cake pans.
* Step #3 Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
* Step #4 Cool completely before frosting.
* Enjoy the Chocolate Garbanzo Bean Cake (Gluten-Free!) recipe

Sweetened with dates, which do contain a great deal of sugar.

Found this when searching for examples on something I want to experiment with. Replacing the flour in cookies with garbonzo beans. They are cookie colored and with a somewhat nutty flavor. And cookies are usually dense, not light and fluffy. Jessica Seinfeld adds them to her chocolate chip cookies, but I want to replace all the bulk of flour and sugar with the beans. Also, you can buy garbonzo flour, but that costs more. If anyone comes across a recipe or experiments and develops one, please post here.

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

Ok... this one isn't as healthy in my opinion but still a pretty healthy option, and it is to die for!!!! Blackforest Chocolate Cheesecake


These are vegan, low-sugar and very nutrient-rich.

Zangy Orange-Raspberry Sorbet

• ¾ bag frozen tropical fruit mix
• ¼ bag frozen raspberries
• Juice of one orange

Blend on high until smooth. If using a Vita-Mix, use the tamper to push the ingredients down to the blades while blending. If you don’t have a high powered blender, you may need to use more orange juice.

Note: Many variations can be made from this! Substitute different fruits, and keep in mind that raspberries are always great for adding superb flavor to fruit sorbets.


Gourmet Chocolate-Cherry Ice Cream
Everyone’s favorite! Adapted from “Bree’s Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream” in Dr. Fuhrman’s online Recipe Guide

• 1 10 oz. bag of frozen cherries
• About ½ a cup of unsweetened almond milk or soymilk
• 1-2 tablespoons of natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (can be omitted if using vanilla milk)
• 1 or 2 dates, pitted, can be added for sweetness (or 3-6 raisins)

Blend on high until smooth. If using a Vita-Mix, use the tamper to push the ingredients down to the blades while blending. If you don’t have a high powered blender, you may need to add more milk. This recipe is very rich and is a favorite among most everyone – a great substitute for sweets!!



Gooey Chocolate Fudge with Berries

For the fudge:
• 2 tablespoons almond butter (or cashew, macadamia, etc)
• About 1 tablespoon *honey (or ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk or almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

Berries:
• One cup fresh or frozen berries


Stir or blend ingredients and top with 1 cup or more of frozen or fresh berries (Raspberries are great with this). You can heat (on low) in the microwave if desired.

Note: More milk can be added to make this more of a sauce. If using a blender, 2-3 pitted dates, or 6-8 raisins can be added in place of the honey, as the *honey is not Eat to Live friendly. You will need to use a little milk though so the ingredients can blend (about ¼ cup).



Peaches and Cream Cobbler

For the cobbler:
• ½ pound bag frozen peaches
• About ¼ cup cashews (for more creaminess, add more)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more)
• Enough soy or almond milk to blend (about ½ - 1 cup)

Peaches:
• ½ cup fresh peaches, diced (optional)

Blend on high until smooth. If using a Vita-Mix, use the tamper to push the ingredients down to the blades while blending. If you don’t have a high powered blender, you may need to use more milk. Top with fresh, diced peaches and sprinkle cinnamon on top.


Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Adapted from Dr. Fuhrman’s Chocolate Oat Clusters)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup raw walnuts, ground
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons arrowroot powder (or 2 tbs of almond butter)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup date sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

1. Grind 2/3 cups walnuts. (Blend on high in blender) Set Aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, arrowroot powder, ground nuts, and cocoa powder.
3. Chop ¾ cup walnuts (Blend/Pulse on a low speed in the blender). Add to large bowl mixture above.
4. Blend applesauce, vanilla and date sugar in blender until creamy.
5. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and chopped nuts.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

[Siava]

Forbidden Rice Pudding

1 c. forbidden rice (glutenous black rice can be used as well)
3 1/2 c. water
Sweetener of choice to equal 1/4 c. (add more if you like really sweet stuff)
pinch of salt
1 c. coconut milk

Bring water, rice, salt and sweetener to a rolling boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours. If using canned coconut milk do not shake the can. Open it up and scoop out the opaque coconut milk. The watery part is the creme that can be discarded or saved for another use. Add the coconut milk to the rice. Serve hot or cold. It's great either way. This dish will be purple and has a fruity taste. This recipe is just a base. You can spice it up with cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla extract, or whatever else you want.

