Desserts

Raw Strawberry Pie

Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more vitamin C than citrus fruit. They are one of the “dirty dozen” so if you want to limit your pesticide exposure, only buy organic strawberries. This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food Goodness.

25 pitted deglet dates

1/2 cup water

6 cups sliced strawberries

Soak dates in water to soften for blending. Blend 1 cup of straw-berries, dates and water until smooth. Pour this sauce over remaining strawberries. Pour over Raw Nut Crust. Let set for 1/2 hour.

Raw Nut Crust (for one pie)

1 cup almonds or other nuts and seeds

15 soft pitted dates

1 tsp vanilla

Chop finely in food processor until it starts to stick together. Press into a pie plate or 8×8 cake pan.

Sour Cream Frosting

This frosting goes perfect with Vegan Carrot Cake but could be folded into a fruit salad. Leave the lemon out for a delicious “whip cream” for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.

1 cup light colored sweet potato (not orange “yam”)

15 small pitted dates soaked in ¾ cup water

1/4 cup raw cashews

Juice from 1 lemon (add zest if you like more lemon flavor)

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Use just enough water to make it a thick cream. You will need more water is using pecans.

Vegan Carrot Cake

Got a chance to try the carrot cake recipe.  We are hooked! I have already made it twice. “

“This is the best Carrot Cake I’ve ever had” was one dinner class participants comment. This cake is moist and very decadent with no oils, processed sugar and it’s gluten free if using gluten free oats.

1 cup pitted dates soaked in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 ½ t baking soda

1/4 cup grated apple (about 1/2 apple, any variety)

1 packed cup finely shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins

Add nuts, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda to a food processor work bowl. Chop until coarsely ground and mixed well. Add dates and soak water, vanilla and vinegar. Process to a thick dough. You may need to help it along with a fork. Then add in shredded apple, carrots, and raisins and mix to incorporate evenly. Alternatively, transfer dough to a large mixing bowl before adding carrots and fruit and mix them in with a fork. Spread dough in an 8×8 cake pan and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread with Sour Cream Frosting or add dollop when served.  .

Lemon Drop Truffles

25 small pitted dates

1 cup raw pecans or walnuts

1 cup rolled oats

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes

Grand all ingredients, except coconut, in a food processor until they become sticky and hold together. Scoop out 1 tablespoon and roll into a ball. Then roll in the shredded coconut. Best frozen and then slightly thawed before eating.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

1 small can pumpkin (1 3/4 cups)

1 1/4 cup almond milk

25 soft pitted deglet dates

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Soak dates in the almond milk for at least 4 hours to soften. Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into the prepared nut crust and bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave in for another 20 minutes.

Crust (for one pie) 

3/4 cup raw pecans or walnuts

10 small soft pitted dates

1 cup rolled oats

Chop finely in food processor until it starts to stick together. Press into a pie plate or 8 x 8 cake pan. Fill with your favorite pie filling. This crust does not need to be baked.

Cranberry Relish Salad

From Whole Food American Favorites

This recipe was inspired by my love for cranberry sauce without all the sugar! If you prefer less sweet, use a more tart apple and/or less dates.  Cut down on the walnuts if you need to cut back on the fat.

1 medium Fuji apple

1 cup raw cranberries

8 small pitted dates

1/4 cup walnuts

Chop all ingredients in a food processor to a relish consistency.

Raw Blueberry Pie

Recipe from Whole Food American Favorites

7 cups frozen blueberries, thawed

15 small pitted dates

1/2 T chia seeds (optional for thickening)

1 Nut Crust, divided

Blend 3 cups blueberries with dates and chia seeds in a high-powered blender until smooth. Pour over whole berries, mix well, and place onto a prepared pie crust.  Top with reserved crust ingredients. Let chill.

Oat Nut Crust

 1/2 cup raw almonds

3/4 cup raw pecans

1/2 cup rolled oats

10 small pitted dates

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla

Finely grind nuts and dates in a food processor until they start to stick together. Add oats and briefly chop just to incorporate. Press 3/4 of the crust ingredients in the bottom and up the sides of a 9” round pie pan. Fill with pie filling. Top with remaining crust ingredients.

 

Chocolate Black Bean Cookies

1 cup rolled oatsBrownie Cookies

1/2 cup raw walnuts*

1/2 cup cooked black beans

30 small pitted dates

2 T cocoa powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 T apple cider vinegar

Process all ingredients in a food processor until a dough forms. Scoop out desired amount of dough and place on a cookies sheet limed with parchment paper. Flatten and from into a cookie shape. Cookies will not spread when cooked. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

*For those with nut allergies, substitute 1/2 hemp seeds and 1/2 sunflower seeds.

Cranberry Spice Cookies

20 small pitted dates soaked in 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 1/2 cup rolled oats, divided

1 t. baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/8 t cloves

1/2 cup fruit juice sweetened dried cranberries

Soak dates for at least 4 hours. Grind seeds and 1/2 cup oats to powder in 2 batches in a coffee grinder or use a strong blender.  Add soaked dates, along with soak water, ground seeds and oats, baking soda and spices to food processor fitted with the S blade.  Process till smooth. Manually stir in oats and dried cranberries. Process briefly if need to make sure all is mixed well. Scoop out dough with a spoon or cookie scoop and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Mash just a bit with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12 – 13 minutes. 

Gingerbread Man Cookies

From my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites

A strong blender such as a Vitamix or BlendTec., or a strong food processor such as a Kitchen Aid or Cuisinart, is necessary for this recipe.

 25 small pitted dates

2 1/4 cups white wheat flour, sifted

2 t baking powder

1/4 t sea salt

1 1/2 t powdered ginger

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t cloves

1/3 cup molasses

1 cup raw cashews

1 t vanilla

 

Soak dates in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours. Mix sifted flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Blend dates and water with remaining ingredients in a strong blender or food processor until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Mix well and knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for several hours until chilled. (This step makes rolling out much easier.) Divide dough in half and roll one half between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a gingerbread man cookie cutter and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use raisins or dried cranberries to decorage. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

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“I’ve been using the recipes in your cookbooks. I love the Spicy pumpkin soup and your mustard potatoes…. yum! I cook up a batch of the potatoes and freeze them to use for meals for my brother. Usually potatoes get mushy in the freezer but these seem to be OK. I tried the Peppermint Patty’s and really liked them too! Thanks!”  K. Page, St. George, Utah

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“I just love your cookbooks! I’ve been gradually working towards a plant based diet since about 2012 and have used a few really good cookbooks – the happy herbivore books, the China Study Books, Engine 2 etc — which all gave me a great foundation for this approach. Your cookbooks have offered new ways of seeing some of the recipes . I’ve made a few of the deserts, some of the loafs, and breakfasts. Great use of herbs and spices, and I like the fact that the ingredients are very simple to use. ” Thanks again, Sue

Whole Food Goodness and Whole Food American Favorites contain a collection of my favorite high nutrient whole food plant based recipes. My recipes are unique in that they contain no extracted oils, minimal processed sugars, and limited processed grains. I use an abundance of leafy green vegetables, which are the healthiest foods on the planet and have the greatest power to cleanse, detoxify, and repair damaged cells and bring you greater health for life.

Along with the recipes, you will find quotes from some of my favorite nutrition experts and documented research studies that will tell you why it’s important to eat a plant based diet. Knowledge is power and it is my hope and prayer that these books will help you gain the strength and determination to make the changes necessary that will bring you excellent health throughout your entire life!