Just because we don’t eat sugar doesn’t mean we don’t want dessert, right?! Here are a few of my go to desserts. All of them are completely free from grains and refined sugar and also natural sugar substitutes like honey/agave/maple syrup as these are all just as sugary as each other. They are all gluten free/lactose free/soya free/ and most are vegan. The only sugar in some of these recipes is a little bit of fruit sugar, and for those of you who literally can’t tolerate ANY sugar, even fruits/root veg for health reasons (like me!) there are some 100% sugar free recipes in here and guess what- some of them use CHOCOLATE, yep, that’s right, you CAN be 100% sugar free and still eat chocolate (in the form of raw cacao).

Paleo Pancake

This is grain free, and free of any refined sugar, it does contain eggs and the natural fruit sugar of a banana though, this pancake is a breakfast fit for a King or Queen, or (for Queens only) an unbeatable snack for one of those PMT-y evenings where you need something sweet and filling to make you feel better but don’t want to be unhealthy. This is it.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 banana

Yep. That’s all.

Plus a little bit of coconut oil to fry it in.

Method:

In a blender blend the eggs and banana together, can be in a food processor, a smoothie maker, or in bowl with a hand-held blender, either way, does the same job.

In a frying pan (a small-ish one is best if you have one as the mixture will spread to cover its entire surface) melt some coconut oil on a high-ish heat. Once melted and hot, pour in the pancake mix.

I advise AGAINST FLIPPING THIS PANCAKE! It ends in disaster more often than not. Instead, after cooking it on the bottom for a few minutes I then stick the pan under the grill to cook the top. Keep an eye on it, when it is ready it will have lots of little aerated holes on the surface and a little bit of colour.

Eat with the healthy toppings of your choice: sprinkle with berries and seeds and cinnamon/flaxseed/tahini… if you are carnivorous maybe eat with a few slices crispy bacon on top, yum (sorry Veggies/Vegans)

Chia Seed Carrot Cake Bowl:

This tastes like a big bowl of the healthiest carrot cake you have ever tasted. It’s everything free- gluten free/grain free, dairy free, soya free, sugar free, but not JOY free, it is yummy. Chia Seeds are an exceptional source of protein, fibre and are packed with omega 3s. You can use them as a grain substitute, and eating a bowl of Chia in this way will give you the same amount of energy as if you were to eat a bowl of porridge. I like to eat a big bowl of this for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast. (N.B. The chia seeds are best if soaked in the almond milk overnight so you want to do this the night before for eating the next day, they swell up like frogspawn- the tastiest frogspawn you’ve ever tasted! BUT even 15 minutes soaking will make them swell up pretty well, so you can do it quickly too if need be) The only ‘sugar’ in this is the carrot. Most people can easily tolerate the sugar in a carrot, but if you are like poor me, and temporarily can’t tolerate even the teensiest but of sugar in a carrot, then try my alternative: I substitute the carrot for finely chopped celery- still pretty tasty! Sometimes I don’t have the chia seed part but just have a bowl of the rest- carrot or celery topped with tasty things, a really quick, easy, and oh so healthy sugar free dessert.

Ingredients for one portion:

3 heaped tbsp Chia Seeds

250 ml of almond milk (unsweetened) – or cow’s milk if you can tolerate it, always go for full fat, and raw unpasturised if you can.

1 carrot (grated)

Sprinkle of some of or all of: Pumpkin seeds/Ground Almonds/Ground Flaxseed/Walnuts broken up into a few pieces/toasted sunflower seeds/cinnamon and nutmeg.

(if you want you could also add something like a couple of chopped dried prunes, these are much lower in sugar than raisins or dates and are very good for digestion)

1 heaped tbsp tahini drizzled over the top.

Method:

If eating for breakfast the next day: the night before put the 3 tbsp Chia Seeds into an empty jam jar, add the almond milk, if you think it needs a bit more liquid add a little more milk or water. Put on the lid and give it a good shake. Put in the fridge for the seeds to swell overnight.

N.B. Even if you soak the Chia Seeds for 30 mins they will still swell, so you can do this and eat it quicker, but the longer they have to soak, the better.

Once your Chia Seeds are like tasty frogspawn, mix and empty into a bowl.

If you want to eat it hot (hot Chia porridge is nice on a cold day) then warm in a pan or pop in the microwave.

Grate your carrot or chop your celery and pop it on top.

Then put all your yummy additions on the top: pumpkin seeds/broken walnuts/ground almonds/sunflower seeds/flaxseed/a good dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg, and finally drizzle with a big dollop of tahini, yum, enjoy!

Other options with Chia Seed Porridge:

Eat with some berries and dessicated coconut on top. Grate a green apple on top and sprinkle with seeds, cinnamon and tahini. Stir in a heaped tsp of raw cacao powder (like co co pops, but for adults, and insanely healthy).

Baked Spiced Apple with Yogurt and Nut and Seed Grain Free Granola:

Again, there is a small amount of natural fruit sugar here in the apple, but the greener the apple you use, the better. I would say that if you can use a Bramley cooking apple, then that’s the best, they have the least sugar of all apples. The next best would be a Granny Smith. The Nut and Seed Mix you can make a batch of in a food processor and it will keep for a week or two and you can use it as you would a granola (it is absolutely delicious and completely grain free!)

