[In a bit of unrelated news, I'll be doing a guest post on Amy's blog tomorrow.  Hope you can drop by and check it out!]

[Looks pretty decadent, doesn't it?  Tastes that way, too.]

Okay, so who WAS that woman who wrote my last post?! I do apologize if I alarmed any of you (though I don’t think I went so far as to frighten the horses ). I guess something about that particular topic hit a nerve for me.  But wow, did that post ever spike my blog’s traffic!  My Google Analytics stats shot through the roof!  And man, look at all those comments!  Well, I guess we all know how I’ll be choosing my blog topics from now on, hmmmnn?  Ahem.

Seriously, thanks to everyone for your insights, reactions, commentary!  I am really loving the exchange of opinions and all the differing perspectives on the topic.  I think peeking in on the IFBC sparked for me a renewed interest in ideas for ideas’ sake –it felt sort of like what grad school was supposed to be.  So, once again, thanks. And it’s not too late to contribute your own ideas about why and how we blog–join the conversation here.

But now. . . it’s time for us to head back from summer holidays and dive back into the daily routines once again–which means (for me, and for many of you)–back to school.

When I was a kid, the beginning of September was always a bittersweet time.  After two whole months of sleeping until I awoke; throwing on shorts and sneakers and a T-shirt before wandering outside to meet up with friends; reading books while lounging on the grass in our backyard or writing furiously in my journal, the sun warming the sheets of paper as I wrote; ice cream on demand; or simply soaking in the freedom of “no fixed schedule”–the end of August marked the shift to autumn and a return to predictability.

I didn’t particularly look forward to the the stuffy classrooms, the mercilessly rigid desk chairs, the overloaded backpack, the trek home at lunch or long afternoon hunched over my textbook, pencil in hand, reading from a book that (more often than not) didn’t interest me. 

On the other hand, there were some high points in returning to the classroom.  September also felt like a fresh start, that moment when you’ve just stepped out of the shower, scrubbed and still glistening before you decide what to wear that day. It was an invitation for self-renewal and embracing new identities, a chance to rectify personal slights or last year’s mistakes. New shoes, a new haircut and (my favorite part) fresh, pristine pages of new notebooks–those were the beckoning aspects of returning to school. 

Perhaps because  I work in academia, September still feels like the beginning of the year to me.  Yet it’s also a tacit “start date” in many other contexts as well: television shows (Hey, Ellen!  How about that guest spot this year?); arts and cultural events (you wouldn’t believe how many TSO,  TIFF or AGO brochures have landed on our doorstep lately–and, just an aside, does EVERY Toronto-area event use a three-letter acronym?), and even religious holidays (Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, usually occurs around September).

I mentioned in a previous post that I had a few exciting giveaways up my figurative sleeve–and now that we’re on the threshold of back-to-school, what better time to hold them? During the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of sampling and experimenting with an array of new ingredients and products, some of which were truly exceptional. 

So now, I’ve chosen the best of the lot–the ones I liked most and think you will, too–and will be giving away one at a time over the next few weeks.

See?  Back to school can be fun! 

For a great ACD-friendly Fudge Recipe and to enter the first in the “Back to School Swag” series of giveaways, click here!

[You won't believe what's in this fudge. . . or how easy it is to make!]

Last Year at this Time: A Nice Chianti and Some Fava Beans? No. Muhammara? Thumbs Off–Er, Up.

Two Years Ago: Freeform Tomato Tart with “Goat Cheese” and Basil

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  THANKS FOR ENTERING, EVERYONE!

It’s time for dessert–even if you don’t eat sugar, white flour, gluten, eggs or dairy!  That’s because it’s time for

Desserts without Compromise!

Buy the book this week at the special introductory price of $6.95 (regular price $9.95)–or, buy both ebooks (the previously published Anti Candida Feast plus Desserts without Compromise) for just $12.95!

For more details (and to buy one or both books), click here! 

And now for the giveaway. . . . . 

Because I’m so excited to share these recipes with you, I’m giving away FIVE copies of the ebook to celebrate its launch! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment at the end of this post telling me which dessert appeals to you the most!  For extra entries, you can follow me on twitter, “like” the Diet, Dessert and Dogs fan page , or retweet this giveaway on twitter, mention it on Facebook, or blog about it (for the last three, please link back to me, either at my twitter name, @rickiheller, or leave a comment on the FB wall, or a link to this page in your blog post).  Then please come back here and leave a separate comment for each entry–I know it’s a lot of steps, but it does help me to count out the entries more easily. 

When my sisters and I were kids, my parents used to play Poker every Saturday evening with their group of friends. They’d play from around 7:00 to 9:00 PM, stop for coffee, snacks, and a gabfest, then continue with the cards for another hour or so before everyone headed home.

The group would rotate hosts, so that our abode was Poker Central once every month or so.  I always secretly dreaded when my mom’s best friend hosted (since we kids had to tag along–babysitters were too expensive) because she always served “salmon salad,” consisting of one can of salmon that had been hastily mashed with some Miracle Whip–skin, bones, and all–and it grossed me out completely (my mom, you see, would gingerly scrape the skin off the flesh and then carefully extract the soft needle-like bones and vertebrae before mashing up her salmon salad–with real mayonnaise, I’ll have you know.  It wasn’t until years later, living on my own, that I discovered my mother, and not her friend, was the anomaly.)

Canned salmon aside, the hosts also always served a generous assortment of  desserts, and we kids took full advantage of our parents’ reluctance to berate us in front of friends, helping ourselves to at least one of each sweet when they hit the table.  And in the realm of baked treats, my mother reigned supreme.

