Sweets

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Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:25 pm

Hi! Do you guys have any ideas/recipes for sweets, when fruit just doesn't cut it for "dessert"? I like the idea of mug cakes, single serving cookies, etc. that are healthier than the typical recipes out there. Just a small, sweet treat when a sweet tooth hits.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
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Re: Sweets

Postby Hal » Mon Jan 18, 2021 7:34 pm

Cooked apple and oatmeal 'mug pie' ? Add cinnamon to sliced apples and raisins and enough apple sauce and to cover all the oatmeal and allow for evaporation and cook until apples are done? I have no idea if this will work but cooking of apples and pears and cherries and berries might be key to satisfying the sweet tooth.

Once you eliminate sweetened products the urge for sugar will wane. I find everything tastes sweet now that i don't eat products with sugar - potatoes, corn, crushed tomatoes, (frozen niblets) corn is almost too sweet, and sweet potato and steamed carrots are over the top. A bowl full of ripe banana slices in hot oatmeal with cinnamon for breakfast is like eating a big desert, and you get to have it every day. :)
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Tue Jan 19, 2021 10:28 am

Haha, thanks Hal. I can't imagine getting to that point, but I believe you.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
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Re: Sweets

Postby michaelswarm » Tue Jan 19, 2021 1:29 pm

Frozen banana and fruit or cocoa ice cream. I routinely make black bean brownies and pumpkin pie squares for my kids, with apples and dates for sweeteners. I also occasionally make muffins or cakes-sweet breads, with whole wheat flour, also with apples and dates. You can make jelly and sweet sauces with cooked fruit. And you can combine the above into fancy dishes, like shortcake, ice cream, fresh berries, and your favorite nut milk.

Most of this goes to the kids, for example as treat when they clean their toys before bedtime. The older kids age 7 and 6 have become pretty good cleaners.
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Tue Jan 19, 2021 4:41 pm

Thank you, michaelswarm. Are the recipes on your website?
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: Sweets

Postby sirdle » Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:10 am

My two favourites:

Apple/Pineapple Crisp
Apple Crumble

Both are very easy to make.

Cheers,
"Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment chop wood, carry water." -- Zen proverb
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Re: Sweets

Postby michaelswarm » Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:10 pm

Susan5 wrote:Thank you, michaelswarm. Are the recipes on your website?


The brownies, pumpkin squares, muffins and banana shortbread are there. Fruit jelly-jam and ice cream are not. Recipes are relatively easy to find on the Internet. I use my notes to record my own preferences and substitutions. Your own creativity counts for a lot. As I teach my kids cooking, these are our family recipes.
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Wed Jan 20, 2021 8:29 pm

Thank you, sirdle.

Thank you, michaelswarm. I'm tired of trying recipes I find online, only to have them not be good. I find I have better results when I try recommended recipes that others have actually made that turned out good for them. I'm beginning to think that a lot of bloggers pay people to put up positive reviews of their recipes.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
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Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: Sweets

Postby michaelswarm » Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:06 pm

Sorry if I made it sound easy. I too like to note and follow up on good recommendations from here and other places.

I often see recipes that the author has just tried for the first time. I would rather use a recipe that someone has been using for years. I keep my own notes, with my sources for future reference.

My site recipes I use as my own cookbook, and to teach my kids to cook. I see few visitors and I don’t put much time into it.

When I want to make something new, like the pastrami on rye bread that I made this last week, it requires different search queries and intelligent scanning and filtering of the results. Often I survey 5-10 similar recipes and take notes on the common ingredients. I like to use just the basic ingredients, and not the fancy extra stuff. I will also read animal based recipes to understand and pull out concepts and flavors.

In the case of bread, I just changed my normal bread from 100% whole wheat to 50-50 whole wheat-rye, with onion powder and caraway seeds, I likewise changed my lentil burger sauce to smoked paprika, black pepper, mustard, coriander with onion powder, garlic powder and pilloncillo.

I didn’t follow any vegan pastrami recipe, though I looked at a few. I ended up with spices pulled from beef pastrami recipes. I guessed at measurements. That how a lot of my cooking goes. I guess it’s easy to find recipes, but hard to find good and compliant ones that can just be followed with excellent results.
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:51 pm

michaelswarm, not at all. I appreciate your insights. I've basically given up on trying to find a good "cheese" sauce. I have tried so many "amazing" "tastes just like cheese" recipes, and none of them have been that impressive. I think part of the problem is that people are calling it a cheese sauce. It sets you up for anticipating it tasting at least somewhat like cheese, but I haven't found that to be true. I told my husband that I think these various sauces should just be called what they are so that our expectation is for what it actually is, and not something entirely different. Anyhow, my husband has been willing to eat the WFPB meals that I've been making, but we've had more misses than hits, and it's been frustrating because I don't want him to be turned off of trying. I feel like I can't trust reviews, and I've quickly learned to stop referring to things as their meat/dairy based names because it throws him off when he tastes it.

