Fruit

Sweet blueberries and juicy peaches remind me of summer. With its buttery biscuit topping, this cobbler brings back memories of backyard picnics and barbeques. Don’t forget the ice cream when serving this dessert. If you like, you can substitute the buttermilk with low-fat plain kefir, a cultured yogurtlike drink. Full of Lactobacillus acidophilus, a beneficial probiotic that aids in digestion, kefir is widely available at health food stores.

This apple crumble is the ultimate healthy-eating comfort food. Together the warm cinnamon apples and the rich walnut topping can’t be beat. Combining apples of mixed texture works best. A firm variety such as Golden Delicious will retain its shape and texture while a Cortland will lend itself beautifully to producing a thick, delicious sauce.

Here you have the Queen of Tarts: fresh figs and apricot jam are a wonderful counterpart to the sweet and tangy taste of the seasonal berries and kiwi.

While vacationing in Paris, I fell in love with the delicious fruit tarts. Here is my whole grain, sugar-free version with a fragrant frangipane filling made in the classic tradition using finely ground almonds. Now you can indulge and feel great afterwards. C’est magnifique.

Here’s a picture-perfect apple pie—filled mile high with juicy apples. Sprouted spelt flour makes the crust unbelievably flaky and easy to work with. Serve it hot with a generous helping of vanilla ice cream and listen to the raves. For a vegan version, use butter substitute instead of butter, and serve with Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (page 83).

I love lemon desserts. But lemon meringue pie was strictly off-limits to me since typically it’s all sugar. Not this one. It features a flaky, tender whole grain crust with a tart and tangy lemon filling topped with mounds of fluffy meringue—and not a single drop of sugar. Truly a lemon lover’s dream. The meringue may weep a bit after refrigeration, but this will not affect the taste or texture of the pie.

The crumbly cinnamon and almond topping gives this blueberry pie a sweet and crunchy crown. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a scrumptious dessert that will make you nostalgic for the good old days. Although you’ll need only 1 crust for this pie, I’d advise against cutting the piecrust recipe in half since it will make it difficult to handle. Instead, freeze the extra pie dough. You’ll be halfway done the next time your urge for pie comes up. Make this pie vegan by using butter substitute in the topping and crust.

This refreshing apple pie is made with enzyme-rich raw apples and contains no fat. Completely fat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, and wheat-free—it’s totally guilt-free.

This delicious vegan pie was another wildly popular dessert at my market bakery. The crumbly oat crust goes great with the cool, creamy filling. And, if awesome taste is not enough to tempt you, it’s quick and easy to prepare.

This blueberry topping can also be used over ice cream or yogurt.

Bananas and cream are a perfect combination made even better in a buttery walnut piecrust. Subtly sweet, this pie is a dessert for all seasons.

This is a new take on an old favorite. Dates add great flavor and texture to the creamy spiced filling in this vegan pie. The nutty pecan crust is the perfect contrast to the velvety smooth pumpkin filling. Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to try this one!

Okay, so why are these called Hopsie’s Cupcakes? Because they’re made with lots of garden veggies, like zucchini and carrots, and that’s what our pet bunny, Hopsie, loves to eat. My daughter, Sofia, told me during our testing of this recipe that these would be great for Hopsie. She, of course, loves them because they’re made with the stuff that Hopsie eats.

This is favorite autumn recipe that I like to serve at Halloween or Thanksgiving get-togethers. The little ones just love these moist, spicy cupcakes. They’re delicious with fat-free yogurt frosting, too.

I get raves when I make this cheesecake, and I’m sure you will, too.

A traditional summer treat, especially yummy when strawberries are in season. For the sweetest berries, nothing beats freshly picked. Adjust the amount of agave nectar you use in the filling depending on the sweetness of the berries.

This low-fat vegan cake is incredibly delicious served warm from the oven and topped with a cool lemon tofu crème. Using fresh ginger makes a great difference in its taste. I prefer this cake without the nuts and raisins, but others enjoy the texture and sweetness they add. Either way, this flavorful cake is sure to become a favorite of yours

This dense moist and delicious cake was a favorite at my restaurant, Sprouts. In scaling down the recipe (which made lots of cakes), I got down to these measurements. You’ll have a little batter left over for cupcakes. It’s great to freeze them for when the cake is all gone.

The texture of this cake is that of angel food cake, but made with whole grains, it has more substance than the white version.

This is a special vegan cake that’s an impressive dessert for dinner guests. The custard and fruit make a delightful topping that’s fat-free and looks like you toiled for hours over it.