Ingredients for one portion:

1 Bramley or Granny Smith Apple

Cinnamon and Nutmeg

A big dollop of Co Yo coconut yogurt if you are dairy free. Or if you can tolerate lactose then full fat live yogurt, or even double cream. Full fat dairy is miles better than low fat, raw and unpasturised even better, it’s the sugar you need to worry about, not the fat, so cut the carbs and enjoy full fat dairy!

A few chopped dried prunes if you want some extra sweetness. I prefer these to raisins, raisins are just little sugar bombs.

For the Nut and Seed Granola, make a lot and you can store in an airtight container and use for a couple of weeks:

A few handfuls of different nuts and seeds, whatever you can get your hands on e.g. almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, ground flaxseed, dessicated coconut and cinnamon.

Method:

Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Core the apple and cut off the top, before putting the lid of the apple back on stuff the chopped prunes into it (if using), and dust liberally with cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg.

Bake for 25-30 mins, until soft and unctuous.

Make the Nut and Seed Mix by putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blending. Use any ratio of nuts and seeds you like, I think the additions of desiccated coconut and the cinnamon are really important though for ultimate tastiness, I would make sure I have those. You should have a fine-ish powdery like granola. Store what you are not using in an airtight container.

Get the apple out the oven, whack it in a bowl, dollop on your yogurt or cream, sprinkle over a couple of heaped tbsps of your Nut and Seed Granola and dust with a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg. Delicious.

Use your Nut and Seed Granola for more yummy desserts like this, instead of an apple maybe try a baked pear, or peach if you can tolerate that sugar. Or for breakfasts chop up an apple and add the mix, yogurt (or almond milk, or even full fat coconut milk- sometimes I empty a can of coconut milk – the kind you use for curries etc- into a plastic container and put in the fridge, 24 hours later it will have thickened to the consistency of cream, so I would then use in like the yogurt in this dessert recipe). Berries such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blueberries (berries are the lowest sugar fruits).

100% Sugar Free  Grain Free Chocolate Cake (Dairy Free but not Vegan, contains eggs)

Ingredients:

50g raw cacao powder (you can buy the Raw Chocolate Company’r raw cacao powder in most healthshops)

125ml boiling water

2 tsp vanilla extract (make sure it’s sugar free, or use vanilla bean paste or a fresh vanilla pod)- or leave it out.

150g ground almonds

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of good quality salt (e.g. pink himalayan or celtic sea salt)

3 organic free range eggs

Stevia- this acts as the sugar substitute. I do not advocate any other sugar substitute than stevia. The amount to add is not the easiest to work out. If you are using the sachets of ‘Truvia’ maybe add 8 (each is a tsp) and then taste. If you feel it needs to be sweeter, add more, but keep it as minimal as you can, Stevia has a very strong taste. If using liquid stevia, add a tbsp, taste, and add more if you have to.

150 ml olive oil (+ extra for greasing)

Method:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius

Grease a round cake tin (23cm) with olive oil and line with baking paper

Put the raw cacao in a heat proof bowl and whisk in the boiling water until the mixture is smooth, raw cacao takes a while to mix into water, just keep stirring, it will eventually.

Add the vanilla (extract, bean paste, inside of a fresh pod, if using)

In another bowl mix the dry ingredients- the ground almonds, salt and bicarbonate of soda.

Leave the cacao/water bowl to cool for a few minutes (you do not want scrambled eggs!) then add the olive oil, eggs and stevia to the ‘wet ingredients’ bowl and whisk well.

Then slowly stir in the ‘dry ingredients’ bowl- the ground almonds/salt and bicarb.

Once all mixed well (it will be a liquidy consistency) pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes (if you can, so it holds together) before demolishing.

100 % Sugar Free Dairy Free Absolutely To Die For Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate is so thick and creamy it is more like chocolate soup. You can have it as a dessert or as the best pick me up possible on a cold, rainy, windy, snowy, hormonal, weepy, whatever afternoon or evening. Again, this takes some advance preparation as the cashews need to be soaked overnight. So make sure to plan your hot chocolate in advance, you won’t regret it!

Ingredients:

This makes enough for a few people. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can always half the recipe. It is in ‘US Speak’ so uses cups. When I see this I just usually use the smallest cup I have and just go by that, I know that isn’t technically correct, but I am very slapdash in the kitchen and not a natural baker (as some of you know!) so do as I do, or measure your ‘cups’ accurately. Up to you.

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight)

3 cups water

1/4 cup of raw cacao powder

Stevia to sweeten (a sachet (tsp) or two, or a couple of drops if using liquid, adjust to taste)

Method:

The night before, or in the morning for the evening. Soak the cashews in water, why not just use 3 cups water here too, keep it consistent.

At least 8 hours later, drain the water from the cashews and rinse well.

Put the nuts in a blender with 3 cups fresh water and raw cacao. If you want to be fancy you could add a little pinch of pink Himalayan  salt here, or the inside of a fresh vanilla pod, or a dash of sugar free vanilla essence.

Blend until smooth. Really blend. Blend for ages to get the best consistency.

Transfer to a pot and heat on the hob until it is hot enough for you (just transfer the amount you want to drink right now, keep the rest in an airtight container in the fridge, but you can reheat it again even if you heat it all and have leftovers.)

Enjoy, mmm hot chocolately SUGAR FREE goodness! I want some now….

And finally, for now, my quickest go to dessert of all desserts that requires absolutely no preparation and is 100% sugar free and 110% mouth-wateringly delicious:

Co Yo yogurt with a tsp of raw cacao powder mixed in. To me, as someone who can’t eat any sugar at all, and so would think you can’t eat sweet creamy luxurious things, this is heaven.