Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

From Jolinda Hackett, your Guide to Vegetarian Food Many vegans choose to avoid white sugar, which is sometimes refined using animal products, while other people choose to avoid sugar for health reasons. Say what you will, the stuff is certainly addicting! But this is 2011! Who needs the real thing when there are so many healthier substitutes out there? Two of my personal favorites are brown rice syrup and agave nectar.

Sugar-free carrot cake This vegan carrot cake recipe with whole wheat flour uses dates and orange juice for a bit of sweetness so it is refined sugar-free. Pineapple juice concentrate also works well in this sugar-free carrot cake recipe. See More About:  vegan desserts  sugar-free recipes  vegan cake recipes

Sugar-free chocolate pie Sound too good to be true? It's not. The secret of this one is in using a sugar substitute generously, in this case, brown rice syrup. Another option is this chocolate peanut butter tofu pie it's sugar free as well, but check your ingredients, as it calls for peanut butter and chocolate chips, which usually have added sugar. Use sugar-free varieties instead.

Sugar-free Rice Pudding Make a refined sugar-free rice pudding dessert using maple syrup and brown rice syrup instead of white refined sugar. A simple and relatively healthy sugar-free dessert recipe. An added bonus? Rice pudding is a great way to use up any leftover rice you have on hand. See More About:  vegan desserts  sugar-free desserts  sugar-free recipes

Sugar-free Cookies Sugar-free cookies are a little bit healthier than regular cookies and make a great breakfast or snack for the kids or on the run. Some of these sugar-free cookies have a natural sweetener such as maple syrup or dates to make them a bit sweeter, but all are refined sugar-free. Pictured: Banana date macaroons See More About:  vegan cookie recipes  chocolate chip cookie recipes  sugar-free desserts