I'm not so good at the sugar free thing, but I have a couple of celiacs in the family, and am getting better at the gluten free requirements. It's not chocolate, but my Aunt greatly enjoyed this honey cake: FLOURLESS HONEY ALMOND CAKE From EatingWell: March/April 2009 Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites, they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools. Ingredients Cake •1 1/2 cups whole almonds, toasted (see Tip) •4 large eggs, at room temperature (see Tip), separated •1/2 cup honey •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •1/2 teaspoon baking soda •1/2 teaspoon salt Topping •2 tablespoons honey •1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Tip) Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper. 2.Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground (you will have about 13/4 cups ground). Beat 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or use a paddle attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until well combined. Add the ground almonds and beat on low until combined. 3.Beat 4 egg whites in another large bowl with the electric mixer (use clean beaters on a hand-held mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer) on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks, 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the type of mixer). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 4.Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently remove the side ring. Let cool completely. 5.If desired, remove the cake from the pan bottom by gently sliding a large, wide spatula between the cake and the parchment paper. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. To serve, drizzle the top of the cake with honey and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Nutrition Per serving : 234 Calories; 14 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 85 mg Cholesterol; 22 g Carbohydrates; 8 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 208 mg Sodium; 54 mg Potassium OK, here's my stab at a chocolate dessert. I don't know but I think the coconut sugar might be a very nice addition in place of the very small amount of white sugar. I'm only assuming that you can get a dark chocolate bar that would meet your specifications? CHAI CHOCOLATE POTS DE CREME From EatingWell: January/February 2007 The haunting, subtle flavor of chai spices adds depth and richness to these elegant French baked custards. You could use the leftover egg whites to make meringues. 8 servings : Active Time: 40 minutes : Total Time: 5 hours (including 3 hours chilling time) Ingredients •2/3 cup whipping cream •2 1/2 teaspoons crushed cardamom pods, or 1 teaspoon bruised cardamom seeds (see Tip) •7 whole cloves •4 slices peeled fresh ginger •4 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (see Tip), finely chopped •1 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk •3 tablespoons sugar •1 large egg •3 large egg yolks •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •Whipped cream for garnish, (optional) •Crystallized ginger for garnish, (optional) Preparation 1.Position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Lay a double thickness of paper towels in a baking pan large enough to comfortably hold eight 4- to 6-ounce heatproof custard cups or ramekins. Set the cups in the pan (the paper towels will keep them in place). 2.Heat cream, cardamom, cloves and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture just comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Place chocolate in a 4-cup glass measure. Return the cream to medium-high heat and reheat to boiling. Immediately pour through a very fine sieve set over the chocolate, pressing down on the spices to extract as much flavor as possible; don't stir the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then gently stir until the chocolate completely melts and the mixture is well blended and smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds on High, then stir.) 3.Wipe out the saucepan, add milk and sugar, and heat just to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In a slow, thin stream, gradually stir about two-thirds of the boiling milk into the chocolate. If the mixture looks separated at any point, stop adding milk and stir the chocolate until it is smooth again before continuing. 4.Whisk egg, egg yolks and vanilla in a small bowl until well blended. While constantly whisking the egg mixture, add the remaining milk in a slow, thin stream. Strain the egg-milk mixture through a fine sieve into the chocolate mixture; stir well to combine. Evenly divide among the custard cups, about 1/4 cup each. 5.Place the pan on the low oven rack. Add enough very hot tap water to come 3/4 inch up the sides of the cups. Bake until the tops appear barely set when the cups are jiggled, 16 to 20 minutes; don't tap the tops as this will mar the surface. 6.Transfer the cups to a wire rack. Let cool thoroughly, about 1 hour. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Let warm up just slightly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a small piece of crystallized ginger (if desired). Nutrition Per serving : 204 Calories; 15 g Fat; 8 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 132 mg Cholesterol; 17 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 36 mg Sodium; 87 mg Potassium Tips & Notes •Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. : Equipment: Eight 4- to 6-ounce glass custard cups or similar ramekins •Tips: You can use either whole cardamom pods or the peppercorn-size seeds for this recipe. Crush or bruise the seeds with the side of a chef's knife or a heavy-bottomed pan to help release the flavor. If necessary, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; the flavor will be fine, but the texture will be a little less silky. • Almost any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate will work in this recipe, although if you choose an extra-bittersweet one with more than a 65% cacao content, reduce the chocolate to 4 ounces and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup. I like the chai spices with the chocolate and truthfully, I like the darker chocolate without the addition of extra sugar, so I'd say sweeten it to taste. This is one that's in my "to try" file, it does use your coconut sugar, has no gluten and uses cocoa in place of a chocolate bar. I've not tried it because I have no experience with coconut sugar. GRAIN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH HONEYED RICOTTA Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake; 8 - 10 servings A light and flavorful gluten-free, refined sugar-free chocolate cake made with almond flour. Adapted from Annie Bell's Gorgeous Cakes. For the Chocolate Cake: •4 large eggs, separated •2/3 cup powdered coconut palm sugar •2 1/4 cups almond flour •3 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder •1 teaspoon baking powder For the Honeyed Ricotta: •3 cups low-fat ricotta •1/4 cup honey •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •pinch of kosher salt For the Topping: •1/4 cup grated carob or refined sugar-free chocolate Instructions Make the Chocolate Cake: 1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan. 2.In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and powdered coconut palm sugar until pale and creamy. 3.Sift together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set aside. 4.In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites to medium peaks. 5.Stir 1/4 of the whipped egg whites directly into the egg yolk mixture. Fold the remaining egg whites into the yolks in two to three additions. 6.Fold the almond mixture into the egg mixture in three additions. 7.Transfer the batter into the prepared springform pan. 8.Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the center of the cake is set and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. 9.Run an offset spatula around the edges of the cake. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Make the Honeyed Ricotta: 10.Combine the ricotta, honey, vanilla, and salt. 11.Refrigerate until ready to use. Assemble the Cake: 12.Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice a paper thin layer off the top of the cake. This will let the moisture from the ricotta soak into the cake. 13.Cut the cake in half, being careful to keep the layers even. 14.Spread half of the ricotta mixture on the bottom layer of the cake. 15.Place the top layer on top of the ricotta. Spread the remaining ricotta on top of the cake. 16.Top with grated carob or refined sugar-free chocolate. 17.Cover and refrigerate overnight. 18.Bring to room temperature before serving. Good luck and happy birthday to your wife. Annie