Despite what my teenaged self perceived as a sappiness and lack of self-confidence in my mum (which, as it turned out, was actually sappiness and lack of self-confidence), I always admired her ability to whip up a Farmer’s Cheesecake (one of my father’s favorite treats), cinnamon coffee cake or her (legendary, among her friends and our family) Chiffon Cake.

Almost a foot high and with an airy, spongy crumb, speckled throughout with shards of grated chocolate, the chiffon cake became Mom’s signature dish, highly anticipated at those weekend card games, expected at every holiday dinner, even transported across borders when we visited our American cousins, loosely swathed in aluminum foil and packed between multiple pillowy layers of paper toweling within not one, but two cardboard boxes, as if she were transporting blood samples, or a bomb.

The other staple in my mother’s baking repertoire was the classic chocolate chip cookie.  Every year during the holidays our kitchen turned into a cookie lab where my sisters and I would help Mom try out a dozen or so new cookies from the pages she’d torn out of women’s magazines or from her cookbooks. But Chocolate Chip Cookies were the regular Joe throughout the rest of the year, consumed on Sundays when we ate dinner with my aunt’s family, who lived upstairs; when we got home from school on weekday afternoons; or during those weekly Poker games.

Ironically, it was my dad’s Great Aunt Yetta, and not my mother, who taught me to bake my first batch of my favorite cookie. Great Aunt Yetta (about whom I wrote here), took over our kitchen the summer she lived with us (her planned two-week visit mysteriously morphed into a month, then six weeks; of course I thought my mum was rather sappy to let her stay, but for some unknown reason, her husband didn’t seem to miss her). 

I floated through that summer in Chocolate Chip Cookie nervana, baking them at least ten times during those six weeks.  I’d savor the raw dough, of course, even before placing it in mounds on the cookie sheets (still the best part of the procedure, in my opinion). Then I’d relish the just-baked treats, barely cool enough to handle, their edges crisping up even as the centers remained soft, dense and moist inside, with chips barely holding their shape, yet still warm enough to ooze onto your fingertips when you bit them.  

Classically sweet and chewy, with a buttery perfume of brown sugar–what could be better than chocolate chip cookies?

Of course, there was no question that I’d include a healthier version of the childhood classic when I decided to write my cookbook, Sweet Freedom, a couple of years ago.  Lacking the original refined sugar, fat and eggs of the prototype, the cookbook version is nonetheless dense inside and slightly crispy at the edges, boasting a combination of dates, Sucanat and maple syrup to stand in for the original eggs and butter.  After many trials, I was finally pleased with the recipe–and the cookies regularly sold out in the health food stores at which they were sold.

A few weeks ago, I taught a cooking class called “Gluten Free Classics” at a local Loblaws store.  The “classic” recipes I included were Two-Bite Brownies, Hearty Olive-Onion Bread, Lemon Blueberry Muffins, and–yep, you guessed it–Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I planned to demonstrate how easy it is to adapt conventional recipes to gluten-free versions by taking the original Sweet Freedom recipe and simply swapping gluten free all-purpose flour for the spelt.  As often happens, I found that a one-for-one swap (despite the instructions on the bag) doesn’t always work out as planned. Accordingly, I added just a bit of brown rice flour, for heft–and, what do you know–it worked perfectly! I couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. 

I’m happy to say these cookies are as good as the ones I used to bake, all those years ago.  The HH loved these, as did the cooking class participants. Indeed, these are chocolate chip cookies you’d be proud to serve to family and friends. 

Just please, promise not to serve them with canned salmon.  

This is my submission this week to Amy’s wonderful Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event.  Why not submit something healthy of your own?

And a little reminder. . . Sweet Freedom is still on sale for one more week, at 30% off retail price (including taxes and shipping)!  Check this page to learn more or to order. 

Last Year at this Time: Feeling Snacky: Crunchy Stalks and Branches

Two Years Ago: Pre-Blog Entry Blog Entry

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

After reading through the comments on yesterday’s SOS Challenge reveal post (this month’s ingredient is MINT and Kim and I can’t wait to see what y’all cook up with it!), I realized I may have sounded perhaps a wee bit whiney about everything that’s going on in my life right now.  I certainly didn’t mean to imply that I was on the precipice of a nervous breakdown (well, no more than usual, anyway) 

It’s true, I’ve got a lot going on right now.  But of course, I am also fully aware that it’s (mostly) of my own doing, too, as I keep adding more and more activities to my schedule.  Like so many women out there (and let’s face it, this is primarily a problem for women), I must learn to say “no” more often.  For my own physical and mental health.  For peace of mind.  For the others I care about in my life (because what good will I be to them if I’m a babbling puddle of melting goo?).

(“Um, Mum, sorry to have to break it to you, but you have no trouble saying “NO!” to us. None whatsoever.  And anyway, what’s so wrong about gently picking that leftover chocolate cupcake out of the garbage? You and Dad weren’t going to eat it.”)

In fact, my overflowing schedule was actually pivotal in this month’s choice of SOS ingredient; requesting mint-based recipes was really a selfish choice on my part.  After considering the overflowing patch of mint at the side of our house, I decided that I needed some creative inspiration to find recipes that would use it up. And so, I’m counting on all of you to save me by providing a huge array of awesome recipes!  So settle back, settle into your chef persona and start creating–use fresh, dried, or mint extract–your choice!

In the meantime, here’s my mint ice cream recipe, as promised. This is something I created so that those of us on the ACD (or with dairy, egg, gluten or sugar dietary restrictions) can enjoy ice cream in the summer, too.  Imagine: no more silent (or, in my case,  not so silent) suffering while your honey and friends gobble up the “real” thing!  This verseion is easy and, if you’ve got a food processor, really quick, too. The texture is silken smooth, creamy, and has just the right kick of mint. 

