Easy Fruit Crumble

4 cups fresh blueberries or peeled and sliced apples or peaches
.....OR 4 cups drained water-packed canned peaches or apples
.....OR 1 pound frozen blueberries
3⁄4 to 1 cup date sugar, divided
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
2 to 6 tablespoons water, divided
1 cup oatmeal, uncooked
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup oil

Preheat your oven to 325 F. Taste the fruit you are going to use. If it is sweet, use ¼ cup date sugar with the fruit. If it is tart, use ½ cup date sugar with the fruit. Combine the ¼ or ½ cup date sugar and the arrowroot or tapioca starch in an 8-inch square baking dish. Stir the fruit into the date sugar mixture. If you are using fresh fruit, sprinkle 4 tablespoons water over the blueberries or apples. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over fresh peaches, canned apples, or frozen blueberries. (No water is needed with canned peaches.)

In a small bowl, combine the cereal, remaining ½ cup date sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the oil until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the fruit. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping browns and the fruit is tender when pierced with a fork.

Easy Freeze Ice Cream

Spice Cream:

1 3/4 cups organic coconut milk* (1 14-ounce can)
3/8 cup agave
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cloves

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 1/2 cups organic coconut milk*
3/8 cup agave
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Choose one set of ingredients above. Mix the ice cream ingredients together thoroughly and put them in a metal baking pan such as a cake pan. Put the pan in the freezer and freeze until the mixture is firm around the edges and slushy in the middle for about 20 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the freezer and stir it until the consistency is uniform throughout. Put the pan back in the freezer and freeze it until the mixture becomes firm around the edges again. Remove it from the freezer and stir it again. Repeat this once or twice until the stirred mixture has the consistency you prefer. Serve immediately, or scoop the ice cream into a container and freeze it. Allow it to stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes to soften before serving.

*For best results, use full-fat coconut milk because this freezing method requires a high fat content to produce creamy ice cream. If you wish to use reduced fat coconut milk, see "I Love Dessert" for directions on how to make this recipe using a blender or food processor.

“Instant” Cherry/ Berry-Banana Sorbet

2 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons agave or honey (optional, to taste)
4 to 6 cups frozen dark (Bing) cherries, strawberries or raspberries

Puree the bananas and optional sweetener in a food processor or blender until they are smooth. Gradually add the cherries or berries, processing after each addition, until the sorbet reaches the desired consistency. Serve immediately or store it in your freezer. Remove the sorbet from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving time to soften.

From "Allergy and Celiac Diets With Ease" © 2008 by Nicolette M. Dumke.

Chocolate Dessert Sauce

2 ounces (2 1-ounce squares) of unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup agave

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water or in your microwave oven. To melt chocolate in the microwave, place it in a glass bowl and microwave it, checking it at 30-second intervals, until it is mostly melted with just a few solid parts remaining. Remove it from the microwave and stir it to melt the remaining solid chocolate

Add the melted chocolate to the agave and blend it, using either a blender or hand blender. Serve immediately or refrigerate. This sauce will become quite thick when refrigerated, so microwave it for a few seconds and stir it to liquefy it for serving.

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What are date sugar and agave?

Date Sugar is not sugar, but rather finely ground dates containing all of the fruit's nutrients and minerals. If you like the taste of dates, this will definitely appeal to you. Date sugar can be used as a direct replacement for sugar in cooking. It is best used in baking as it will not dissolve in beverages.

Agave is a delicious, natural sweetner extracted from the Agave plant. Agave syrup will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth and the best part is that is is low on the glycemic index, meaning that it will not spike your blood sugar as sugar and honey do.

We reccomend organic blue agave syrup (or nectar) which is probably most famous for being used to make tequila. We think the blue agave plant also provides the most delicious agave sweetener there is. Use it in baking, beverages, as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal, or in just about any food to which you would add sugar or honey.

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