I saw something like that on a website called Marksdailyapple, re: resistant starch. Although I am not paleo I still read it because I enjoy the weekly success stories. I found it interesting because my personal experience, when I go fully paleo, I start to have histamine reactions to many proteins that I don't normally have and then I have a very limited diet. I found if I kept say Glutino crackers (not a lot, a handful every few days), basmati rice, or Udi's bread I can handle proteins, both products I mentioned are made with tapioca and potato starches so I started using them in my cooking with no problems. The potato thing is interesting as I find I can have nibble of potato and if I get this weird feeling at the back of my throat (maybe bitterness? not sure) I don't eat it but if there is no reaction then I usually have a 1/4 portion without problems. I think it has to do with the solanine content. I do hope the medical system starts to direct their attention to intestinal health, I really think there is something there. My medical turnaround has been remarkable but very much ignored by my doctors. I'm happy and healthy so that's fine by me. Because my system is crazy at times I find my skin starts to react oddly so I make it a point to drink a tbsp on gelatin in warm water to start my day and within a week there is an improvement. It makes me gag but the results are worth it:). Thanks for any input as I love any bit of information of health and diet I can get and very much appreciate it. I came across hydrolystate gelatin from Great Lakes Gelatin but you have to buy a lot of it so I wasn't sure if it was worth it to get it. LOL - 10-30 years ago I would have been rolling my eyes so deep in my head about "this person" (future me) talking that they would have gotten stuck!

Lots of crops are now "Round-up Ready". That means they have a gene spliced in that protects them from the gylcophosphate herbicide. Problem is the gene "jumps". That is it will travel with pollen to the field next door. If next door saves any seed from his crop Monsanto owns it because they own anything with that gene. Sort of like me buying bucket of paint and painting your house... making it mine because I own the paint. A pathetically stupid Judge has approved this crime. Oops... did I infect your crop... suppose I own your stuff now. Funny thing is Round-up is supposed to break down in three days allowing the planting of regular seeds. Soooo... if it breaks down into "harmless" chemicals so quickly why do we need Round-up Ready? One of those mouth saying one thing while the feet do another. Other problem is the gene jumps into weeds. DNA is DNA and it can attach itself to genes in another species. So now the weeds are becoming Round-up Ready. Traditional farming makes food more expensive but it is more dependable. The food also has more nutrients. I worked in the fields as a child chopping out weeds with a hoe. Without herbicide help the job is near hopeless. More then once I broke down and cried because the weeds were so thick it took an hour to go a hundred feet down the row. One of my childhood memories is the tears falling on the back of my hands as I chopped away at those nasty weeds. I've seen both sides of the herbicide issue with my own eyes. : ) lyra

I've successfully used many recipes from "Cooking with Coconut Flour", and use many of them on a regular basis. The good news --- many of the recipes in that book are readily available on-line -- just Google "recipes using coconut flour" or check recipes at: -Tropical Traditions -Wilderness Family Naturals -Honeyville Grain (I think they have the best coconut flour, and I've used at least 5 different brands.) I used coconut flour for the low-carb aspect for several years, and later when I went gluten-free. The one downside of using coconut flour is the large number of eggs needed, and that means an "eggy" taste to many of the recipes. A general rule-of-thumb: 6 eggs per 1/2-cup of coconut flour, OR, 1 egg per 1-ounce of coconut flour. I'll make Coconut Bread (pg. 44 in "Cooking with Coconut Flour") when I find eggs cheap (or free) because it takes 6 eggs for a small loaf, and I'll freeze several loaves. This is one recipe we like from the book that doesn't require eggs. CREAM CHEESE SQUARES 1 pkg. (8-oz.) cream cheese 1/8 t. salt 1/3 c. honey [I've also used agave nectar and homemade coconut nectar.] 1/2 c. sifted coconut flour Fruit jam or preserves Blend together cream cheese, salt, and honey. Add coconut flour and mix thoroughly. Layer batter on bottom of greased 11x7x2-inch or 9x9x2-inch pan. Bake at 375-degrees F for 18-minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Spread fruit jam or preserves over the top and cut into bars. [Once you've made this recipe you'll figure out other things you can top it with.] Another book on the subject I have is "The Spunky Coconut Cookbook" by Kelly V. Brozyna, but it's not as user-friendly as "Cooking with Coconut Flour", and for me it was a waste of money because I never found one recipe in it to make. Elana Amsterdam (www.elanaspantry.com) mentions in her book, "Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry", "Everything I know about coconut flour I learned from Bruce Fife's fantastic book "Cooking with Coconut Flour". She has several recipes in her Paleo cookbook that uses coconut flour only, and you might check the recipes at her website. Have you checked for coconut flour cookbooks at your local library? Good luck with your quest. Many of us have been there - done that! -Grainlady