So go ahead–it’s real ice cream, and you can enjoy yourself with a clear conscience.  Now, if only I could clear my schedule as well.

And even though this ice cream truly does taste more than “slightly” indulgent, I’m submitting the recipe to Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event to showcase the healthy aspect of the recipe.  Hop over to Amy’s blog to see what else is on the list!

Last Year at this Time: ACD Update: A Return to Sweetness

Two Years Ago: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bites (link to recipe)

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[My cookbook, Sweet Freedom, will be on sale until mid-August! For more information or to order, click here. ]

[A sweet treat to celebrate the firsts: sunflower butter cups--recipe below]

I hope everyone here in Canada had a great Victoria Day weekend!

It seems as if this past week has been filled with a few exciting firsts for me (hmm, that sounds rather like a post-virginal confession, somehow, doesn’t it?  True, I was what you’d call a late bloomer, but even I am too old for that kind of “first.”).  No, the firsts to which I refer involved  a high profile TV appearance;  a meetup with a fellow blogger, and happening upon a new ACD-friendly restaurant–all within three days.

First Number One (aka ”First First”): Those of you who follow me on twitter already know that I appeared on Canada AM this past Thursday morning (and thanks for all the good wishes, everyone!). The show is the Canuck equivalent of Good Morning America or the Today Show in the US (it bills itself as “Canada’s most watched national morning show”) so I was beyond excited to be a guest!

I chatted about healthy eating and a few items from Sweet Freedom.  It was very gratifying to see the show’s host express genuine delight (and, perhaps, surprise) after tasting some of the goodies. The clip was available last week on the Canada AM main page, but it appears it’s been usurped by more recent ones now; I’ll try to get it up on YouTube if I can. 

First Number Two (“Second First”):  I’m sure many of you have experienced this:  you relate an anecdote about a fellow blogger, or wax enthusiastic about a food blog recipe you tried, and before you know it your husband/ significant other / friend/ relative’s eyes glaze over.  Their expression combines equal parts disdain and pity.  And without a sound, they arre able to communicate that, in their world, blog friendships couldn’t possibly be “real.” Like the HH, most of my friends perceive blog buddies on par with imaginary BFFs, as if I were a five year-old child recounting her vacant-chair tea party, or Jimmy Stewart in Harvey.

Now, anyone who writes or reads a blog with any regularity, anyone who has enjoyed a lively exchange of ideas in a comments queue, anyone who has shared a series of friendly emails with another blogger, or anyone who has participated in a blog exchange will know just how misguided such judgments are.

[My remake of a favorite salad at a local haunt: Insalata Roma, with mesclun mix, roasted red peppers, walnuts and "goat cheese"]

Last week, I had the unique pleasure of meeting one of my favorite “blogging buddies” in person: Amanda (of Still Life in Southeast Asia) was in Toronto and we met up for lunch.  What a total delight it was to meet with her! I’ve been following Amanda’s blog ever since she lived in Buenos Aires, and have always admired her poet, evocative writing style and enchanting photographs.  I learned a lot about the different places in which she’s lived (and there have been many) and vicariously enjoyed some of the local attractions through her posts.   

Although we’d never set eyes on each other before that moment, we hugged each other warmly and immediately began chattering like Saturday morning regulars at the local beauty salon.  To onlookers, we must have appeared like old room mates or relatives reunited.  Because of our blog connection, we were able to dispense with so much of the usual introductions; and I didn’t have to explain about my dietary restrictions or the need for an ACD-friendly restaurant.

Have I mentioned before how much I love eating in restaurants? I’m guessing my predilection is partly inherited from my mom (who felt the same way), and partly as a reaction against my dad, who abhorred any food that wasn’t cooked at home.  In fact, when my sisters and I were growing up, our family unit would eat in a restaurant perhaps once a year.  (No, that’s not a typo:  ONCE a YEAR). 

Why this aversion on his part?  It may have had something to do with the fact that my dad grew up on a farm and was accustomed to made-from-scratch foods. Or perhaps it was a consequence of his discovery, on an early date with my mom in Montreal’s Chinatown, of a matchstick (previously unlit) sharing space with the bean sprouts in his eggroll. Possibly, it was related to his work as a butcher, as he’d regularly share stories about local restaurants purchasing meat for daily specials from his store ; the meat was, he noted, barely a step above (and sometimes, below) dog food. In fact, I was basically forbidden from ever ordering hamburger in a restaurant.

[My version of my regular order at our local Middle Eastern resto: Israeli salad, with diced tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado (and my addition of mixed lentil sprouts) with lemon-olive oil dressing.]

As for me, I rebelled against my father’s restaurant reluctance as soon as I was able to pay for my own food.  With my forays to eating establishments decidedly restricted over the past fourteen months (fourteen months on the ACD?  What kind of insanity is that?), I’ve resigned myself to meals in the same three places, over and over, with very limited choices from each menu.  So I wasn’t quite sure where Amanda and I would end up. Which leads me to. . .

First Number Three (“Third First”): Almost as soon as we started walking, however, Amanda pointed to a new café (I’d never seen it before) called Kale Organic Eatery. A small, quaint and cosy spot that exuded warmth and welcome, it offered a limited but varied buffet of both cold and hot dishes.  And everything on the menu was vegan–with many ACD-friendly options!  Whoo-hoo! There was also a terrific selection of homemade desserts (it’s okay; I averted my eyes).

