Category Archives: sugar-free food

Whole Food Plant-Based Sugar-Free Recipes

Plant-based Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free All American Apple Pie

apple pieMost of the time the way I eat makes me very happy. I like feeling healthy and light. I never feel deprived or like I am sacrificing until the Holidays come. It gets dark early, it’s cold and temptations abound! It is only human to want a little comfort! It doesn’t take long for me to start telling myself that I have been so good for so long that just “a little sugar/gluten/dairy/etc won’t hurt”. That is kinda true (or so I hear). My problem is once I start eating a little sugar, I want more. And a little sugar has a way of creeping up to a whole lot! (more…)

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All Plant-based Split Pea Soup

When I was a 4 or 5  my Dad’s family lived in Santa Barbara. A couple of times a year we would drive up from Los Angeles to visit. Along the way there were always signs for Andersen’s – the split pea soup Andersen’s. The signs featured Hap-pea the big cook and Pea-wee his helper. Some even showed an elaborate split-pea soup factory. The signs were provocative and intriguing. It wasn’t long before the idea of Hap-pea, Pea-wee and a soup factory became as real as the car I was trapped in. I could see just how it looked. And if I scrunched up my face and thought really hard I could even hear and smell it. (more…)

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Holiday Red and Green Salad

While I know how important fresh veggies are, I am not ready to go to a raw food diet. . . I know cooked veggies are good, but the heat does kill some of the phytonutrients. Simply put, fresh is always better. My question is: how many salads can you eat without dying of boredom. Which means, of course, that I am always trying new ideas and combinations to keep myself entertained. (more…)

Posted in plant based diet, processed food, salad, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based Diet Food Categories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Green Tea – a Whole Food Plant-Based Beverage!

I am not a fan of bitter. I don’t really like quinine, arugula, bitter chocolate or Starbucks coffee. Until recently I would have included green tea on that list. In my mind it is associated with that bitter stuff you get in Chinese restaurants.

Green tea, however, has always been one of those things that I have thought that I “should” like because it is so good for you. Or so I have read. (more…)

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Substituting Eggs

This is the time of year when I start thinking seriously about desserts. I mean, what is Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie or Christmas without cookies ?

Those of us who eat a whole food plant-based diet making desserts is really a challenge. There is a lot of substituting that has to be done. For most things it is relatively easy to substitute For example you can substitute:

  • Milk = Nut milk
  • Gluten based flours = gluten-free baking mix or brown rice flour
  • Sugar = honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or stevia
  • Butter = Coconut Oil (more…)
Posted in baking, dessert, diary-free food, Eggs, gluten-free food, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fall Apples are Here!

View detailsMy private challenge is to try a new recipe every week. If the “bones” are good, then I work with it over time until I like what I have. Once David and I agree it meets our very high standards, I write it up. Very often this works out great. And then there are times  like yesterday when they don’t work out at all. The recipe was confusing and the result was, well, AWFUL!

Fortunately, David is an adventurous eater and always willing to try these experiments. The other good thing is that he is quite willing to give me his unvarnished opinion.  In case you are wondering you are supposed to laugh here – it is that was joke. Seriously, he is a good cook in his own right and some of our best food ideas are a collaboration. (more…)

Posted in diary-free food, fruit, plant based diet, snacks, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Gluten-Free, Sugarless, Vegan Oatmeal-Zucchini (and more) Muffins

Muffins are my latest science project. While some of them have been good, they still were not “perfect”. The main problem was that they were consistently too dry.  Adding oil just made them greasy and heavy and adding water, fruit juice or nut milk made them gooey. Most of them would taste ok on first bite, but would soon turn to sawdust in the back of the mouth.  It seemed that part of the problem was that the batter was too smooth. Which lead me to experiment with Gluten-Free oats.

All the experiments were getting me confused, so I finally sat down and made a spread sheet (Yes, I know how funny that is)! (more…)

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Edible Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Vegan Muffin

zuc muffinsWhen you harvest something like 10 BIG zucchini a week you either waste the food or get creative. This has been a real challenge to my creativity. I have tried everything I can think of, read about, or heard! One of my favorites is the muffins.

I like muffins. They are a neat little snack package stuffed full of good flavors. If you do them right, they are full of good nutrition.

Up till now,  I have been able to make great sugar-free muffins. I have made tasty gluten-free muffins. I have even made passable vegan muffins. But all three at one time has been a lot of trial and error!  Over the last week I have done a series of experiments trying to create an edible sugar-free, gluten-free vegan muffin! (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, Breakfast, diary-free food, gluten-free food, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Big Scam: Non-Fat, Low-Fat and Fat Free

nonfat

This was posted to my Facebook news feed awhile back. I shook my head and then burst out laughing.  The sign totally embodies my experience with fat-free and low-fat food. (more…)

Posted in additive-free food, excitotoxins, sugar-free food, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based Food Kitchen, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meal Replacements – Larabars

audreyRemember the plant in Little Shop of Horrors?   Audrey II whose loudest cry was “Feed Me!”  When I get hungry, my blood sugar drops and the only thing I can say is:  FEED ME!!! I know exactly how Audrey felt!

Which is why I eat “early and often.” I hate turning an irrational and distinctly un-nice person!   The antidote is eating 4-5 times a day.  If I do my blood sugar stays even and my disposition sunny. As and added bonus I feel good and effortlessly maintain my weight since my metabolism is more efficient and I don’t get strange cravings. In the end I actually consume less calories per day. (more…)

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