Food

Wrapping up our festive brunch are the delicious Chocolate Date Truffles and Warm Fruit Compote. A little bite of chocolatey sweet—a little bit of marinated fruits. Perfect with lattes or tea to finish the event.

Oat flour lends the crust of this tart a laudable texture. Thick Greek yogourt is a perfect substitution for heavy cream in desserts such as this, but it’s best not to use fat-free versions. You could swap out raspberries for blueberries in the filling if desired.

Rice pudding is a dish that proves how incredibly versatile this grain is, as it can literally go from breakfast to dessert.

These dainty cookies are a whimsical afternoon pick-me-up accompanied by a cup of your favourite tea.

Apples and roses make a wonderfully exotic combination that is sure to appeal and delight.

Granita is Sicily’s rustic take on sorbet. All you need to achieve snowflake-like perfection is a flat airtight container, a fork, and some return visits to the freezer. The key to success is to not let the mixture freeze into a solid block, so watch the clock. Puréed fruits such as watermelon or strawberries are often used as a base for granitas, but coffee makes it all grown up.

Get the kids involved in making and munching on these sweet skewers. These will also garner many praises if served at a backyard barbecue party. Other stellar fruit additions would be kiwi, pineapple, apricots, and mango.

Most store-bought frozen yogourt is loaded with added sugars, artificial flavours, and other undesirables. Thankfully, homemade creamy fro-yo sans ice cream maker is far from a high-flying kitchen feat. Simply blend together tangy Greek yogourt with any sweet seasonal fruit, place in the freezer, and mix regularly to prevent ice crystals from forming. A perfect way to beat the summer heat. Chopped nuts provide nice textural contrast.

A creamy, smooth silken tofu dessert with a tropical flair, this sherbet is almost as easy to make as it is to eat. An inexpensive manual ice cream maker does an excellent job on this and other homemade frozen delights.

Rhubarb Filling

1 1/4 cups (310 mL) whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup (250 mL) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
3/4 tsp (4 mL) cinnamon
1/2 cup (125 mL) organic cane sugar
2 sachets of baking stevia
1 cup (250 mL) rhubarb, diced
1/2 cup (125 mL) organic dried apricots, chopped
2 medium free-range eggs
1/4 cup (60 mL) safflower oil
3/4 cup (180 mL) low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup (125 mL) pecans, chopped

A classic British dessert, fools are traditionally made by folding sweetened fruit into cream. Deliciously easy to make, this recipe uses thick Greek yogourt as a perfect healthy substitute for cream, while honey is a smart substitute for granulated sugar. Almonds provide nice textural contrast.

The matcha green tea powder adds an extra boost
of antioxidants to this feather-light and lemony cake.

Zest up the final course with this deliciously simple lemon pudding to cleanse the palate. Feel free to switch up the citrus as you desire.

The caffeine kick and sugar rush delivered from a can of soda pop may help us get through the afternoon, but it’s not doing us any favours when it comes to our health. This DIY soda may be all you need to can your soda habit for good. By adding a splash of coconut milk, you can turn this soda into a creamy treat that rivals any coffeehouse creation.

When a snack attack hits, there’s no time to wait for an oven to preheat. These healthy cookie dough bites come together in a New York minute so you can crush your craving fast!

Think apple butter—but with pears. It’s sure to make lazy mornings that much more heavenly for the special people in your life. Beyond toast, muffins, and crackers, the pear butter is an inspiring addition to a cheese plate or even as a sandwich spread. It will keep for about one week in the refrigerator.

Forget the tin of cookies; this bark will truly bring holiday joy. Adding in the coffee serves to heighten the chocolate goodness. The bark can be made one week ahead of time if kept chilled.

These are deluxe dessert muffins. Best eaten the same day they’re made, they can also be frozen for up to one month. Rewarm before serving.

Bananas are naturally sweet and creamy, which makes them ideal for a sugar-free, no-cook ice cream base. For best results, keep the banana ice cream cold before coating with chocolate.

No picnic is complete without dessert. Gluten-free buckwheat flour adds a floral note to cinnamon-spiked apples in this hand-held, seasonal favourite.

(pictured with Harvest Pecan Pumpkin Hummus, left)

Muffin-sized pies make for perfect portion control, but the cherry-chocolate mixture is so delicious you’ll be tempted to reach for a second one. You can also create a fanciful lattice top by rolling half of the spelt dough out into a rectangle, slicing small strips the diameter of muffin cups, and then using these to create a lattice pattern over each pie.

Here’s the perfect way to put those end-of-season peaches to good use. Ginger adds a little zing. Of course, feel free to serve à la mode.