I like your cooking method; I do much the same. Plantiful Kiki just mentioned a pepperoni seasoning blend on her recent video, and I've been scouring the internet trying to find a recipe for my own blend because I don't want to pay the price for buying the brand she showed. I figure, if I can find a good homemade pepperoni recipe, I can use the spice blend and achieve that same flavor profile for myself. I imagine that would taste really good sprinkling on homemade pizza, or any other savory dish where that flavor would normally be really good.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: Sweets

Postby calvin » Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:40 pm

I agree that the faux "cheese sauces" i have tried do not deliver what they promise and do would not fool anyone i know. But maybe my attempts needed tweeking. I think Dillon mentioned the other day that combining a little mustard to nutritional yeast gives a cheesey, mayby even cheddar-ish, tang; i plan to try that. Mustard seed is included in the ingredients list on his Cheese Sauce Mix.
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:18 am

Hi calvin. I have tried sauces with mustard as well, but it still didn't work for our taste buds. I know some have mentioned using vinegar to create that tang, I think Brandi from Vegan 8 uses vinegar, but I haven't tried that yet; I've only tried the mustard and lemon juice options. I have to say though, after all the "cheese" sauce recipes I've tried, I actually found the Homemade Vegan Mac & Cheese Powder, at It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken, to be among the better tasting of the ones I've tried, and it's so quick, and less messy, to make! It's also easy to tweak. I just don't refer to it as a cheese sauce, though, because that messes with our minds too much; the brain/flavor connection is strong. :lol: Please, let me know if you try a recipe that tastes really good, even if it doesn't taste like "cheese". Good sauces can really help a meal along.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: Sweets

Postby Vanilla Orchid » Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:43 pm

Try this:

Chocolate Mug Cake - serves 1
Ingredients:
4 tbsp white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp nondairy milk
¼+ cup unsweetened applesauce
vanilla extract
dash cinnamon
2-3 tbsp vegan chocolate chips
In a small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon together, set aside. In another small bowl, whisk ¼ cup applesauce, nondairy milk, and a drop or two of vanilla extract together. Pour wet into dry, then add chips, stirring to combine.
Add another 1-2 tbsp of applesauce, until the batter is wet and resembles regular cake batter. Pour batter into a coffee cup, and microwave for three minutes (at 1000 watts - if your microwave is weaker or stronger, please adjust accordingly).

Or this:

Greta’s Gingersnaps with a Twist
Contributed by Greta Weingast, Silverdale, WA
In a medium bowl sift:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ginger (ground)
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
In a large bowl mix:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Wonderslim Fat & Egg Substitute*
1 cup Sucanat**
1 ½ tablespoons water
1/4 cup molasses

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix thoroughly. Chill the dough before handling further.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a non stick pan.
Roll dough into small (1") balls. Sprinkle some sugar or Sucanat on a plate and roll the balls in it.
Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes
(cookies will puff and then collapse). Let rest for a minute or 2 and remove to a cooling rack.
Makes about 3 doz.
*Note: Wonderslim is now difficult to find. It’s made from prunes. You can substitute pureed baby prunes, or you can puree some dried prunes and water in a blender.
**Sucanat can also be difficult to find. If you can’t find that, use brown sugar.
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Re: Sweets

Postby Susan5 » Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:15 am

Thanks, Everyone. I'll eventually work my way through the recipes offered. Vanilla Orchid, I made the chocolate mug cake last night, which was really good. Thank you. I halved the recipe, and only needed to cook it for one minute in the microwave. Also, I only used two teaspoons of mini chocolate chips, which worked great (trying to keep the total fat count down). I like to use culinary grade cocoa, which provides a much richer chocolate flavor, but has 1 gram of fat per tablespoon, so I compensated with the chocolate chips. I use bean liquid (aquafaba) as a fat substitute. I find it creates a better flavor and texture, than applesauce, in the end product. Can't wait to try the gingersnaps. I love anything ginger.
~ The best thing I did was to break-up with food; it was an unhealthy relationship.
~ You can't let go while still trying to hold on.
~ Focus on less...less desire, less obsession, less holding on.
~ "Learn to care less about food."
Susan5
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:47 pm

Re: Sweets

Postby Vanilla Orchid » Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:22 pm

Susan5 wrote:Thanks, Everyone. I'll eventually work my way through the recipes offered. Vanilla Orchid, I made the chocolate mug cake last night, which was really good. Thank you. I halved the recipe, and only needed to cook it for one minute in the microwave. Also, I only used two teaspoons of mini chocolate chips, which worked great (trying to keep the total fat count down). I like to use culinary grade cocoa, which provides a much richer chocolate flavor, but has 1 gram of fat per tablespoon, so I compensated with the chocolate chips. I use bean liquid (aquafaba) as a fat substitute. I find it creates a better flavor and texture, than applesauce, in the end product. Can't wait to try the gingersnaps. I love anything ginger.


Good feedback! I'll try it with aquafaba sometime. The thing is, I don't always have that handy. I pretty much always have some applesauce because I buy some in those single serving containers that are good for using in recipes. Aquafaba goes bad unless you freeze it, and then you have to thaw it, so it's not so handy for people who make a single serving of something on a whim.
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