Eat Dessert Every Day!

Not everyone knows this about me, but for the most part, I like savory flavors more than sweet ones. I'd take a piece of toast with delicious goat cheese and caramelized onions over a chocolate cookie any day. That being said, I keep dessert in my house at all times. This has actually been a subject of much debate in my house, because certain members of the house think that having dessert in the house all the time means that they will eat too much. I believe that that is incorrect. I believe that dessert is a very important part of your daily meals.

Yes, you read that right. I said daily meals. This means that I believe that you should eat dessert EVERY DAY. Well, for the most part. My reasoning behind this is that people tend to feel satisfied if they eat dessert. In fact, there's been a lot of discussion about how eating dessert every day can actually help people lose weight, because it tends to stop them from snacking after dinner. That is, if a person eats a brownie after dinner, often they will feel as though they have had a complete "set" of meals. They are less likely to then go and eat an entire bag of chips, because they already feel satisfied.

Now, I said before that I keep dessert in my house at all times. This comes with a disclaimer: I keep home made dessert in my house at all times. This means that I can make healthier versions of desserts. I know myself, and I know my wife, and I know that we're going to want something sweet after dinner. I learned a long time ago that if we try to avoid eating dessert, we will inevitably go and buy something sweet anyway, except that the something sweet that we buy on a whim is far less nutritious than something I would have made myself. So, I always keep home made desserts in the house. And you know what? I very rarely feel guilty about eating said desserts (unless, of course, I scarf down half a batch of something). This is because there are some really great methods of making desserts (and breakfast pastries, such as muffins and quick breads) healthier! I don't know if anyone's actually interested in this, but just in case you are, I'll post some of the ways in which I make my desserts and other baked goods healthier.
P.S. you can assume that all of the products that I refer to are organic, unless otherwise stated.

Tip #1: replace some flour with whole grain flour or a flour alternative
Refined flour is really not good for you. You can replace the flour in some baked goods with whole wheat flour (cup for cup). This will usually make a denser, chewier product, but it can be really great for things like breads. For lighter pastries, such as cakes, whole wheat pastry flour can be used for up to half of the required flour to great effect. I also use oat flour a lot. In my case, oat flour basically means taking rolled oats and grinding it into powder in my VitaMix. For recipes that require baking powder, I also add 2 1/2 tsp of extra baking powder per cup of oat flour. There are many other flour alternatives, too, all of which can be added up to a certain percent of the required flour. Bob's Red Mill has a really great list of the percent of the recipe that can be alternative flours, for different types. Just make sure you look at the tip at the end, about baking powder and baking soda (it's an acidity thing).

Tip #2: use sugar alternatives
 Refined sugar really isn't good for you, either. Consider adding an alternative sugar, like maple sugar, or coconut sugar. Both have a really nice rich caramel flavor. Other great options are raw honey, and agave syrup. Just keep in mind that using liquid sweeteners as sugar alternatives will alter the texture. There's also unrefined cane sugar in the bulk section at Whole Foods, and, as my Aunt Cathy recently showed me, Sucanat.

Tip #3: better yet, cut down on sugar
Whenever I make a recipe, unless it's a very delicate recipe, such as meringue, marshmallows, ice cream, souffle, etc, I like to cut out a certain amount of sugar. This can sometimes take experimenting, but I've found that you can usually cut out at least a 1/4 of the sugar in every recipe.

Tip #4: use egg whites, or flax eggs
One tip that I use fairly regularly is to replace a whole egg with two egg whites. Usually, I'll do half whole eggs, half egg whites. Or you can do the 1 tbsp flax/chia to 2 tbsp water mixture, and let it sit for fifteen minutes or so until it's become a jelly. Then you can usually use it in place of eggs in certain bakes goods.

Tip #5: use an oil substitute
Because it's fall, I've been making a lot of quick breads and muffins. A lot of this is due to the fact that I can get away with putting applesauce in everything, and it being delicious. I often like to replace 1/3-1/2 of the oil called for in the recipe with applesauce. Pumpkin and persimmon pulp can work wonders in this way, as well. Plus, delicious! Additionally, there are better oils to use than canola oil. Consider refined (if you're not big on coconut flavor) or unrefined (if you love coconut flavor) coconut oil. I even bake with olive oil fairly regularly. If you love flax seeds, like I do, you can also replace up to 1/4 cup of the required oil with ground flax seed: just to 3 tbsp of ground flax for every 1 tbsp of oil. Just know that putting flax seed into baked goods will often make it slightly chewier than the recipe would be otherwise.

Tip #6: use a butter substitute
When I say this, I do not mean margarine, because I have yet to find a margarine that isn't full of chemicals. A lot of the time what I'll do for a recipe that requires butter is do half butter, half Melt, or half butter, half organic Earth Balance (the Melt has no soy in it, and the Earth Balance does). Coconut oil can also sometimes be used, because the melting point, like butter, allows coconut oil to be solid at room temperature. Another fun tip? Olive oil solidifies in the fridge. If you pour olive oil and a little salt into a dish and put it in the fridge, you can then spread it on bread, like butter--and it's much healthier.

Tip #7: consider using cocoa powder and vanilla extract instead of chocolate
Some recipes are chocolatey. Some people love chocolate. Don't tell these people that there's no actual chocolate in a recipe--have them taste it first. Often, you can replace the chocolate in a brownie or cake recipe with cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Just try it! You'll see! Sometimes, you don't even need the coconut oil.

Tip #8: experiment and have fun with it!
The best thing you can do is experiment! You know what's healthy, you know what tastes good and what you like. If you have a muffin recipe that you like but would taste even better with pumpkin? Go for it! Maybe you can cut out some of the oil, too! Don't get discouraged if something doesn't work out, just keep trying. Also, realize that some fruits, such as persimmons, can be roasted into something delicious and caramelized in the oven with a very small amount of water and honey

Mmm, roasted persimmon with honey and oats

This is a very not-healthy ice cream cake I made for Rachel's birthday (yes, I make the ice cream too). I put a picture of it anyway, because it fits the "dessert" criteria, and now I'm seriously craving ice cream cake.

And that has been my dessert rant for the day. To make up for the dessert rant, I think that my next post is going to be about vegetables, and how amazing they can be. Now go, go and eat dessert!