Customer Reviews

Sweet and Natural: More Than 120 Sugar-Free and Dairy-Free Desserts

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this cookbook. It has great information on all types of sweeteners and goes through many different types of oils and flours too. The main ingredients she uses in this book for sweeteners are brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup and some have maple syrup. It is pretty easy to find the ingredients and the directions are easy to follow although I am a fairly experienced baker so I do "add lib" when I cook and find that the end result has been great. I made the lemon cake with the sauce but minus the lemon tofu cream because I have a slight allergy to soy. Tofu is definately a required taste and she uses very little in this book and it can easily be omitted.
She does use carob in some recipes so if you do not like carob you can just use cocoa powder or non dairy tropical source chocolate chips. There are quite a few color photos too.
I look forward to making more recipes from this book and the book is worth buying just for the eye opening info she provides on chemicals and how some of our ingredients are processed. It really motivates you to try to find a more natural alternative.

The author is so clearly an expert in her field for the way she explains and clarifies her information. She helps you understand the ingredients in the recipes and the need for wholewheat pastry flour, natural sweeteners instead of refined sugar, dairy and its alternatives. I try to live dairy free and have used her information when explaining to friends my lifestyle. The recipes are fabulous. The Apple Crisp was a hit at Thanksgiving dinner. No one knew there wasn't sugar, eggs, and bleached flour in the dessert they raved about! Should be on the bookshelves of bakers who care about there family's health but want to create great desserts.

Meredith McCarty has succeeded in providing us with a guide to healthy dessert making while being very conscientious of a totally vegan lifestyle. Everything we've tasted from the recipes in this book have been delicious and straighforward to make. The book's also packed full of explanations of how certain ingredients won't work, gives suggestions on ones that will and offers gorgeous pictures of the finished product.

I highly recommend this to all vegans looking for desserts to serve family and friends alike!

Beautifully written and very delicious. I can't believe tha tmy
my first Vegan pastry was a great public success.

If you are looking for a wonderful natural cookbook with yummy recipes...congrats...you found it. I have been using this book over and over. Even my co workers love most of the things I bake. I love to bake and I have MANY cookbooks...some natural, some regular...but this one is the best. I love the use of something other than white flour, sugars, and dairy. As I have said...It is YUMMAROO!

Pretty good book if you need to eliminate foods with sugar and dairy. It has pretty good recipes that even kids will like.

i bought this book with high hopes as we are making the switch to whole foods cooking/baking but do enjoy our desserts. unfortunately, i will have to keep looking - this is not it. the author seems more interested in presentation than taste. i spent $7 for tofu for the lemon cake and we didn't care for it at all - we threw it away. i followed the recipe to the letter and thought there were too many steps not to mention the taste was bland and the cake didn't keep well. i just made the cranberry bread again following the recipe to the letter and was very disappointed in the results. it didn't raise over 1 1/2 inches with 2 tsp. of the aluminum free baking powder plus baking soda!! i realize whole foods cooking/baking is different and the results may be somewhat different but i was not prepared for that much difference.

We made the Chocolate Chip Cookies from p. 221, which are vegan. They had a funny taste from the brown rice syrup (sort of sour after) and the use of water. They didn't have enough fat, or flavor for me. There are no eggs or milk or butter in this recipe, just oil, and the chocolate chips are malt sweetened. I applaud her efforts, and will try some others in this book. Desserts that are fairly healthy are a worthy pursuit. And many sound delicious.

If you are cutting back on sugar and missing dessert this book is an excellent introduction. With easy to follow receipes that even beginners can cook. And even the more advanced can use this as a jumping off point.