Yummy Treats

If you read a “normal” cookbook, you will be forgiven for thinking there is no such thing as a junk-free dessert; if you read most alternative cookbooks, you will be forgiven for thinking that desserts are made only from dried fruit. Gorgeous desserts can be made for sensitive eaters; we’ve tried to cover every sugar craving, from the cold, sweet, and sparkly Original Lemonade (pg. 140) to the crisp, sophisticated Twice-Baked Biscotti (pg. 137). We hope these inspire you. Remember that these are Green, healthy nutritious desserts—second or third helpings are not only allowed, but absolutely essential.

Creamy Ice Lollipops

THIS is a very simple recipe, but it does embody our philosophy: good food does not need to be complicated and Green food does not need to be bland. We can’t stress the wonders of ice lollipops too strongly, so just try it.

2 bananas, peeled and halved widthways

3-4 teaspoons local organic honey

• Push a lollipop stick into each half of the bananas. The honey is optional, but if you are using it, just roll each banana half in the honey.
• Now wrap each half individually in parchment paper.
• Pop into the freezer for 3-4 hours. Scarf straight from the freezer.

MAKES 4

Twice-Baked Biscotti

WHOLEFOOD diets are not normally measured in the number of biscuits you can eat, but these are an absolute gem. An Italian recipe, the Biscotti are twice-baked for extra crunch. We’ve modified them for a more Green diet.

1¼ cups white spelt or organic wheat flour

1½ teaspoons wheat-free baking soda

1 cup whole almonds

2 free-range eggs

3 tablespoons local honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, make a well in the center, and add the rest of the ingredients. Using your hands, mix everything together until you have a soft, pliable dough, dusting your hands with flour if they get too sticky.
• Lightly oil a baking pan. Shape the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. Flatten the top of the dough with a rolling pin until it’s roughly 1 inch thick, then dust with flour. Using a wet knife, score the top of the dough at ½-inch intervals, cutting two thirds of the way down. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until pale gold and firm to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and cut fully through the markings. Arrange the pieces cut side down on the tray and pop back into the oven for another 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool—for as long as you can bear to wait.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 25 COOKIES

Hint: The best thing to eat with Biscotti is carob spread, which is available in most good health food stores. This is a wonderful chocolaty spread that is in fact made from hazelnuts—a total treat when you’re off sugar and cream and additive-laden “straight” chocolate. One of the ways of staying off junk food is to eat things like carob—if you’re too hard on yourself you won’t last, and you’ll start incorporating the junk back into your diet. So, be nice to yourself and buy yummy things; in the long term they’re not expensive because unlike so much “straight” food, they’re not going to make you ill.

Raspberry and Yogurt fool

A SIMPLE and excellent combination, this gorgeous recipe can be pulled together in minutes, illustrating how a good, Green, healthy dessert does not necessarily mean carrot cake. This is also very easy to digest and good for you. You can use other berries in season, for example blackberries.

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons local organic honey

8 ounces of bio-live natural yogurt

• Put the raspberries and honey into a bowl and mash gently but be careful not to turn them into a total purée.
• Add the yogurt and swirl through the raspberries so that you have pink, streaky fool.
• Serve chilled, or at once if you can’t wait, with Shortbread (page 145) if you have time to make it.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Baked Nectarines

THIS recipe was written in the middle of the snow, in minus-degree temperatures in winter. . . . Not very seasonal. However, Baked Nectarines are in fact great in the middle of winter—hot, sweet, and tasty with a gooey raspberry sauce. Stylish enough for the food-for-friends thing, try serving them with natural yogurt and Shortbread—and you really can say “here’s something I made earlier.”

6 nectarines, halved and pitted

6 tablespoons local organic honey

1 cup raspberries

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place the nectarines cut side up on a baking tray. Drizzle each with half a tablespoon of honey.
• Divide the raspberries evenly among each half and place in the center. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Serve 3 nectarine halves per person with the gooey honey dissolving raspberries, and some Shortbread (page 145).