Talking almost nonstop between bites of beets, steamed greens, tamari-marinated tempeh and brown rice with nori, we breezed through two hours of animated chatter and before we knew it, I had to leave for an appointment.  The company, the chat, the serendipitous restaurant find–it was a positive, energizing and fun way to spend an afternoon. Thanks so much, Amanda!

By the time I got home, I’d been thinking quite a bit about those desserts I couldn’t eat.  I decided to whip up these sunbutter cups, a sugar-free, allergen free, ACD-friendly version of the classic with peanut butter. Of course, you can use whatever nut or seed butter you like, but I thought the sunflower seed butter offered a nice change of pace.  The recipe is fairly small–just enough to share with a friend, whether virtual or otherwise.

Crunchy Sunbutter Chocolate Cups (ACD friendly Phase II and beyond)

Of course, you can fill these cups with whatever filling you choose; almond butter is ACD-friendly and would compliment the chocolate beautifully, as would walnut-cacao butter.  I chose sunbutter so that the cups would be allergy-friendly as well–and they tasted terrific!

Filling:

about 1/4 cup (60 ml) crunchy sunflower seed butter (or use 3 Tbsp/45 ml smooth butter and stir in 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coarsely ground sunflower seeds)

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

15-25 drops stevia, to taste (or use about 1 Tbsp/15 ml agave nectar)

Chocolate Cups:

2 oz (60 g) good quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 Tbsp (30 ml) carob powder

1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, preferably organic

35-45 drops chocolate, vanilla, or plain stevia liquid (to taste)

Line 4 muffin cups with paper liners.  Set aside.

Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the sunflower butter, salt, vanilla and stevia to taste.  Line a plate with plastic wrap and, using about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) for each, drop mounds of the mixture onto the plastic and place in the freezer until firm. 

Prepare the chocolate cups: In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chocolate, carob powder and coconut oil.  Stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Add the stevia and stir to combine well.  Using about 2 tsp of the mixture for each cup, cover the bottom of the cups with chocolate. Place the cups in the freezer until firm, about 5 minutes. 

Once the sunflower butter mixture is firm, shape each mound into a flat disk that is just smaller in diameter than the bottom of each chocolate cup.  Place one disk in each cup (it should almost cover the surface of the chocolate, leaving a very thin border of chocolate showing all around the disk).  Then, using about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of chocolate per cup, pour the melted chocolate over sunflower filling, allowing it to flow into the edges and cover the top, effectively effectively encasing the filling in chocolate. 

Return the cups to the freezer until all the chocolate is firm.  Peel off paper and enjoy.  Makes 4 cups. May be stored, wrapped in plastic, in refrigerator up to one week. 

This recipe has been submitted to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Amy’s blog, Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.

Last Year at This Time: The Ultimate Slow Food: Lupini Beans with Garlic and Olive Oil

Two Years Ago: You Say Potato Curry, I Say Aloo Masala

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

One night when I was sixteen, I watched Marvin Hamlisch (composer of A Chorus Line, etc.) on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  The previous guest was Adrienne Barbeau, the buxom actress who played Bea Arthur’s daughter on the sitcom Maude. I was appalled as I witnessed Hamlisch, seated on the couch beside her, stammer and fidget (eyes flitting repeatedly toward her massive chest) while more or less grovelling for a date on air. Despite his musical genius, despite his fame and fortune and an upcoming gig at the Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, it was painfully apparent that Hamlish reverted to a tongue-tied nerd when faced with a beautiful woman who, clearly, barely registered his existence.

As soon as I got up off the sofa and turned off the television (no remotes in those days), I went to my typewriter and typed a letter to Marvin.  It said:

Dear Marvin Hamlisch,

Someone with your reputation shouldn’t have to lower himself to ask Adrienne Barbeau for a date.  Obviously, she doesn’t appreciate your genius.  If you ever come to Montreal, I would go on a date with you any time. 

Sincerely,

(Miss) Ricki Heller

I addressed it to “Marvin Hamlisch, c/o Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, USA” and popped it in the mail. 

The following week, I received a handwritten letter on Marvin’s personal stationery.  It said:

Dear Ricki,

If I ever get to Montreal, you’re on.

Sincerely,

Marvin Hamlisch

Sometimes I think back on that letter and ask myself, “Wow, did I ever really have such audacity? Where did that starry-eyed insouciance go?  And why didn’t Marvin ever call me for that date?”

Then I remember: oh, yeah.  I was sixteen.

Well, dear readers, I’ve decided it’s time to dredge up my inner 16 year-old once again. And you can help!

Even at my advanced age, I’m still a pop culture groupie. I’ve been a fan of Ellen’s for as long as I can remember (almost as long as it’s been since I heard from Marvin).  I love her even more now that she’s vegan and sugar-free–and I want to be on The Ellen Degeneres Show so I can bring her some amazing baked goods from my cookbook, Sweet Freedom! 

[Elsie's definitely on board! (or is that a little board on Elsie?)]

Am I a little bit crazy?  You betcha!

As someone who’s followed a whole foods diet for over decade, I know first hand how much a healthy diet can affect your well-being (just look at the impact of the ACD on me over this past year!).  Based on the cookbook’s reviews and all your fabulous feedback (thank you! thank you! My blog readers are the best!), I’m confident others will agree that treats from the book are both healthy AND delicious.  What better venue to spread the word than The Ellen Show, especially since the show’s star herself has adopted–and now promotes–this same way of eating?

["Here, Mum, you'll need this to dance on the show."]

Besides, I’d be a perfect guest for the show! We have so much in common, Ellen and I:  She loves dogs; I love dogs. She eats a vegan diet; I eat a vegan diet.  She’s sworn off sugar; I’ve sworn off sugar.  She loves American Idol; I love American Idol. She’s gay; I’m—

Hmmm.

