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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fabulous Book for Anyone With Multiple Food Sensitivities, November 10, 2009
This review is from: I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat... (Paperback)
Before Nicolette's book actually arrived, I made her Traditional Apple Cobbler with Amaranth Topping - I saw the recipe on a blog. If you've never had amaranth, it has a distinctly delicious earthy flavor. This was the first time I'd ever eaten amaranth. I took a bite, wasn't sure if I liked it, took another bite, and thought, hmm...this is good. It's different, but it's good. And I felt good after I ate it. I was, however, confused as to why she chose this particular flour given that it's flavor takes some getting used to.
After spending some time with Nicolette's book, I could clearly see that her intention was to create not just one version of a recipe, but multiple versions so that regardless of your food allergy, you could find a recipe that works for you. She has not just one cobbler topping but ten - so if you can't eat buckwheat you have 9 other options for a delicious cobbler topping. Genius.
This recipe is not just a cookbook - it educates the reader about flours, how to work with them, and even how to trouble-shoot some of the trickier issues when cooking for food allergies. Options abound in this book - including sweeteners. She uses variety of healthier products, including agave, juice concentrates, steiva, date sugar, and fruit sweet. She gives tips for eating well while maintaining a healthy weight, too, and discusses which sweeteners are best suited for certain goals or health conditions, such as diabetes.
Not every recipe is gluten-free, as this book addresses the entire range of food sensitivities. I think it's what I love most about this book - if you have food sensitivities of any sort there is something in here that will work for you.
More than anything, though, what struck me is how deeply Nicolette cares about helping others find the right foods for them and helping them to live a full life, including fabulous food that is nourishing and delicious.
I've made her carrot cookies, which I find myself thinking about from time to time. I also love her Amaranth Carob Brownies. My husband, who has no need for dietary restrictions, came back for seconds and thirds. These don't taste like your traditional brownie - but they are oh-so-good.
Also, she uses a loaf pan to bake these in so you can make a smaller amount at a time - which works for me because there's only two of us. I left them out for a couple of days and the leftovers went in the freezer, which after 20 seconds in the microwave taste like they're fresh out of the oven.
I am happy to have Nicolette's book as a resource and guide in the kitchen.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful dessert options for those with multiple dietary restrictions, October 8, 2009
This review is from: I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat... (Paperback)
The Queen of the Rotation Diet has done it again! In her latest book, Nicolette Dumke has created many dessert options for those that struggle with food allergies, sensitivities, intolerance, and celiac disease. She begins by offering helpful tricks to make dessert-making easy, and explains all the of ingredients (she also includes a section to help you locate those ingredients that may be a bit unusual). The next 200+ pages are filled with treat after treat with many different variations provided to suit a combination of dietary restrictions. I own and use many special diet cookbooks, and I can honestly say that this one gave me many new ideas.
I first tried the Traditional Apple Cobbler with Amaranth Topping. Sweetened with only apple juice concentrate, it was delicious and comforting...and it passed the test with my husband who does not have dietary restrictions! Then I made the Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies. Knowing that quinoa is a "super food" that can provide key nutrients to the GF diet, I wanted to see how it performs in a dessert recipe. These cookies also turned out great - I'm not saying they were exactly like "real" chocolate chip cookies, but they had a wonderful texture, great flavor, and satisfy a sweet tooth without refined sugar. My husband polished these off as well! My next experiment was the Banana Bread made with millet. YUM! This is absolutely fantastic in both taste and texture...I haven't shared it yet!
I'm definitely not done trying creations from this book - I've got my eye on the no grain pie crust made with coconut, the buckwheat brownies, and the various frosting possibilities. There is a chapter dedicated to recipes "especially for guests," ie dishes that you could serve others because they likely won't be able to tell that they are made with alternative grains/seeds and sweeteners. I think this is a very nice touch.
Although this cookbook does not contain pictures, I highly recommend it. Pictures would just take up space and probably jack the price way up. If you are interested in lots of different options, this book is for you. Dumke has clearly tested her recipes for taste and texture. She knows her stuff! As someone with celiac disease and multiple food sensitivities, I'm thrilled to be able to make great-tasting desserts, most of which have a decent amount of nutritional value.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Deceiving title could cause health problems, January 22, 2011
This review is from: I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat... (Paperback)
This book title is very misleading!
I am sensitive to gluten, wheat, milk, corn, soy and sugar.
The title, "I Love Dessert but NOT Sugar, Wheat, Milk, Gluten, Corn, Soy, Unhealthy Fat" implies that the book contains no recipes containing those ingredients. It has MANY. It combines recipe variations containing wheat (gluten), with those that are gluten free in the same recipe and could easily be misread.
Do your research on agave sweetener, included in many recipes in this book. Agave is touted as a low glycemic, when in reality it is quite high on the glycemic index and not safe for diabetics.
If you are celiac or gluten intolerant, do your own research about whether some of the ingredients, especially flours in some of these recipes are healthy or safe for you. Barley is HIGH in gluten and in many of these recipes. Chances are, restricting gluten has caused other imbalances in your system that some of these ingredients may spike.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who wishes to eat healthily, especially those with multiple food sensitivities.
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