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Original Lemonade

THIS makes very tasty lemonade, which is good if you care at all about your body. “Normal” lemonade is pure sugar and junk. We’ve given a guide amount of honey, so if you like it sweeter just add more. It’s always best to use organic lemons, or at least unwaxed ones when you’re using the rind, as “normal” lemons are covered in wax! Not very tasty. You can buy unwaxed/organic lemons at most big supermarkets.

6 cups water

4 organic (unwaxed if organic not available) lemons

8 tablespoons local organic honeyseltzer water

• Boil the water in a saucepan. Using the thickest setting on your grater, grate the rind down to the pith of each lemon. Add the rind to the pot. Simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
• While that’s cooking, cut the lemons in half and juice them. Now add the honey to the pot. Stir until melted and strain the mixture into a pretty jar. Discard the rind. Add the lemon juice to the jar. Taste to check that it’s sweet enough and stir. You now have a lemonade base.
• To serve, fill a glass one third to a half full with the base and top with seltzer and ice.

MAKES 4 CUPS OF LEMONADE STOCK

Mango Sorbet

ICE cream for kids, sorbet for adults, and heaven for those on a diet of any description.

1 large very ripe mango

2 bananas

½ cup rice, oat, or cow’s milk

local organic honey (optional)

• Using a sharp knife, take half the skin off the mango and then chop off the flesh, leaving the pit exposed. Peel off the rest of the skin and chop up the remaining flesh.
• Peel both bananas. Slice them up and put the mango and banana into a freezer-proof container. Pop in the freezer for 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Remove from the freezer and put the fruit into a blender. Slowly add the milk. Taste and add honey if it’s not sweet enough for you.
• Put back into the container and return to the freezer for another half an hour. Remove from the freezer and serve in 4 pretty bowls.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Jammy Doughnuts

THESE doughnuts are inspired by Darina Allen’s Balloon Recipe (from SimplyDelicious Meals in Minutes); we’ve just made them more accessible. Thanks, Darina. (About the jam: homemade—in your home—is best, but sugar- and junk-free jam will work too.)

sunflower oil for deep frying

1 cup white spelt or organic wheat flour

1 teaspoon wheat-free baking powder

2 tablespoons local organic honey

½ cup rice, oat, or goat’s milk

5 tablespoons raspberry jam

• Heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
• Mix the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the honey and milk. Beat to a gloopy consistency. The oil should have been heating up for about 7 minutes now, so get a tablespoon of mixture and, using your finger, push the mixture off the end of the spoon into the hot oil, being very careful. Repeat.
• Cook the doughnuts for 4-5 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Cut each doughnut along its middle and put in 2 teaspoons jam per doughnut.
• Serve immediately while still warm.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 10 DOUGHNUTS

Honey Flapjacks with Lemon

FLAPJACKS may sound a bit old-school, but they are a wonderful treat when you’re really sensitive, as very few people have a problem with honey. They are also similar to “normal” biscuits, so if you’re having problems adjusting to a Green diet, they are great. The only problem is not scarfing down the mixture before it gets anywhere near the oven.

4 tablespoons local organic honey

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 cups oat flakes

2 cups jumbo oat flakes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Melt the honey, oil, and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat, letting the mixture come to a boil.
• When melted, remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and mix until gooey. Spread out on an oiled cookie sheet and pop into the oven for half an hour or until crisp and golden.
• Slice the flapjacks into 1½-x-1½ inch squares while still hot. Allow to cool, then eat at once or store in an airtight tin.

MAKES 10-12 FLAPJACKS

Cheat’s Hot Chocolate

AS wrong as this may sound, it really does work. The recipe came to me after I spotted a box of carob powder in our local heath food store and it tastes absolutely perfect. I prefer to use oat milk, but it’s a matter of personal choice. As I have said, carob powder can be bought in health food stores but if you prefer, you can use pure, junk-free cocoa powder instead of the carob.

2 cups oat, rice, soy, goat’s, or cow’s milk

1 heaping teaspoon carob powder

1 tablespoon local organic honey

• Heat your chosen milk over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until nearly boiling.
• Remove from the heat, whisk in the carob and honey until bubbly. Taste and add more honey if necessary. Serve at once.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Banana Brûlé for Brigid, with Sweet Shortbread

BANANA Brûlé is seriously tempting. A highly nutritious dessert, the caramelized honey is to die for and the contrast between the gooey Brûlé and the crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth Shortbread is fabulous. We think Shortbread is essential to Brûlé, so we’ve entwined the two recipes, but you can of course have just the Brûlé without Shortbread. This is really a children’s dessert masquerading as a grown-up’s treat.

