Sweet Tooth

Thanks to the discovery of artificial sweeteners, your sweet tooth can enjoy delicacies, once in a while. Giving you that adrenaline rush, you craved so much!

Let's break this down a bit for you.

The surface of your tongue is covered by many taste buds. An artificial sweetener creates a decoy that is falsely recognised by the sweetness receptors of the tongue. In other words, this means that while your body thinks you are consuming sweets, you are actually NOT!

Furthermore, safe artificial sweeteners have the benefit of providing virtually zero calories, since they cannot be broken down by the digestive process of the body.

So, what's stopping you? We just gave you all the good news you needed to hear!

CHOCOLATE BALLS BONANZA

Ingredients

1 cup low fat milk

1/4 cup skimmed milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup saccharin or 5 sachets of artificial sweetener

1/2 cup toasted wheat bran

1/4 cup puffed rice or rice crispies

4 to 5 drops of vanilla essence

2 tbsp butter

Method

Mix cocoa and skimmed milk together. Put butter and artificial sweetener as a sugar substitute in a non-stick pan. Place on low heat, stirring occasionally, till fully melted. Add skimmed milk preparation and low fat milk, and bring to a boil. Stir continuously. Add in vanilla essence, rice crispies and half the wheat bran. Take off from the stove, mix well till the temperature of mixture lowers. This is done as a preparation for moulding.

Roll into small balls between both palms. Roll these balls in the remaining bran, to coat all over.

Refrigerate on a sheet of butter paper till well set.

NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

For Crust

1/3 cup toast biscuit or cracker crumbs

1 tbsp of artificial sweetener granules

For filling

1 box (0.3 ounces) sugar-free lemon Jell-O

1/2 cup boiling water

1 tub (12 ounces) low fat cream cheese

1 tub (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

5 sachets of any artificial sweetener

Lemon rind, as required

Method

In small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, artificial sweetener and stir with spoon. Sprinkle crust mixture evenly over bottom of pie plate. In a small bowl, dissolve jell-o in boiling water. Stir until thoroughly dissolved .In large bowl, mix cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in sour cream. Add vanilla, artificial sweetener, grated lemon peel and jell-o. Mix until smooth. Gently pour filling into pie plate. Chill for a few hours and serve.

AWESOME ALMOND CAKE

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

1 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup powdered almonds

2 1/2 cups fresh Indian blackberry

2 tsp cornflour

1/2 cup low fat whipped cream

1 tsp artificial sweetener

Method

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light. Add almonds. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with waxed paper. Pour batter into the pan. Bake in an oven at 325° F for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool. Cut into small squares.

To make berry sauce, puree 1/2 cup blackberries in a mixer. Dissolve cornstarch in cream. Cook the cream, remaining blackberries and puree over low heat until thickened (about 5 minutes).

Set aside and cool.

Stir in the sugar substitute. To serve, line a serving dish with 1/2 of blackberry sauce

Arrange cake squares over the sauce. Top with remaining sauce. Garnish with more sliced blackberries.

Serve and enjoy the unique delicacy.

FRUIT DELIGHT

Ingredients

4 pineapple slices, chopped into big cubes

2 apples, peeled and sliced

1 tsp crushed ginger

2 tbsp water

2½ cups curds

2 tbsp granules of artificial sweetener

1 tsp powdered almonds

1/2 cup brown sugar or substitute with artificial sweetener based on taste

Method

Place the fruits in a pan with water and cook for 7 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside to cool. Stir in the ginger. Preheat the oven for 150° C. Take a baking dish and place the fruit mixture. In a bowl, mix curds, artificial sweetener, and ground almond. Spoon the curd mixture on to the fruit. Sprinkle brown sugar or artificial sweetener over it. Bake the mixture for 3 minutes or till the sugar melts and forms a crust. Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled.