And now for Dessert...

Here are some recipes and critical ingredients to have on hand for my Sweeties. I find that SOY FLOUR is a fairly equal replacement with conventional wheat flour as far as absorption, amount needed and flavor. SOY MILK (watch for sugars) has also worked well in cooking and STEVIA is great in baking, but I haven't pinned down frostings, so alternatives like glazes, berries or fruit ice cream are good options. I made a cake with homemade applesauce (just throw apple slices in a blender with some water as needed) instead of sugar for the frosting and that turned out ok ... if I was going to do it again, I would puree equal amts peach and/r pear. All of the other frosting ingredients are the same.


Desserts...

Unconventional ingredients include: Stevia powder (one brand is named NuStevia), Gluten Free Flour (including amaranth, soy, brown rice, others) and soy or rice milk. Depending on the recipe, you're looking at 2-4 C flour, 1/2 to 2-1/2 TSP stevia, 1-2 C soy milk, 2 C soft tofu, 2-6 C fruit. I usually ground some nuts and throw them in too.

Spice Cake:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix:
2.5 C Soy or Brown Rice or Amaranth Flour
1.5 TSP baking powder
.5 TSP ground cloves
1 TSP Cinnamon
.5 TSP nutmeg

Cream .5 C Butter or Smart Balance
Add & Mix 1.5 TSP NuStevia powder
Beat in 4 eggs
Stir in 7/8 C Soy or Rice Milk
Bake in greased pan for 1 hour.

Cover with maple syrup glaze or mixed berries: puree 1 C mixed berries +1-2 TSP NuStevia and a few drops lemon juice; strain thru a sieve to separate the seeds


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp (15 min to prepare + 40 min to bake)

2 lbs fresh rhubarb cut in 1 in chunks
3-4 C sliced strawberries
1/3 to 1/2 TSP Stevia, and 2-3 TBSP Stevia, separated
2 C Soy or Brown Rice or Amaranth Flour
1/2 TSP Cinnamon
1-2 dashes allspice, 1-2 dashes nutmeg
1/4 TSP salt
5 TBSP melted butter
Preheat oven to 375

Combine rhubarb and strawberries in 9 in square pan. Sprinkle with 1/3-1/2 TSP Stevia
Mix remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Distribute over top of fruit and pat firmly into place.
Bake uncovered for 35-40 min (until top is crips and lighly browned and fruit is bubbling around the edges.

Variation: use 6-8 C peeled and sliced tart apples OR pitted, halved dark cherries, 2-3 TBSP lemon juice, 1/4 TSP Stevia, add 1 TSP cinnamon, and add 1/2 C finely ground walnuts to topping.

To serve with ice cream:
Put 1.5 C soy milk into ice cube trays and freeze (4-5 hrs)
Put .5 C soy milk in blender with 3 TBSP Sunflower oil, 3 TBSP vanilla and 3 TBSP Maple Syrup
Add the frozen soy milk cubes and blend until smooth and creamy.
If too soft, put in freezer for 30 min


Cardamom Coffee Cake (30 min to prepare + 1.25 hr to bake)

Preheat oven to 350
Oil/Butter a 10 inch tube pan or bundt pan
Beat 4 sticks softened butter with 2 TSP Stevia
Add 4 eggs
Stir in 2 TSP vanilla

In separate bowl, sift together 4 TSP Baking Powder, 2.5 TSP backing soda, 4 C Soy or Brown Rice or Amaranth Flour, .5 TSP Salt, 1 TBSP cardamom
Add the Flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with the 2 C soft tofu. Stir just enough to blend after each addition.
Combine 1/4 TSP NuStevia with 1 TBSP Cinnamon and 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts.
Spoon about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the nut mixture, then add another third of the batter. Cover with remaining nut mixture, then top with remaining batter. Lightly spread into place.

Bake about 1.25 hrs or until a knife inserted all the way in comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes then invert onto a plate. Cool at least 30 min more before wildly devouring =)