[alternativista]

http://realage.typep...h-antioxid.html

5 High-Antioxidant Summer Sorbets

NOTE: An ice cream machine makes whirring up your own sorbets, well, a piece of cake. But if you don't have one, use the old-fashioned method -- it works just fine. See below

Honeydew-Mint Sorbet
The sweetness here comes from the apple juice concentrate used in this recipe from chef Beverly Lynn Bennett, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living.

Serves 8

6 cups honeydew melon, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (plus extra to taste)
1/3 cup freshly chopped mint (plus extra to taste)
1/4 cup lime juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth (do in batches if necessary). Taste and add more apple juice concentrate or mint to balance the ripeness of the melon.
2. Chill for 1 hour and then process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions.

Berry Frozen Yogurt
Sometimes your mouth just hankers after something creamy. Enter low-fat yogurt. In this EatingWell recipe, it gives you almost the same rich effect as heavy cream, but without the saturated fat. Throw in the toxin-fighting, heart-protecting flavanoids in all those berries and you're enjoying health by the mouthful.

Serves 6

3 cups fresh or frozen and partially thawed blackberries, raspberries, or a mixture of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1. Combine berries, sugar, and juice in a food processor; process until smooth. Add yogurt and pulse until mixed in. If using fresh berries, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately, or freeze in covered container.

I removed these recipes containing a lot of added sugar, but they are interesting flavors that you might want to try, just find other ways to sweeten. And you can usually just reduce sugar.

Pomegranate Sorbet
Lemon spearMint
Strawberry-Citrus Sorbet

No Ice Cream Maker?
Here's the low-tech way to churn out great sorbet: Place the fruit mixture in a stainless steel or glass dish and put it in the freezer. When the mixture begins to harden -- about 30 minutes -- take it out and stir it till it's silky. Repeat several times, and voila! Delicious handmade sorbet.

Another method is to freeze in ice cube trays and then crush in a blender. You can make a lot and store as cubes, then blend however much you want, whenever you want.

Edited by alternativista, 13 May 2010 - 09:06 AM.

[meat_pirate86]

Bitter Chocolate Cake

14 oz. dark chocolate (2 tablets) with at least 70% cocoa content
2 Tbsp. cognac
8 eggs
4 tsp. instant coffee
1 orange (this recipe was from Eat Yourself Slim by Michel Montignac, however he doesn't mention how or when the orange is used, and as the recipe on the previous page contains one orange as well, this might be a typographical error, as the previous recipe had iinstructions for orange use in the recipe)

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into saucepan. Make a half-cup strong coffee or espresso and add to chocolate with cognac. Melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring with spatula to obtain a smooth, creamy mixture.
Once it is completely melted, remove from heat.
Break the eggs, sperating the whites from the yolks. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff.
Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl containin the egg yolks. Mix well until smooth. Next, add this mixture to the whites and mix with a spatula. The mixture must be completely homogeneous. Make sure that no unmixed egg whites or chocolate remain at the bottom of the bowl.
Pour this mousse into the cake pan greased with butter or lined with waxed paper.
Put into oven preheated to 250 degrees. Bake for just 8 minutes so the cake stays soft in the middle.
Serve in slices, either as-is or accompanied by custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

[meat_pirate86]

Emergency Chocolate CHip 'Cookie'
serves 2

this comes in soooo handy when I'm stressed and can't resist something sweet.

2 eggs
1/2 tsp. ghee or butter
8 dark chocolate chips
sprinkle stevia
sprinkle vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

Melt butter or ghee in non-stick pan. Add eggs and stir together to form a cookie. Push chocolate chips into the egg. Sprinkle sea salt, stevia and flick some vanilla onto the egg. Let cook and fold onto plate, creating a sandwich (spreads the chocolate and flavour).
Another variation I do is...

Egg Pancake

1 knob ghee or butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons soaked (1 hours in lukewarm water) whole flax seed, drained
pinch cinnamon
pinch stevia
sprinkle of vanilla
pinch sea salt

Melt butter or ghee in non-stick pan. Combine all ingredients and mix until homogeneous. Pour into pan and cook like a pancake.