Food for Life – No Dairy Carob Cake, Raspberry Sauce, and Tofu Whipped Cream

Favorite Recipes from Staff and Friends of Steps to Life

[John the Baptist’s] diet, purely vegetable, of locusts [fruit of the carob tree] and wild honey, was a rebuke to the indulgence of appetite and the gluttony that everywhere prevailed.” Counsels on Health, 72.

Many healthful cooks avoid using baking soda, and they are wise to do so. Vegetarians get their B-vitamins primarily from whole grains and dried beans. Most of the B vitamins (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Vitamins B6 and B12) are destroyed by an alkaline medium. Baking soda is alkaline. Not only does it destroy vitamins, but it tends to cause digestive disturbance in people with low production of stomach acids.

A baking soda substitute is available from Ener-G Foods (www.ener-g.com). Its only ingredient is calcium carbonate, a mineral often taken as a supplement.

Submitted by Paulette Miller

No Dairy Carob Cake

3 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 C Sucanat or raw sugar

1/2 C carob powder

2 t baking soda substitute

1 T vanilla

1 T salt

2/3 C oil or apple sauce

2 T lemon juice

2 C cold water

Using an electric mixer, mix all ingredients together. Bake in a 9” x 13” pan or a bundt pan, sprayed with a nonstick spray (or oiled and floured), 35 minutes at 350 degrees F. For a real treat, top slices of cake with Raspberry Sauce and Tofu Whipped Cream.

Raspberry Sauce

2 C fresh or frozen raspberries

2 C water

3/4 C honey

3 T cornstarch or arrowroot mixed in 1/4 cup water

Place raspberries, water and honey in a pan and bring to a boil. Slowly add cornstarch or arrowroot mixture, stirring constantly until thickened. May add more honey to taste.

Tofu Whipped Cream

1 C Mori-Nu Tofu, soft

4 T vegetable oil

2 T honey

1/2 t lemon juice

1/8 t salt

1 1/2 t vanilla (use white vanilla for a whiter cream)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Chill and serve.

LandMarks reader and friend of Steps to Life, Paulette Miller and her family live near Sedalia, Colorado. This dessert is a treat on special occasions.