Healthy Labor Day Desserts

When I was younger, 25 or so years ago I went through a time where everything we ate was going to be healthy. I bought carob instead of chocolate, sugar substitute instead of sugar, and so on, and so on. While I thought I was doing something to make my family's life easier and better tasting--they did not share my feelings. At that time I had two little girls who let me know very quickly that they were onto what I was doing and in no way did carob taste like chocolate and who wants "fake" sugar when the real thing tastes better. However the recipes I used are still in my box (yes, I actually have a recipe box---2 of them!) and I've wondered if I would ever get the chance to use those recipes again.

Now that I'm older I should be using those recipes because my husband had a quadruple bypass when he was 49 and battles diabetes. Should I be held responsible for that? I guess not....his cardiologist told him it was stress related from his high stress job. (Whew, I'm off the hook.) BUT I'm still intrigued by the idea of using these recipes.

Fructose and honey can be used in place of sugar in many recipes, also corn syrup or molasses. Just adjust liquid to make up for the sweet liquids you are adding. Fructose and corn syrup also make baked goods "soft" in other words, cookies or brownies will have a softer texture than those baked with sugar as the sweet ingredient.
Fructose, honey and corn syrup are also metabolized by the body differently than sugar is. Another something you might be interested in knowing is to have everything at room temperature before using.

TENDER POUND CAKE: 1 cup butter-room temperature; 1 2/3 cup fructose; 6 eggs, room temperature; 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1 cup heavy cream, whipped and unsweetened. Cream butter on high speed of mixer until very fluffy; add fructose and beat 2 minutes. Add eggs, beating 2 minutes after each addition. Add vanilla and flour, stirring on low just to mix. Fold in whipped cream and pour into greased and floured 9x5 inch pan. Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour or untl done.

Another CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKE RECIPE: 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup wheat germ; 1/2 cup cocoa; 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder; 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine; 1 cup honey; 3/4 cup fructose; 3 eggs; 2 tsp. vanilla; 2 tsp. lemon peel; 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini; 1/2 cup milk; 1 cup chopped nuts; 1 cup raisins. Stir dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter, add fructose and beat well. Add honey and eggs, beat until creamy. Stir in vanilla, lemon peel and zucchini; then add dry mixture alternately with milk. Stir in nuts and raisins and put into a well-greased tube pan and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

PUMPKIN BUNDT CAKE: 1 cup vegetable oil; 3 eggs; 2 cups canned pumpkin; 2 cups fructose; 1/4 cup honey; 2 3/4 cups unbleached flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. soda; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tsp. allspice; 1/2 tsp. ginger; 1/2 tsp. cloves; 1 cup raisins; 1 cup chopped nuts. Beat oil, eggs, pumpkin, fructose and honey until well mixed. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Stir in raisins and nuts. Put in greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees...cool for 15 minutes and invert. (Be sure cake has cooled completely before you invert.)

STRAWBERRY PIE: 3 pints fresh strawberries; 2/3 cup fructose; 3 Tbsp. minute tapioca; 1 (9 inch) pie shell baked and cooled; 1 cup heavy cream whipped and sweetened. Wash and cap strawberries. Place 2 cups strawberries in blender and puree. Combine pureed strawberries with 2/3 cup fructose and tapioca in double boiler. Stir over boiling water until thickened---5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and quick-chill in ice water. Add remaining strawberries, folding into thickened mixture until all strawberries are coated. Turn into pie shell, cover with whipped cream and chill.

PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY PIE: 4 eggs; 1 cup honey; 1/3 c. fructose; 1/2 cup natural style peanut butter; 1/2 tsp. vanilla; 1 cup chopped peanuts; 1 (9 inch) baked pie shell; 1/2 pint heavy cream; 2 Tbsp. fructose. Beat eggs with honey and fructose; add peanut butter and vanilla--beat until creamy. Stir in peanuts and turn into 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool completely and refrigerate. Just before serving whip cream, sweeten with 2 Tbsp. fructose. Cover pie with cream and serve. Note: The top of the pie will be hard because peanuts rise to the top and form a crunchy coating.

Now note.....healthy to me means that we should be using ingredients that our bodies metabolize easily. Heck, a person could eat like a rabbit all their life and still have cholesterol problems simply because of genetics! Remember...all things in moderation. Never think that healthy means doing without good taste.