Meatless Monday: Review of Desserts Without Compromise

I had the pleasure of trying out the new dessert eBook by Ricki Heller from the Diet, Desserts & Dogs blog, Desserts Without Compromise this past weekend. First of all I had a lot of fun making these recipes. I haven't really cooked out of a proper cookbook (or eBook) in ages, so it was nice to experiment and follow along. And these dessert recipes are right up my alley because they do not use refined flours or sugar. Yay! That being said, many of the ingredients might be foreign and possibly hard to find for the average person. They are also expensive, but your health is worth it!

All of these recipes are based on a candida-free diet and have no gluten, wheat, soy, sugar, and all vegan of course. Already I'm in love because I'm kind of a health freak, and have had my own bouts of candida in the past.

All of these recipes call for Stevia. I will admit here that I can't stand stevia. I'm very sensitive to the taste and I feel like it has a similar taste to sweet n' low. That being said I was willing to give it a try, but I didn't want to buy anything that I wouldn't use up since I'm leaving the country in 7 days. So I left it out. Instead I tried a new product, Coconut Nectar from Coconut Secret (review of their other products coming soon). This stuff is to die for!! Low glycemic, texture like brown rice syrup and tastes rich and similar to agave nectar.

I chose 2 recipes to make for my going away party, the Raw Frosted Lemon Coconut Bars and Chocolatey Fudge. I started at 4pm and was done by 4:35 with the first one. Keep in mind that I'm a professional chef, so these desserts may take longer than that. The topping was kind of weird like half gelatinous half liquidy goo. I've never worked with chia seeds before so I'm guessing that is what caused the unfamiliar texture. I was skeptical, but kept an open mind.

For the Chocolatey Fudge I used raw cacao which is more bitter but way healthier than just regular ol' cocoa powder, so I uped the coconut nectar. I also used soy nut butter instead of almond butter because that is what I had on hand. When I was done heating the mixture through and poured it into the casserole dish. It was very liquidy so I wasn't sure how it was going to harden up like fudge. This one took all of 10 minutes to prepare. In the fridge it went for 2 hours. I crossed my fingers and started getting ready for my party.

Come 9pm after everyone had enjoyed the dip party, I went upstairs and pulled the desserts out of the fridge. I was so excited to see that they both had hardened up nicely. Then I remembered that coconut oil hardens when cool so it all made sense. I cut them into little squares and headed downstairs to make the announcement that dessert was ready. Everyone cobbled both up so fast, ooohing and awwwing, that I didn't have time to take a photo of the finished product. Ever single person tried both and loved them. A dessert success!

At $6.95 this eBook will make your heart sing. Please check out Desserts Without Compromise, especially if you want to have desserts without feeling guilty or you have any health condition.

I can't post these 2 recipes I tried, but I can post these delicious Matcha Chocolate Truffles. Yum!

ACD-Friendly Matcha Chocolate Truffles

by Ricki Heller from Desserts Without Compromise eBook

10-1/2 ounces (300 g) chopped unsweetened chocolate (I used Cocoa Camino)

3/4 cup (180 ml) full fat coconut milk

1 Tbsp (15 ml) matcha powder

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pure vanilla extract

10-20 drops stevia liquid, to taste

Matcha powder, for dusting

In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the chocolate, coconut milk, matcha powder, and salt over lowest heat possible until most of the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and stevia, and stir until all the chocolate melts and mixture is perfectly smooth. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill until set.

Using a small scoop or teaspoon, roll the mixture into balls (it will begin to melt on your hands). Once rolled, dust the truffles with additional matcha. Chill until ready to serve. Will keep, covered, in refrigerator up to 5 days. Makes 12-20 truffles.