She loves dogs; I love dogs! 

And you can help!  On April 2, 2010, I tweeted for an entire day nonstop, with every single tweet that day directed to @TheEllenShow–with NO laptop, NO BlackBerry, NO pre-scheduled tweets–just me sitting at my desktop computer, typing away (with the occasional bathroom break)!  The major blitz is over, but I’d like to keep the campaign going! 

["Mum, I know you named me Elsie, but I think I'd like to be called Ellen from now on."]

Together, we can make this happen! If you like my recipes and want to see me serve delicious, vegan and sugar free treats on The Ellen Show, please feel free to tweet Ellen at @TheEllenShow, or send an email in support by clicking here. You can also post a link to this page on your blog, Stumble this blog entry (just click on “I like this” at the top of the page if you see this on StumbleUpon), tell your local librarian, get a tattoo–whatever works!

And don’t forget to hop back here to leave a comment telling me you did so (so I can send you a free copy of the book if when I get onto the show)!

[But where's Mum?]

If I get invited on the show, every single commenter who participates in this blitz will win a FREE copy of Sweet Freedom, the ebook , which is identical to the paper copy! (And isn’t giving away free goodies very Ellen-like of me?).

And even if I don’t get asked to appear on the show, I’ll still choose 10 names at random on Sunday–three people will win hard copies of the book, and seven will win ebook.  It’s my way of saying “thank you” for all your support!

I think it’s a win-win-win. If Ellen invites me to her show, she’ll have the opportunity to try some amazing, healthy baked goods.  I’ll get to fulfill the dream of a starry-eyed teenager (and, more recently, a starry-eyed menopausal blogger).  And you will get a FREE copy of my cookbook–everybody wins!

Let’s make it happen!  Let’s show the world what “grassroots marketing” really means!  Let’s prove to all the aloof, disinterested corporations that even the little guy (okay, technically I’m not quite “little” yet–but 45 pounds is nothing to sneeze at) can drum up support for an independent project without a huge marketing budget! Let’s help Ellen discover some truly delicious sweets to eat on her sugar cleanse–and share them with the world!  And let’s all go try out one of these raw cookie dough truffles right now! (Well, you’ll need a good source of quick energy for all that typing, I figure).

Just click here to send an email or tweet at @TheEllenShow.

“Mum, that’s a great idea! And we know The Ellen Show would be lucky to have you. But, um, we are your usual kitchen helpers, you know. . . so does that mean we get to be on TV, too?”

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles (ACD-Phase II and beyond)

adapted from Vegan Epicurean’s recipe

As soon as I saw this recipe on Alicia’s blog, I knew I had to try it.  The filling emulates a real raw cookie dough almost too well–gooey, sweet, chocolately.  Except, um, it’s not bad for you! AND it’s ACD-friendly! Variations are endless, as well–in addition to the two provided, you could try banana cookie dough, gingersnap, or snickerdoodles–mmmm!

Cookie Dough:

2 Tbsp (30 ml) raw cacao nibs or chocolate chips*

1/3 cup (80 ml) whole old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick-cook) 

2/3 cup (160 ml) lightly toasted cashews*, walnuts, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts

1/4 tsp (1 ml) cinnamon, optional or 1/4 tsp (1 ml) mesquite powder

pinch fine sea salt

2 Tbsp (30 ml) yacon syrup or agave nectar

2 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

10-20 drops plain or vanilla flavored stevia liquid, to taste

1-2 Tbsp water or plain soy or almond milk, if needed

Coating:

4 ounces (110 g) unsweetened chocolate

1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil

2 Tbsp (30 ml) carob powder, sifted (it helps cut the bitterness when unsweetened chocolate is stevia-sweetened)

20-30 drops stevia liquid, to taste

In a small food processor or coffee grinder, pulse the cacao nibs 3-4 times to chop them up.  Turn the chopped nibs into a small bowl.

In the same processor or grinder, whir the oats, cashews, cinnamon and salt together to form a fine flour.  Take care not to process too much–it should still remain dry and floury. 

In a very small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the yacon, vanilla, stevia, and 1 Tbsp (15 ml) water.  Pour this over the mixture in the processor and process to form a soft “dough” (if you need more water, add it one teaspoon/5 ml at a time).  Turn the dough into the bowl with the cacao nibs and stir to distribute the nibs throughout. 

Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the dough and place scoops on parchment-lined tray.  Freeze until firm, then roll into balls; refreeze until solid.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate coating:  In a small pot over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil and carob, whisking to ensure that no lumps develop.  Whisk in stevia until smooth.  

Once cookie dough balls are solid, remove from freezer and quickly dip them in the chocolate; roll them around if necessary.  The coating should harden almost immediately.  Remove with a fork and tap the fork on the side of the pot to remove most of the excess coating. Place truffles on a tray and refrigerate until firm.  Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Makes 10 truffles.  May be frozen.

* Some anti-candida diets veto cashews.  If you don’t eat cashews, use one of the other choices. For ACD Phase I, you can use unsweetened carob chips instead of cacao nibs; omit the coating and just roll the balls in carob powder.

Carrot Cookie Variation:  use 2 Tbsp (30 ml) dried unsweetened coconut in place of cacao nibs, walnuts in place of cashews, and 2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely grated carrot in addition to other ingredients. Reduce initial water to 2 tsp (10 ml).

