Carob berry pie: fighting disease tastes great, if you know a few secrets

Chocolate provides tons of rich flavor and cancer-fighting antioxidants. But many chocolate lovers would like to skip the fat and caffeine so common in this popular treat. Well, have I got good news for you! Carob, a popular caffeine-free chocolate alternative, is rich in vitamins and minerals and tastes, surprisingly, like your old favorite. Blend it with succulent, fresh blueberries and you're creating perhaps the sweetest cancer-fighter on this planet.

Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center ranked blueberries number one in cancer-preventing antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, by the way, come in a strong second. Both contain powerful phytochemicals--disease-preventing compounds so important to maintaining good health. Blueberries also significantly inhibit cancer-cell growth, according to numerous studies.

As always, this recipe features all-natural ingredients.

TOP CRUST:

  3/4 cup soy margarine (non-hydrogenated)
  1/2 cup crystalline fructose (available
      at health-food stores)
  1/4 t. vanilla extract
  1/4 t. aluminum-free baking powder
1 1/2 cups whole-grain spelt flour*
  1/2 cup roasted carob powder

FILLING:

1 1/2 cups egg whites
    2 whole eggs
  1/2 cup crystalline fructose
1 1/2 cups mixed berries (blueberries,
      strawberries, raspberries)
    8 oz. unsweetened baking carob
      chips (melted)
    5 4" glass or ceramic bowls

Top Crust: Cream the soy margarine
and fructose until fluffy. Add
vanilla extract. In a separate bowl,
mix remaining ingredients together.
Then add to creamed mixture. Form
the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic
and chill for 1 hour. Sprinkle a
clean work surface with spelt flour.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch
thick. Using one of the glass bowls,
cut rounds to fit the tops of the pies.

Filling: Preheat the oven to 375[degrees]
F. Combine the egg whites, whole
eggs, and fructose. Whip until fluffy.
Stir in the berries and melted carob.
Pour mixture into bowls and bake
the filling for 30-40 minutes (until
liquid becomes souffle-like). Remove
the pies but leave the oven on. Top
each pie with a round crust and bake
another 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp.
Let cool slightly, then spoon onto
serving dish. Optional indulgence:
serve with sugar-free ice cream!

Serving size: approximately 1/3 of a
4" bowl (or 3 heaping spoonfuls).
Servings per recipe: 18. Per serving:
calories: 250; fat: 11 grams; net carbohydrates
(minus fiber): 26 grams;
protein: 6.7 grams; cholesterol: 23
milligrams.

* Be sure to select whole-grain spelt flour in order to ensure the higher protein, fiber, and vitamin content that makes spelt arguably the healthiest flour available. It's high in gluten, so it will behave very similarly to wheat flour with respect to stretching and rising. Its flavor is mild and texture is soft, similar to wheat, yet most wheat-sensitive people can eat spelt. Dedication to whole-grain flour--instead of refined flour--is linked to lower occurrence of colon cancer.

Angela Braden writes from Atlanta, Georgia, where she's writing her new cookbook Angelic Indulgence.

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group