Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar [Paperback]

Ricki Heller (Author, Photographer), Jenni Mischel (Editor), Cameron Kerr (Cover Design), Charles Lidstone (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2009

PLEASE NOTE: The recipes are all wheat-free, but they are not all gluten free. About 1/3 of the recipes in the book are gluten free.

Sweet Freedom proves that you can have your cake, and great health too! With over 100 original, innovative sweet treats using whole, natural, unprocessed ingredients and NO refined sugar, eggs, dairy or wheat, Sweet Freedom offers up foolproof recipes for muffins, scones, and other breakfast baking; cookies and bars; cakes and cupcakes; pies and tarts; puddings and other creamy desserts; and no-bake treats.

You'll find recipes for classics such as chocolate layer cake with chocolate "buttercream" frosting, chocolate chip cookies, coffeecakes, pecan pie, apple cake, oatbran banana muffins, sugar-free sugar cookies and shortbread, along with some more unusual treats that contain vegetables, avocado, or whole fruits for their health-promoting properties. Many of the recipes are adapted from best-selling products from Heller's organic bakery, Bake It Healthy. All recipes are lactose free, casein free and cholesterol free, and about one third are also gluten free. The desserts are great for anyone with food sensitivities, lactose intolerance, or allergies to eggs or dairy--and anyone who simply wants to eat healthier options for their desserts.

 With a full chapter on ingredients and substitutions, six full color pages of photographs, icons to indicate allergen-free ingredients (such as soy-free, corn-free, nut-free and gluten-free) on each recipe, a full index by recipe and ingredient, and both Imperial and Metric measurements, Sweet Freedom proves that a healthy lifestyle can be sweet!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"  . . . you'll discover that you can have amazing desserts without eggs, dairy, refined sugars or any artificial ingredients."
--Ellen DeGeneres, on her website ("Books Ellen Reads")

"The finished products are as silky, crispy, fragrant, creamy, tender or fudgy as any conventional dessert. You will not feel deprived in any way."
--Lesleigh Landry, Cuisine Canada Scene

"Those who must avoid wheat, eggs, dairy and refined sugars will revel in the glorious array of cookies, cakes, pies, bars and more. Ricki's recipes are straightforward and easy to accomplish. . . " --Nava Atlas, bestselling cookbook author

"This cookbook is a wonderful resource for anyone who loves sweets but wants healthier options. Highly recommended!" --Norene Gilletz, bestselling author of Norene's Healthy Kitchen

"Sweet Freedom offers imaginative, refreshing recipes that transform. . . allergy-free ingredients into scrumptious sweet treats. Ricki's approachable voice is inviting to home cooks of all levels."
--Dreena Burton, author of Vive le Vegan

From the Back Cover

At last, the 'proof is in the pudding'--Healthy baking does not have to be bland or boring! Sweet Freedom offers imaginative, refreshing recipes that transform wholesome and allergy-free ingredients into scrumptious sweet treats. Ricki's friendy, approachable voice is inviting to home cooks of all levels to strap on their aprons and bake right along with her. . . in a style that is both healthful AND delicious. Now, that's SWEET FREEDOM!
 --Dreena Burton, bestselling author of Eat, Drink & Be Vegan


My kids and I love Ricki's baked goods. If you think it's not possible to have delicious baked goods that are free of butter, refined sugars and wheat, think again. You will be surprised and delighted. Ricki's enthusiasm for healthy treats shines through in every recipe. Enjoy!
--Caroline Dupont, author of Enlightened Eating


Those who must avoid wheat, eggs, dairy and refined sugars will revel in the glorious array of cookies, pies, cakes, bars and more. Ricki's recipes are straightforward and easy to accomplish for those of us who aren't master bakers. This is sure to be my go-to book for delicious, healthy baked goods.
--Nava Atlas, best-selling author of Vegan Express, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, and more

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (April 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425176933
• ISBN-13: 978-1425176938
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ricki Heller is the voice behind the popular food blog Diet, Dessert and Dogs, which celebrates sugar-free, gluten-free, allergy-friendly whole foods through a low-glycemic, vegan lifestyle. With over 600 foolproof recipes, humorous anecdotes and comments from two chatty canines, the blog illustrates Ricki's philosophy that "a healthy lifestyle CAN be sweet." In 2011, Diet, Dessert and Dogs was nominated for the SHAPE Magazine "Best Healthy Eating Blog" and as a "Best Healthy Cooking Blog" by The Kitchn in 2013.

Ricki's first cookbook, Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar caught the eye of Ellen DeGeneres and is one of only three cookbooks recommended on DeGeneres's website. In addition to Sweet Freedom, Ricki has written three anti-candida ebooks. Her second major cookbook is Naturally Sweet and Gluten Free: 100 Allergy Friendly Vegan Desserts, published by Sellers Publishing in 2013.