Post-Script: I realize this stunt may seem rather, well, adolescent to some of you (and to others, a clear indication that midlife crisis has struck with a vengeance). And after this post, I promise we’ll be back to business as usual here on DDD.  But you know what?  I still get a kick out of that letter from Hamlisch.  So for now, I’ll once again channel that audacious sixteen year old, just for today.  I figure, what have I got to lose? I’ll either be asked on the show; or I may be permanently banned from the show.  Either way, the process will be fun. 

And maybe–just maybe–that 16 year-old girl of yore will be surprised and delighted once more, with an opportunity of a lifetime.  Here’s to healthy baked goods for all!

Last Year at this Time: Anti Candida Breakfasts: What Do You Eat?

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

[Cookbook Giveaway Alert!  Check out Sally's gluten-free adaptation of my Butterscotch Blondies recipe, AND enter to win a free copy of Sweet Freedom!  Just go to Sally's blog for the details.  You have until April 2nd to enter!]

I was thrilled that the HH and I were invited to two seders this year (sorry, Girls).  But after being delighted at my friends’ generosity, I panicked when I realized that most Passover food, besides being meat and poultry-heavy, is also full of eggs and gluten (not to mention sugar and honey)!  Immediately, I decided to bring something along that I could eat–and that everyone else could enjoy, too. 

I was surprised at how many DDD recipes are Passover-friendly (no grain, no gluten, no leavening, no beans or legumes, and a few other restrictions).  Here’s a little roundup for those of you who follow Passover traditions (and even those who don’t!) and are looking for something delicious and healthy to cook up.

“Mum, maybe we can’t come to the seder, but would you mind bringing home some leftovers?  That kale salad is way more tasty than this kong.”

Appetizers/Spreads/Hors D’Oeuvres

Almond “Feta” Cheese Spread (ACD-friendly)

Perfect Guacamole (ACD-friendly)

Potato Bruschetta (ACD-friendly)

Roasted Garlic and Pumpkinseed Pesto (ACD-friendly)

Roasted Red Pepper and Apple Dip (ACD-friendly)

Soups/Salads/Vegetables  (though seriously, who’d make anything but Matzo Ball Soup for this holiday?)

Crimson Salad with Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds (ACD-friendly)

Dandelion-Potato Salad (ACD-friendly)

Kale and Avocado Salad (ACD-friendly)

Apple and Red Wine Soup (ACD-friendly)

Pear and Parsnip Soup (ACD-friendly)

Spiced Cauliflower Soup (ACD-friendly)

Sautéed Greens with Onions and Apples (ACD-friendly)

Entrées

Caramelized Onion “Quiche” (ACD-friendly)

Potato Terrine with Apples and “Goat Cheese” (ACD-friendly)

Desserts/Sweets

Coconut Macaroons (ACD-friendly)

Chia “Tapioca” Pudding (ACD-friendly)

Cocoa Nibbles (LaRaw Bars)

Crimson Mousse (ACD-friendly)

Decadent Chocolate Pâté

Chocolate Fudge (ACD-friendly recipe here)

Soy-Free Vegan Whipped Cream

Speedy Fruit Sorbet (use stevia for ACD-friendly version)

“Drat!  This darned thing is empty again. Bring on the leftovers!”

* that’s “bites” in the sense of, “little tidbits that can be eaten in one mouthful,” rather than the sense of, “really sucks” (as in, “reality bites”) or even “little nibbles on the flesh of the one you love” (though, to paraphrase our most famous Prime Minister, DDD has no business in the kitchens of the nation–go ahead and nibble your sweetie, if you so please!).

[Two ACD-friendly confections: chocolate fudge on the left, carob-speckled halvah on the right (halvah recipe adapted from the one in Sweet Freedom)]

Well, it’s almost V-Day again.  So, got any plans? 

Over here in the DDD household, the HH and I long ago abandoned romance.  Or perhaps I should rephrase that:  the HH abandoned romance.  I, on the other hand (nerd alert! nerd alert!) am the kind of gal who would swim in a river of romance if I could find one.  I’d eat a triple-decker Banana Split of romance.  I’d paint a billboard of romance. I’d crochet a three-piece suit of romance. I’d sleep on a duvet of romance.  (“Mum, we’d sleep on a duvet of romance, too, you know.  Except you won’t let us on the furniture.”)

I’d–well, you get the idea. Basically, I’m just a big blob of schmaltz (in the figurative sense, that is.  I’m only a half blob of schmaltz in the literal sense, what will all that weight loss and everything). 

In our house, my approach to Valentine’s Day goes something like this:

February 17, 2009: start thinking about ideas for next year’s V-Day.

July 12, 2009:  while enjoying the outdoor jazz festival at the Beaches, surreptitiously write down all the HH’s favorite musicians so I can buy CDs for Valentine’s Day.

November 4, 2009:  Stop at craft store to select yarn to knit a romantic scarf for the HH for V-Day. If I start knitting now, I’ll have it for Feb 14th. 

January 15, 2010: So many cards for Valentine’s Day–which should I buy?  Can’t decide.  Buy two.

January 28, 2010: Browse through a plethora of blogs and magazines to find the perfect, romantic meal to cook up for Valentine’s Day. Consult existing list (alphabetized by course) to see which dishes would work best for the Big Feb One-Four.

February 2, 2010:  Forget the groundhog! Must choose the perfect ribbon to wrap the HH’s Valentine’s Day gift!

February 9, 2010: Consider how best to deliver the HH’s gifts for the Day of Hearts–only five days away!  Should I wrap each one separately, and hide them throughout the house in a kind of scavenger hunt?  Should I put them all in the same box, and wrap it as one gift?  Such decisions!

February 11, 2010: Pretend I’m baking for a TV spot when I am really secretly cooking up various kinds of chocolate truffles to include in my gift for the HH.

