Real Food for Life » healthy dessert

Amazing Sugarless Date Squares

Diana — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:21:43 +0000

What I usually find with date squares is that they are too sweet. So I have made my own version which are less sweet and taste even better. Find it hard to stop at only one.

DATE SQUARES Wheat-Free

Ingredients:
1 large apple finely chopped
2 cups dates, chopped
1 cup water
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup vegetable fat or butter
1/3 cup rice syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 ¾ cups rolled oats
¼ cup potato flour
¾ cup Brown Rice flour

Directions:
1.   Simmer apple water till soft.
2.   Add dates and simmer till soft.
3. Mash well.
4.   Add lemon juice and set aside.
5.   In a separate bowl, mix vegetable fat, rice syrup and salt.
6.   First add flour; mix in.
7.   Then add oats, mix well.
8.   Pat 2/3 of the mixture into an 8 X 8 pan.
9.   Spread the date mixture on top of the oat mixture.
10.  Then sprinkle the other 1/3 of oat mixture on top of the dates.
11.  Lightly press down.
12.  Bake in preheated oven at 400º F. for 25 to 35 minutes.

Benefits of Dates:

Dates are rich in natural fibers and lots of nutrients: calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, magnesium and many other trace nutrients.
They are easily digested so they are great for giving quick energy.
Have been found to help in the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
Studies have shown that they can be good for those with a weak heart.
Hear that they are good as a tonic for improving sex stamina and sterility.

Oatmeal Nutrition:

Oats have lots of manganese, are a very good source of selenium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein & phosphorus.
1 bowl of oatmeal a day (3 grams of soluble oat fiber) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%.

Copyright © Diana Herrington You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com or the direct link to this post.

Hermit Cookies – Gluten Free

Diana — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:19:29 +0000

As I had promised to share this recipe right away I am posting it before I normally would. These have a dryer texture then the ones with wheat in them and I will be fine tuning this recipe. We will post below this one the Wheat Hermits soon. Both cookies are not overly sweet which is why we like them.

Ingredients:
¾ vegetable fat
4 tbsp sucanat
1 tbsp molasses
¼ tsp stevia
4 tbsp soy flour
1 cup water
1 cup white rice flour
¾ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
¾ cup walnuts
¾ cup sultanas

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 400 F.
2.    Combine butter, sucanat, stevia, and molasses until creamy.
3.    Stir in soy flour and water
4.    Then mix in other flours, baking powder, salt, and spices.
5.    Mix in fruit and nuts.
6.    Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten with a fork on a greased baking sheet.
7.    Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices. The darker the cinnamon the better it is.

Benefits of Cinnamon:
•    In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is used for colds, nausea, diarrhea, and painful menstrual periods.
•    It can improve energy, vitality, and circulation.
•    Recent studies have shown that cinnamon maybe have a beneficial effect on blood sugar.

Brown Rice Pudding

Diana — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:55:45 +0000

This brown rice pudding, and the creamy sauce that goes with it, is sugar free, dairy free, and egg free…..and tastes great! It is a favorite desert of mine that has gone through many changes through the years. I often do not even bake it. I just cook it on top of the stove in a pot till it is the consistency I like.

Ingredients:
1 cup short grain brown rice, cooked
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups rice, almond or soya milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
1 tsp. – 2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sultana raisins
½ cup dates, chopped
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:
•   Cook rice.
•   Mix cooked rice in a glass baking dish with remaining ingredients except for cinnamon.
•   Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
•   Bake at 400º for 40 – 50 minutes.
•   Serve with “Cream Sauce” on top.

CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:
1¼ cup rice, almond or soya milk
¾ cup apple juice
3 tbsp. arrowroot
2 tbsp. coconut oil or butter
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
•    Mix the first 3 ingredients together.
•    Add the remaining ingredients
•    Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.
•    Add lemon juice and coconut oil

Serve on top of Brown Rice Pudding.

If you try this recipe out please comment below and let others know how it worked out!

Or…..do you have a favorite healthy recipe that you would like to share? Please do so below. We may even use it in our coming recipe book and give you recognition!

Sugar Free Yummies

Diana — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:34:33 +0000

I love sweets! I know that many others do too, as I am frequently hearing about it.

To help with those sugar cravings in a healthy way, we need to prepare nutritious sweets. I have created lots of sugar free recipes and here is a first one to start a whole series of sugar-free yummies.

Of course it is more nutritious to eat the fruit raw but sometimes we are looking for that comfort food that is sweet and hot. This is a good fruit sauce that does not have any added sugar and it tastes good too.

APPLE OR PEAR SAUCE with sultanas

Ingredients:
2 cups apples or pears, sliced
½ cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ cup sultanas

Directions:

   1. Core and slice apples or pears.
   2. Place all ingredients in a pot.
   3. Bring to a boil.
   4. Simmer until fruit is soft.

Serve as is or with yogurt on top.

Apple Facts: To discover all the wonderful benefits click on this link APPLE

BERRY CRUMBLE

Diana — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:38:51 +0000

Blueberries have more antioxidants than any other popular fruit which helps prevent cancer, diabetes, age-related memory loss and are anti-inflammatory. They are also rich in potassium, fibre, and vitamins A & C.

"Inflammation is a key driver of all chronic diseases, so blueberries have a host of benefits," says Ann Kulze, MD, of Charleston, S.C.

Interesting Fact: The paint the Shakers used for the wood work on their houses was made from sage blossoms, indigo, blueberry skins & mixed in milk.

BERRY BASE

Ingredients:
1 – 2 apples
2 cups berries (blue berries, blackberries, Saskatoons, currants or strawberries)
Stevia – light liquid (Sunny Dew is best)

Directions:
1. Core and slice apples.
2. Simmer apples with a few spoons of water in a covered pot.
3. Mix in berries and simmer a few minutes.
4. Sweeten to taste with stevia.
5. Place berry/apple mixture in a baking dish

CRUMBLE TOPPING

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups rice flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp Stevia – light liquid (Sunny Dew is best)

Directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients together
2. Mix oil, stevia and honey and add to dry ingredients.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Sprinkle on top of fruit
5. Bake at 350º F. oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Oatmeal Nutrition:

Oats have lots of manganese, are a very good source of selenium, vitamin B1, dietary fiber, magnesium, protein & phosphorus.
1 bowl of oatmeal a day (3 grams of soluble oat fiber) typically lowers total cholesterol by 8-23%.