All these recipes use xylitol - a natural sugar alternative - instead of regular sugar.  It is available at most health stores. Non-dairy alternatives to  cow's milk are also used.

Rice Pudding and Fruit Twist serves 2

100g brown basmati rice

210ml rice, oat or soya milk

100g natural yoghurt

4 tsp xylitol

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)

For the Fruit Twist

1lb cooking apples

100g raspberries

1 tbsp xylitol

1.      Put the rice and milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for15 mins until milk is absorbed.

2.      Add the yoghurt, xylitol and lemon juice. Stir and gently heat to melt the yoghurt and form a sauce.  Don’t let the mixture boil or the yoghurt will separate.

3.      Spoon into two small dishes and sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

4.      Heat the fruit twist ingredients together until reduced to a pulp – serve together with the rice pudding.

Lemon Cheesecake - serves 8

For the base

25g coconut butter

15g xylitol

50g ground almonds

25g finely chopped hazelnuts

25g finely chopped sunflower & pumpkin seeds

25g rough oatcakes

2 tsp ground ginger

Forthe filling

4 medium eggs

5 tbsp xylitol

275g low fat cream cheese

125g natural yoghurt

Finely grated zest of 8lemons

Juice of 2 lemons

½ tsp vanilla extract (natural)

4 tbsp cornflour

1.      Preheat the oven to 150oC/300oF/Gas 2 and line a medium sized oven proof quiche dish OR a cake tin with a removable bottom.

2.      Very gently melt the coconut oil in a pan (don’t allow to bubble) and add the xylitol.

3.      Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the base ingredients.

4.      Press the mixture into the base of your prepared cake tin and flatten down evenly.

5.      Bake for 10 mins – do not remove or mixture will crumble.

6.      Now increase oven temp to 170oC/325oF/Gas 3

7.      Blendall of the filling ingredients together until smooth.

8.      Carefully pour in the filling and if not using a oven proof quiche dish place a baking sheet underneath to catch any filling which oozes out the bottom.

9.      Bakefor 40 – 45 mins or until the filling is set.

10.  Allow to cool before serving – garnish with strawberries and mint leaves.

Apple & Almond Cake – serves 4

50g coconut butter or butter

50g xylitol

50g soya flour

½ tsp baking powder

50g ground almonds

50g flaked almonds or chopped walnuts

50z bramley apples (peeled, cooked and drained)

2 medium eggs

Pinch of cinnamon

2 largestrawberries

Small tub clotted cream (optional - if trying to lose weight you may prefer to leave this– your choice!)

1.      Preheat the oven to 180oc/350F/Gas Mark 4

2.      Arrange muffin cases in muffin tin.

3.      Cream the coconut butter/butter and xylitol together until soft & smooth.

4.      Stir in the soya flour, baking powder,  ground almonds until resembles breadcrumbs.

5.      Mix in the apple, flaked almonds or chopped walnuts (saving some to sprinkle on top) and the eggs without beating them.

6.      Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and sprinkle the remaining nuts on the top.

7.      Bake for 25 mins or until golden brown on top. (Tip – stick a knife in- if comes out clean they are cooked if not will need a little longer –but cover with foil to prevent burning the tops.

8.      Serve warm with a small spoonful of clotted cream, sprinkling of cinnamon and strawberry garnish.

Pear& Thyme Crumble with Almond Sauce – serves 2

3 ripe pears cored and diced

¼ tsp grated ginger

6 stems of fresh thyme with leaves removed (discard stems)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp xylitol

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp xylitol

50g oat flakes

1 tbsp flaked almonds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp hazelnuts roughlychopped

1 tbsp ground almonds

1.      Place pears in saucepan with ginger, lemon juice, xylitol and thyme.  Cover and stew gently unti the fruit softens– stir from time to time to prevent sticking.

2.      To make the crumble – gently heat the coconut butter in a wok/large frying pan. stir in the oats and fry for around 3 mins or until they colour slightly.

3.      Add the flaked almonds and hazelnuts and cook for a further 2 mins.

4.      Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin seeds and ground almonds.

5.      Divide the pears into two dishes and spoon the crumble mixture over the top – serve warm with almond sauce.

AlmondSauce

1 tbsp cornflour

210ml water/oat milk

1 heaped tbsp ground almonds

1 heaped tbsp xylitol

1tsp natural vanilla essence

Mix the cornflour and 2tblsp water/milk together until smooth. Pour it into a small pan with the ground almond, xylitol and vanilla essence and heat gently stirring continuously for around 5 mins – gradually add the rest of the liquid until thickened. If leaving to cool before reheating to use the sauce will appear very thick – once it is reheated it will return to a sauce consistency.

Chocolate& Orange Mousse

180g dark chocolate (60g cocoa solids or less or will overshadow flavour of the orange juice)

150ml freshly squeezed orange juice

6 medium organic eggs

Melt the chocolate (bowlinside a bowl of boiling water – do not get water in the chocolate!)

Still on the heat, once thechocolate has melted (will be slow) stir in the orange juice until it forms a creamy consistency.

Remove from heat and beat in egg yolks one at a time.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and then gently fold them into the chocolate mixture taking care not to knock out the air.

Carefully spoon into individual dishes and place into the fridge to set – ideally this takes 12 hours  so make the day before needed.  At the point of serving dust with cocoa powder and serve with orange slices or mixed red berries.

Carrot & Walnut Cake – serves 4

50g coconut butter or butter

50g xylitol

50g soya flour

¼ tsp baking powder

50g walnuts

50g ground walnuts

75g grated carrot

2 medium eggs

For the topping

2oz cream cheese ‘light’

½ tsp vanilla extract(natural)

1 tsp xylitol

Preheat oven to180oC/350oF/Gas 4.  Grease and line acake tin with non stick paper.

Cream the fat and xylitol together until soft and smooth.

Stir in the soya flour, baking powder and ground walnuts until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the ground walnuts and carrot.  Stir in the eggs without beating them.

Spoon into the cake tin and sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top. Bake for around 35 mins or until top is risen and golden.  Remove from oven, cover the top with foil and bake for another 20 mins.  (A knife stuck into centre should be clean when it come out if the cake is cooked.

Once cool add the topping.

To make the topping - mix all the topping ingredients together and spread over the top of the cake. 

Optionally  - decorate with strawberries or chopped walnuts

Apple& Rhubarb Crumble with custard (serves 4)

3 sticks rhubarb

2 bramley apples

1 tbsp xylitol or maplesyrup

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp xylitol

50g oat flakes

1 tbsp flaked almonds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp mixed nuts (pecan,walnuts, hazelnuts, desiccated coconut (unsweetened) roughly chopped

1 tbsp ground almonds

1.      Place apples and rhubarb  in a saucepan with the xylitol.  Cover and stew gently until the fruit softens – stir from time to time to prevent sticking.

2.      To make the crumble – gently heat the coconut butter in a wok/large frying pan stir in the oats and fry for around 3 mins or until they colour slightly.

3.      Add the flaked almonds and mixed nuts and cook for a further 2 mins.

4.      Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin seeds and ground almonds.

5.      Place the stewed fruit into an oven proof serving dish and spoon the crumble mixture over the top – serve warm with custard (make in the regular way using custard powder but use xylitol instead of sugar and oat or soya milk instead of cow’s milk).