February 14, 2010:  Fill a shoebox with mini teddy bear, hand-knit scarf, bag of cinnamon hearts, boxes of homemade truffles, key chain with “I heart You” on it, Miles Davis CD and Card #1 (the sappy one).  Spend a couple of hours painstakingly drawing hearts and flowers plus line drawings of Ricki and the HH, in various shades of pink and red, on the outside of the shoebox, then wrapping with blue satin ribbon; stick Card #2 (the funny one) on the outside of the box. Set table with best linens (well, polyester made to look like linen, anyway), china, wine glasses and candlelight.  Play something soft and romantic like Satie’s Petite Overture a Danser, and wait for the romance to unfold.

The HH’s approach? Goes something like this:

February 14, 2010:  “So, is today one of those holidays where I have to get you a card or you get mad at me?”

Okay, I exaggerate.  He usually asks me that question on February thirteenth.

Well, for anyone with similar romantic aspirations to mine, I present you with little bites of chocolate fudge–ACD friendly.  These are an adaptation of the super-successful Fudge Two Ways I made a couple of years ago (and feel free to use that recipe if you can consume other sweeteners).  The communion of unsweetened chocolate, yacon syrup and stevia creates an irresistible flavor, a bittersweet blend of cacao underscored with subtle hints of molasses. 

Whether or not you’re hoping for romance this V-Day, these little bites will definitely bring some alluring chocolate into your life.  In fact, you may just fall in love.

I’ve also submitted this recipe to Ellen’s “I Am Gluten Free” list of treats (both sweet and savory) for Valentine’s Day--hop over to take a look.

Love Bites (ACD-Friendly Chocolate Fudge–suitable for Phase I or II)

[Little white dots of cashew and macadamia nut are visible throughout, a result of my home-ground nut butters; the storebought kind won't have these same speckles.]

3/4 cup (130 g) chopped good-quality unsweetened chocolate (I used Cocoa Camino); or use unsweetened carob chips for ACD Phase I

1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, preferably organic (USE ONLY with carob option)

1/4 cup (60 ml) natural smooth cashew-macadamia butter (I just mixed together half cashew, half macadamia nut butter); or use all-macadamia for ACD Phase I

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

2 Tbsp (30 ml) yacon syrup, vegetable glycerin, or a combination

10-20 drops plain, vanilla, or chocolate stevia liquid, depending on the brand and your desired sweetness level

1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste

1/4 cup (30 g) coarsely chopped walnuts, if desired

Lightly grease a 6 inch (15 cm) loaf pan, or line with plastic wrap.

In a large glass or metal bowl set over a smaller pot of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water), stir the chocolate (or chips and coconut oil, if using carob chips) until melted and completely smooth.  Add the nut butter and salt and stir again until combined. Remove from the heat.

Add the yacon syrup, stevia, vanilla and nuts and stir well.  Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. 

Chill until set, about an hour; then cover with more plastic wrap and chill until very firm, 2 hours to overnight.  Turn out onto a cutting board, peel away the plastic wrap, and cut into small squares.  Makes 12-20 love bites.  Will keep, wrapped in the refrigerator, up to 2 weeks. May be frozen.

Last Year at this Time: Featured in Clean Eating!

Two Years Ago: My Mother’s Potato-Corn Chowder

© 2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Thanks to everyone–all 104 of you!–who entered the Chocolate Baking Kit and Bar giveaway!

As promised, I chose two random winners, one for the kit (from Canada) and one for the bar (from anywhere) by using Random.org–the first name to appear from my Home and Native Land won the kit, and the next name won the bar.

Winner Number One:

Anne Taylor (comment number 68)–you are the lucky winner of the Baking Kit!  Here’s what Anne wrote:

My favourite use for Cocoa is making a homemade chocolate cake pudding! Omgosh its delicious! Also, I enjoy eating all kinds of chocolate!

Winner Number Two:

Shannon from Tri to Cook (comment number 57)–you won your choice of chocolate! Here’s what Shannon wrote:

my favorite thing to do with chocolate is pair it with nut butter in baking or just as dessert!  i’m intrigued by the matcha bar, as I have been meaning to play with a little matcha i picked up…

Congratulations, Ladies!  Would you please email me at dietdessertdogs AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address so that I can get your prizes out to you asap?

I’ll be back later today with food–and food for thought.

I hope everyone had a rockin’* New Year’s Eve on Thursday night.  The HH and I enjoyed a very relaxed, casual dinner at our place with my friend the Nutritionista and her husband (more Indian food, Caesar salad, and bubbly: the boys drank champagne; the gals had sparkling water and cranberry juice).  Many thanks to you all for your lovely new year’s wishes!  There’s no doubt that 2009 was made better for me because of all of you. 

I’ve been doing some ruminating** about the year to come and, as usual,  wrote up my 5-year plan (and will share some of the outcomes with y’all–a bit later).  But for now, it’s time for that marble cake post I promised!

Although Chiffon Cake was her specialty, for special occasions (or if she just didn’t have enough eggs in the house), my mom would bake her favorite marble cake.  It was a light, single layer in a square pan with a visible marbling pattern on top and running through each of the slices. Though I ate my fair share of the cake, I always wondered, why is she spoiling a great chocolate cake with so much vanilla? 

Okay, I’ll concede that the dual flavors do render the cake prettier than an all-chocolate, monochromatic brown, what with those deep golden swirls intermingling throughout with the chocolate. Apart from the aesthetic appeal, though, I could never understand why someone would choose to eat a slice of cake that’s half vanilla when they could have one that was entirely chocolate. Just me, I guess.

