By Zeynep Kulakçı, Dietician

I loved our 21-day sugar-free diet adventure so much that I decided not to return to packaged foods with added sugar as much as possible. The significant effect of a sugar-free diet on me was the decrease in my fatigue complaints. I hope those who have started a sugar-free diet with me have also seen or will see the benefits.

If you eat dessert regularly, you may have a hard time because you leave the sugar. Or even you may not start this challenge because you think it will be difficult. Given that, I wanted to share dessert recipes prepared without refined sugar.

The first recipe is “İncir Uyutması”, one of the rare sugar-free desserts of Turkish cuisine. A delicious two-ingredient dessert which is very simple to make and requires a little waiting time:

Ingredients: 8-9 Dried Figs. 2.5 Glasses of Milk and Hot Water.

1. Figs are placed in boiling water and kept for about an hour.
2. Softened figs are chopped into small cubes and placed in a bowl.
3. Put the milk in a pot and heat to 40 degrees. (If you do not have a degree, you can think of it as the temperature at which you can hold your finger in milk for 7-8 seconds without burning it.)
4. Take 1-2 scoops of hot milk and place on the figs. Blend it with a blender until it remains a little bit lumpy and transfer it to the milk pot.
5. Figs are mixed in milk and divided into bowls. Cover with a plate and a cloth. Fermentation is done by waiting for 2 hours.
6. Then put it in the refrigerator and wait for another 2-3 hours. Your dessert is ready to eat.

The second recipe is a banana oatmeal cake recipe. Bananas and dried fruits will give the cake its flavour:

Ingredients: 3 medium ripe bananas, 1.5 cups of medium grain ground oats, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of unsweetened raw cocoa, 1 pack of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of grated coconut.

1. Slice and mash the bananas, add all the ingredients and mix. If you wish, you can slice any dried fruit of your choice into small pieces and add to the mixture. Raisins suit this recipe very well.
2. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Your cake is ready.

Our last recipe is a dessert we prepared using fruits. I used apples, pears and frozen cherries. You can use any fruit you want instead of pears and cherries.

Ingredients: 1 handful of walnuts, 1 apple, 1 pear 100 grams of frozen cherries, 1 teaspoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 3 tablespoons of mild cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of natural honey.

1. Finely chop the walnuts or grind them in a food processor.
2. Peel the pears and apples and chop them into small pieces.
3. Put the oil in a pot and add the walnuts and chopped fruits. Sprinkle cinnamon on them. If you do not like cinnamon, grated coconut can be used.
4. Add frozen cherries. Stir occasionally until the fruits release their juice.
5. Keep the fruit on the stove with the lid closed until it softens.
6. Let the softened fruits cool.
7. Mix labneh and honey until smooth.
8. Fill the bowls with mild cream cheese on the bottom and fruit on the top. After letting it rest in the refrigerator for a while, it is ready to eat.