Shortbread

1¼ cups white spelt or organic wheat flour

1 teaspoon organic butter

2 tablespoons local organic honey

Brûlé

5 bananas, peeled and chopped

1½ cups organic bio-live natural yogurt

4 tablespoons local organic honey

• Make the Shortbread first. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the flour in a bowl, rub in the butter, add the honey, and mix—you may need to add a drop or two of water to make the dough stick.
• On a floured surface roll out the dough to ½ an inch thickness. Cut into rounds using a normal drinking glass, re-rolling the dough until it is all used up. Pop the Shortbread onto a floured pan and into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until pale gold.
• While the Shortbread is baking, make the Brûlé. Put the bananas, yogurt, and 1-2 tablespoons of the honey into a pretty flat-bottomed dish. Roughly mash together, smooth down, and put into the fridge to chill.
• Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat and add the rest of the honey, which will start to bubble. Keep on the heat while stirring for 4-5 minutes until the honey is turning golden, then drizzle over the banana mixture.
• Return to the fridge and leave until the Shortbread is done. Serve together.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Live Yogurt with Honey and Almonds

CHUPI first truly appreciated this simple pick-me-up dessert when, having not for eaten thirty-six hours due to the flu, she collapsed at the kitchen table crying “food!” and was revived by three glasses of this wonderful stuff. Hope you enjoy it too. Even if you’re dairy intolerant, you may be able to tolerate organic bio-live natural yogurt.

12 ounces of organic bio-live natural yogurt

1 tablespoon local organic honey

½ cup whole almonds, halved

• Get two pretty glasses and divide the yogurt between them. Swirl the honey over each and add the almonds. Serve!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Golden Apple with Orange Crumble

THIS is a gorgeous combination of orange crumble and sweet apple. Although Apple Crumble is rather a cliche in wholefood cooking, it’s still very tasty, especially during the winter. You need to peel the apples if they’re not organic, as there will be a buildup of toxins in the skin. If the apples are organic, you can choose whether to peel them or not.

3 apples, peeled and chopped

½ cup water

juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed

1 tablespoon organic butter

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

2 tablespoons local organic honey

1 cup jumbo oat flakes

1 cup oat flakes

½ cup wholegrain spelt or organic wheat flour

12 ounces organic bio-live natural yogurt

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Put the apples, water, and half the orange juice into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and leave to simmer over low heat while you prepare the crumble.
• Melt the butter, sunflower oil, and honey in a saucepan. Mix the jumbo oats, oats, and flour together in a bowl. Combine with the honey mixture and the remainder of the orange juice. You have your crumble.
• The apple should be cooked enough by now, so take it off the heat and put it into a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Cover with the crumble and pop into the oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• While the crumble is doing its thing, lightly whip the yogurt using a hand whisk, until it forms soft peaks.
• Serve the crumble with a dollop of the whipped yogurt as an excellent dessert.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Carob Brownies or Indulgence Chocolate Cake or Layered Strawberry and Vanilla Cake

YOU want a multipurpose cake recipe that actually works? You got it. We’ve tried numerous alternative cake recipes with dismal results. The first cake we made didn’t even rise, all we got was a flat, dense pancake. However, after much practice, we produced a good, Green cake. The first recipe makes one tray of carob brownies, but the recipe is the basis for two variations. The first is for a vanilla cake layered with strawberries and cream and the other for a chocolate cake layered with chocolate and cream. For the carob powder you can use pure, junk-free cocoa powder if you want.

