Crawley - Practically Raw Desserts

Practically Raw Desserts

Flexible Recipes for All-Natural Sweets and Treats

Amber Shea Crawley

Vegan Heritage Press

Woodstock Virginia

Smashwords Editon

Copyright 2013 by Amber Shea Crawley

Practically Raw Desserts: Flexible Recipes for All-Natural Sweets and Treats by Amber Shea Crawley (Copyright 2013 by Amber Shea Crawley)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except in the context of reviews and fair reference, without written permission from the publisher.

E-Book ISBN: 9780988949201

Vegan Heritage Press books are available at quantity discounts. For information, please visit our website at www.veganheritagepress.com or write the publisher at Vegan Heritage Press, P.O. Box 628, Woodstock, VA 22664-0628 or via http://www.veganheritagepress.com.

Photos: Cover photos by the author (clockwise from top left): German Chocolate Cake; Tropical Fruit Tartlets; Strawberries & Crme Tart; Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies; Ice Creams; author photo by Russell James. Interior recipe photos by the author.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this book should not be taken as medical advice. If you require a medical diagnosis or prescription, or if you are contemplating any major dietary change, please consult a qualified health-care provider. You should always seek an expert medical opinion before making changes in your diet or supplementation regimen.

Publishers Note: The information in this book is correct and complete to the best of our knowledge. Website addresses and contact information were correct at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for specific health or allergy issues or adverse reactions to recipes contained in this book.

To all my blog readers and online friends of chefambershea.com: Your years of support and readership mean the world to me!

Flexibility, Ingredients, Tips, and Tricks

Everyone seems to be seeking healthier alternatives to traditional snacks and sweets, whether it means foods low in added sugars, comprised of whole, natural, unprocessed ingredients, or free of animal-based products. In addition, interest in raw food is growing at a fevered pace, as are the gluten- and allergen-free markets, soy- and oil-free dieting, attention to the glycemic index of food and sweets, and even grain-free/paleolithic styles of eating. It is rare for all these audiences to be satisfied by a single food, but it is rarer still - in fact, thus far, it is unheard of - to find all these considerations addressed in an entire collection of dessert recipes - until now!

Practically Raw Desserts: Flexible Recipes for All-Natural Sweets and Treats is a treasure trove of delectable raw cakes, cookies, bars, brownies, pies, puddings, candies, pastries, and even frozen treats. All of the recipes in this book can be made 100% raw or adapted to a non-raw kitchen. For every recipe, I provide numerous ingredient substitution possibilities as well as the option to bake, instead of dehydrate, any of my treats that require it. Besides being refreshingly flexible, every recipe in this book has the added bonus of being free of dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, peanuts, corn, refined grains, refined sugars, yeast, starch, and other nutrient-poor ingredients. Many recipes are free of grains, oils, nuts, and added sugars as well, and when theyre not, I often provide variations to make them so. As in my first book, Practically Raw, a nutritional breakdown is included with every recipe.

Most importantly, these desserts are mouthwateringly scrumptious. Inside Practically Raw Desserts, youll find everything from family favorites like Sugar Cookie Cutouts and Key Lime Pie to innovative or exotic delicacies like Austrian Sacher Torte and Baklava Blondies. The result is a collection of tantalizing and accessible sweets and treats that are sure to impress and delight.

Whether youre trying to eliminate allergens, watch your sugar or grain intake, or simply feed your family cleaner treats; whether you subscribe to a diet based on whole, natural foods; or whether youre avoiding animal products - or any, all, or even none of the above - my practically raw desserts have plenty of sweet rewards to offer you.

Everyone deserves to have some sweet treats in their diet. I, for one, couldnt do without them. If were going to indulge our taste buds in a decadent dessert, why not reap some nutritional and lifestyle benefits at the same time?

For Your Health

Nutrient dense: Raw desserts are packed with healthy, unprocessed ingredients that contain their full spectrum of undisturbed vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Water-soluble vitamins (including vitamin C and all B-complex vitamins) and antioxidants, which are susceptible to heat damage and are often lost through the processes of cooking and baking, are abundant in raw treats.

Healthy fats: Certain fats, especially delicate unsaturated fats (including essential fatty acids like omega-3s and -6s), are extremely sensitive to heat and can turn into trans fats when cooked. As often as possible, you should eat your fats in their raw forms to avoid the carcinogenic potential of heated fats and oils that can so easily turn rancid. Raw desserts, naturally, contain only healthy raw fats!

Enzymes: Also killed by heat, the food enzymes present in raw desserts can potentially aid our own digestive enzymes in breaking down and absorbing nutrients in the stomach.

Fiber and protein: My treats are significantly higher in both fiber and protein than conventional baked goods.

Allergen-free: Raw desserts are naturally free of most common allergens, such as gluten, wheat, soy, eggs, milk, and peanuts. The notable exception to this is tree nuts, which are common in raw food, but I made sure to include plenty of nut-free recipes and variations in this book as well! You can enjoy raw desserts without worrying about the majority of common food allergies and intolerances and the gastrointestinal distress they can cause.

Elimination of processed foods: White flours, refined sugars, and other over-processed ingredients are nowhere to be found in wholesome raw desserts.

For Your Lifestyle

Practical: The vast majority of these recipes dont need to be dehydrated or baked at all, and when they do, I provide directions on how to make them in a dehydrator or an oven (and sometimes even a third option to freeze or serve as-is!). Im not fussy about making sure everything is truly rawyoull see I like to use non-raw ingredients such as maple syrup and plain old-fashioned rolled oats sometimes. My substitution lists will often give you non-raw options to swap in for raw ingredients.

Flexible: Speaking of substitution lists, I provide one with every recipe. If you dont have ingredient x, dont hesitate to sub in ingredient y from the list below the recipe. I strive to make my recipes doable by anyone and everyone, no matter what your budget (or pantry) looks like.

Speedy to make: Raw desserts are the ultimate in instant gratification. Almost all the recipes in this book can be put together in 30 minutes or less, without ever having to turn on an oven!

Low-maintenance: Baked goods can be finickyyou often have to treat batters and doughs delicately and take care not to overmix or overbake things. Raw treats are far more forgiving.

Customizable: You can always feel free to flex your pastry chef muscles with my recipes. Try any of my ideas for tweaks and variations, or invent your own. Be creative and have fun with it.