As I got older, I learned that, in the world of favorite flavors, you’re either a chocolate person or a vanilla person. Sure, you can claim to like both, but when it comes right down to it, most people favor one over the other.  Take my cousin Marketing Guru (MG), for instance.  When my sisters and I were kids, we’d spend a few weeks every summer visiting my Boston cousins.  One of the highlights was the drive along Route 9 to Friendly’s ice cream parlour (particularly exciting, since Friendly’s doesn’t exist in Canada), where we’d eye the mind-boggling array of flavors on the chalk board.  Inevitably, the scene went something like this:

Server [leaning over the counter to see our six year-old faces]:  Hi, there, kids, what can I get you today?

Ricki: What flavors do you have?

Server [reading the board]: Okay, well, let’s see; today we’ve got vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, butter crunch, purely pistachio, cookies ‘n cream, Vienna Mocha Chunk, fudge swirl, peanut butter chocolate cup, mint chocolate chip, cherry cheesecake, maple walnut, chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate almond chip, Neopolitan, orange mango smoothie, butter pecan, cherry vanilla, black raspberry, coffee, peppermint stick and Royal Banana Split Sundae. 

MG:  I’ll have vanilla.

Ricki:  I’ll have chocolate.

Okay, perhaps I exaggerate just a wee bit.  Sometimes I took Double Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge and sometimes MG took French Vanilla. 

I th0ught of MG and our ice cream forays after I’d baked up this marble cake.  I mean, doesn’t MG deserve to love his vanilla as much as I love my chocolate? Maybe, I reasoned, vanilla serves an essential purpose for those of us who favor chocolate: unassuming vanilla serves to help us appreciate chocolate all the more, just as jalapenos help us appreciate the soothing cool of yogurt, just as camping in the rain helps us appreciate our snuggly beds at home, just as winter helps us appreciate the long, dry heat of summer (though to be honest, I don’t need any help appreciating summer, even if winter didn’t exist.  I’m sure I would love summer even without the snow and sleet and ice and bone-chilling mornings and snow shovelling and fifteen layers of woolens and cars refusing to start and frozen toes inside clumsy boots.  But you get the idea).  

Since then, I’ve developed a newfound regard for vanilla and all that it stands for. 

Hello, Vanilla.  I’ve neglected you in the past, but now I realize how unfair I’ve been. We need you in our lives, Vanilla. After all, you function as an essential foil for chocolate, highlighting it wherever you go. You are the airy, radiant yang to chocolate’s brooding, dusky yin. Vanilla, I appreciate how your aromatic perfume sits in contrast to the tannic, bittersweet scent of chocolate in that marble cake. Your light, swirling curls and whorls of gold compel me to notice my favored flavor all the more intensely.  With you, Vanilla, I appreciate the uniqueness of chocolate all the more. 

Vanilla, I couldn’t do without you. Vanilla, You. Complete. Me.

Oops–got a little carried away there (apologies to Renee Zellweger).  But vanilla does complete this marble cake, and I finally “get” the appeal of marble as opposed to all-chocolate. So bake some up for yourself, and enjoy a little slice of flavors in perfect harmony.

* That would be in the “lots of great music, fun, friends and family” sense of the word, not the “Dick Clark on TV” sense of the word.

**That would be in the “thinking long and hard” sense of the word, not the “eating like a cow” sense of the word.

[Until January 4th, you can also win a chocolate-based baking kit!  Click here for more info and to enter.]

My Mother’s Marble Cake

This traditional marble cake provides a perfect balance between moist chocolate and vanilla batters.  A perfect cake to serve to guests or with a steaming cup of tea for an afternoon break.

2 oz (55 g) fine quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I used Cocoa Camino)

2 Tbsp (30 ml) plain or vanilla soy, almond or rice milk

3/4 c (135 g) Sucanat or other unrefined evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup (60 ml) agave nectar, light or dark

3/4 c (180 ml) plain or vanilla almond, soy or rice milk

2 Tbsp (30 ml) finely ground flax seeds

1/3 cup (80 ml) sunflower or other light-tasting oil, preferably organic

1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract

1 tsp (5 ml) pure almond extract

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) apple cider vinegar

1-3/4 c (245 g) light spelt flour

1 Tbsp (30 ml) baking powder

1/8 tsp (.5 ml) baking soda

1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).  Line a 9×9″ (22.5 cm) square pan with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.

In a small heavy-bottomed pot over lowest heat possible, heat the chocolate and 2 Tbsp milk, stirring constantly, until most of the chocolate is melted.  Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the Sucanat, agave nectar and milk; stir until Sucanat is mostly dissolved.  Add the flax, oil, applesauce, vanilla, almond extract and apple cider vinegar and mix well. 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until well blended.  Pour about half the batter into the prepared pan (it doesn’t have to be exact).

Stir about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the remaining batter into the melted chocolate until combined, then scrape the chocolate mixture into the bowl and stir gently to create the chocolate batter. 

Drizzle the chocolate batter over the vanilla in a haphazard pattern.  Using a knife or small spatula, swirl the chocolate and vanilla batters a few times to create a marbled effect (I folded the batter over three or four times, as if folding in egg whites, then pulled the knife straight through the batter in the outline of a square, parallel to the sides of the pan). Avoid marbling too much, though, or the two batters will combine into one light chocolate cake!

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until cake tests done in the center.  Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Makes 12-16 pieces.  May be frozen.

Last Year at this Time: Chickpea Pancakes and Peas in a Creamy Curry Sauce

Two Years Ago: Pear and Ginger Mini-Loaves or Muffins

©2010 Diet, Dessert and Dogs