Carob Brownies

4 tablespoons organic butter or suitable unhydrogenated margarine

4-5 tablespoons local organic honey

2 free-range eggs

2 teaspoons wheat-free baking powder

3 teaspoons carob powder

1¼ cups white spelt or organic wheat flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper greased with a little oil or butter. Next, roll up your sleeves!
• Cream the butter and honey together in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes—basically you’re beating air into the mixture to help it rise. Now lightly beat the eggs together. Sprinkle the baking powder and carob over the creamed mixture, then fold in the flour one tablespoon at a time, alternating with a small splash of eggs (going gently, as you don’t want to beat out any of that good air). Keep adding the flour and eggs until you’re finished.
• Pour the mix into the prepared pan, smooth down, and pop into the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
• Check on the brownies after about 20 minutes. Take them out when they are very nearly fully done, as you want them to retain some moisture. Allow to cool, then cut into squares. If you want to impress, top them with a dollop of yogurt, some carob spread, and a drizzle of honey.

MAKES 12 BROWNIES

Indulgence Chocolate Cake

Brownie recipe, doubled

6 tablespoons organic bio-live natural yogurt

6 tablespoons carob spread

2 tablespoons local organic honey

• The great thing about the Brownies recipe is that it’s so versatile and can be used to make divine cakes. The quantities above will produce a cake 8x1½ inches high, a lovely cake but not really enough if you want to celebrate! Simply double the quantities given above and bake the mixture in two 8-inch round cake pans. (You’ll need to bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes, 5 minutes more than for the Brownies.)
• Once the cakes have been baked and cooled, slice each in half horizontally so you end up with 4 layers. Spread the base with 2 tablespoons yogurt, then 2 tablespoons carob spread, then a drizzle of honey.
• Put the next layer of cake on, then another 2 tablespoons yogurt, 2 tablespoons carob spread, and a drizzle of honey.
• Add the next layer of cake, then a final layer of yogurt, a final layer of carob spread, and a drizzle of honey. Finally top with the last layer of cake. If you want to go completely over the top, simply cover the whole outside of the cake with the carob spread. Perfect for birthdays, parties, or indulgence.

Layered Strawberry and Vanilla Cake

Brownie recipe, doubled

6 tablespoons organic bio-live natural yogurt

1 medium-sized container of strawberries, finely sliced

2 tablespoons local organic honey

• If the Indulgence Chocolate Cake seems a bit too chocolaty for you, then there is an alternative. As for the Chocolate Cake, use the recipe for the Brownies and double the quantities. Leave out both the carob powder and carob bar, however, as you want this cake to be chocolate free. Prepare the cake as above.
• Once the cakes have been baked and cooled, slice each in half horizontally so you end up with four layers.
• Spread the base with 2 tablespoons yogurt, one third of the sliced strawberries, and a drizzle of honey.
• Layer with the next slice of cake, then repeat the yogurt, strawberries, and honey combination. Add another layer of cake, then repeat the yogurt, strawberries, and honey combination and top with the last layer of cake. A very impressive summer, birthday, or party cake.

“Sort of” Danish Pastries

ONCE while In Bath, England, on vacation, we developed a ritual of getting up before everyone else, running to the local bakery, nabbing the first freshly baked sweet Danish pastries, and going to sit by the river to have a pre-breakfast munch. These, a very recent invention, are a Green version and imitate the real ones well, with their sticky-sweet insides.

1¼ cups dates, pitted and chopped

1 cup water

2 cups white spelt or organic wheat flour

2 teaspoons wheat-free baking powder

1 tablespoon organic butter or unhydrogenated margarine

3 tablespoons local organic honey

1 free-range egg

⅕ cup organic cow’s, sheep’s, oat, or soy milk

white of 1 free-range egg

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• First, simmer the dates in a small saucepan over medium heat with the water. Leave for about 7 minutes while you prepare the pastry.
• Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey egg, and milk. Mix with a blunt knife until the pastry comes together, then roll out on a floured surface to about ¼-inch deep x 12 x 18 inches.
• The dates should be in a suitable goo by now. If not, mash with a fork until smooth. Spread the date mixture evenly over the rolled-out pastry. Now roll up the dough as if it were a Swiss roll, along the longest side, tucking the pastry in as tightly as you can without tearing it. You should have an odd-looking log, which you then slice up into 14 pieces, or whirls, about every 1 inch.
• Dust your hands and a large baking sheet with flour and gently flatten each whirl out about 1 inch thick. Lay them on your floured baking pan and, using a pastry brush, brush each pastry with some egg white.
• Put into the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before scarfing.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 14