After being diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Ricki first began to change her eating habits and realized how much the food we eat influences or health. Later, after suffering from candida and following an anti-candida diet for more than 3 years, she determined to learn more about the healing power of foods and obtained her Registered Holistic Nutritionist designation.

These days, Ricki still shares her recipes through her blog, books, speaking engagements and by teaching cooking classes in the Toronto area. She is an Associate Editor for the hugely popular Simply Gluten-Free magazine, for which she writes a regular column. Her articles and recipes have also appeared in Clean Eating magazine, Living Without Magazine, Canadian Living Magazine, VegNews.com, The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Tonic Toronto and others. She's also a regular contributor to The Daily Digest (Attune Foods blog), The Balanced Platter and Fitalicious.com.

Ricki's television appearances include Canada AM, CityTV's Breakfast Television, as a featured guest on York Region Living, In the Know, and as a regular guest on Rogers' daytime (York Region and Toronto). She was also a speaker at the inaugural Nourished conference in Chicago in 2012.

Ricki lives and works in Vaughan, Ontario, with one husband and two lab-border collie cross dogs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and delicious baking book May 29, 2009

By ashley

Format:Paperback

I love this baking book and it's one that will hold a special place on my cookbook shelf. It's really opened my eyes to a new world of baking with better for you ingredients (ex. whole grains, unrefined sugars), and everything tastes so good that you won't miss anything. Some of my favourite recipes from this book are the cocoa nibbles, orange raisin tea biscuits, sunshine breakfast loaf, and peanut butter cookies.

The recipes are divided up into Breakfast Baking, Cookies Bars and Squares, Cakes Cupcakes Toppings and Frostings, Cheesecakes Pies and Baked Puddings, and Raw and No Bake Treats. The recipes are coded to indicate which are corn free, gluten free (or gluten free option), nut free (or nut free option), and soy free (or soy free option). Ricki also included a section on the ingredients she uses, including some awesome tips on how to convert conventional recipes to wheat free, dairy free and refined sugar free. And one thing I also love about the book is the amazing index - honestly so many cookbooks don't take the time to prepare a careful index or sometimes list things incorrectly or just not at all. But Ricki's is superb - you can look up both ingredients (like coconut oil) and categories (like cookies and bars).

If you love baking, get this book. If you have an interest in health and taking care of yourself (and the people around you) and you love baking, get this book. I really don't think you'll be disappointed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Consistently Delicious! July 16, 2009

By Alisa Marie Fleming

Format:Paperback

This cookbook is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorites. I have gradually been trying to reduce the refined sugars in my diet while sticking to whole grains, and Sweet Freedom is making it that much easier. Even my sugar-addicted husband loves the results! I have been in pancake mode, so I dove into the Fluffy Fruited Pancakes and the Carob and Date Pancakes right away. Both recipes produced pillowy pancakes that I will be making again and again, delicious! I also tried the Orange-Oat Muffins - you will have to try these to believe it yourself, but this is a truly ingenious recipe that makes wonderful breakfast muffins. I loved that they weren't too sweet, yet still breakfast-worthy and packed with zest.

In terms of the nuts and bolts, this is a wheat-free, vegan (no dairy, no eggs), and refined sugar-free cookbook. It isn't gluten-free (spelt, barley, and kamut flours are used), but there are gluten-free options for many of the recipes. The author does a great job in explaining the flours and sweeteners used, and she offers helpful tips throughout the cookbook. The recipes are very easy to follow, and they include both metric measurements and "U.S. measurements" right in the recipe to keep it simple for everyone. Also, for those with multiple food concerns, the recipes are labeled to note if they are also gluten-free, nut-free, and / or soy-free. You also won't believe the index! It is obvious that this author pays close attention to detail.

I really can't recommend this cookbook enough! Next up, the Lemon Blueberry Scones and the Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Cookies!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It truly is Sweet Freedom May 16, 2009

By Vegyogini

Format:Paperback

Sweet Freedom is full of DELICIOUS, healthy, desserts that are safe for those with food allergies. Whether you're seeking a healthier version of a childhood favorite, you're looking for a new and innovative dessert, or you're looking to prepare dessert for someone in your life who has food allergies, this book will provide all you need. Among my favorite recipes (and I haven't made all of them yet) are the Crispy Fruit Chews (like Rice Krispies treats, but far more tasty), Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons, Butterscotch Blondies, Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, Easiest Almond Cookies, Twice-Spiced Ginger Cookies, and Sweet Harvest Muffins. I can't wait to bake more from this book!

In addition to the incredible recipes, Ricki Heller writes with beautiful, captivating prose to tell engaging stories that will keep you reading this cookbook as if it were a novel.

Buy the book, bake up some wonderful desserts, and enjoy!