A GUIDE TO THE BEST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA : FOOD : Valentine’s Sweets

SWEETS FOR the sweetie this Valentine’s Day? Though Feb. 14 certainly is not the day to worry about avoiding sugary treats, according to Mani Niall, baker and co-proprietor of Mani’s Bakery, “there should be a balance between eating healthy--which is sometimes taken too seriously--and enjoying the pleasures of life.” So Niall created elegant yet healthy, yummy baked deserts that contain no refined sugars and have a controlled amount of fats and oils. All the treats--including exquisite lemon meringue ($2.75) and pumpkin-yam tarts ($3.25) and a huge, fat-free apple-raspberry torte with a crunchy marjolaine -type oatmeal-meringue topping ($3 per slice)--are made with certified organic whole-wheat and/or unbleached white pastry flours. They’re sweetened with fruit juice concentrates and other naturally derived sweeteners. The Faux-nuts, baked doughnuts made with low-fat buttermilk and canola oil, come in four flavors ($1.25 each).

Mani’s Bakery, 519 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 938-8800.