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 (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ricki Heller is a holistic nutritionist and writer whose world--and health--changed dramatically when she was first diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in the 1990s. After adopting a wheat-free, egg-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free diet, her health improved so much that she was able to stop taking medication for IBS that she'd been on for 16 years. She also lost 45 pounds without dieting.

Now an advocate for a whole foods, sugar free lifestyle, Ricki teaches cooking classes across the Greater Toronto Area, writes for magazines and newspapers, and maintains her popular food blog, Diet, Dessert and Dogs (http://dietdessertndogs.com). She has appeared on CTV's national morning show as well as a variety of Toronto-based television programs to discuss healthy eating. In 2010, her first cookbook, Sweet Freedom, was awarded Honorable Mention in the Cuisine Canada Culinary Book Awards, and is one of only three cookbooks recommended on Ellen DeGenere's website.

Since March, 2009, Ricki has followed an entirely gluten-free diet and is now working on a second cookbook of recipes, all of which are free of the top 8 food allergens. She lives and works in Vaughan, Ontario, with her husband and two lab-border collie cross dogs.

Customer Reviews

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 (vancouver, bc, canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IMPORTANT CORRECTIONS TO THE BOOK!, August 21, 2009

By 

R. Heller (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (Paperback)

Thanks to everyone who bought the book--and thanks for considering it!

To anyone purchasing the book, please note there are 3 corrections to this edition. You can find them on the cookbook blog as well. They are: 1) Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Cookies: please add 1 cup whole spelt flour to the dry ingredients. 2) Chocolate Layer Cake: please add 1/2 cup sunflower oil to the wet ingredients. 3) Glazed Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake: please add 2/3 cup light agave nectar to the wet ingredients. These errors are being corrected for the 2nd edition, due out in some time in 2011!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Alisa Marie Fleming "GoDairyFree.org" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Freedom: Desserts You'll Love without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar (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!