I’m date-able!
Posted: October 18, 2011 Filed under: desserts, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Paleo, Quick cook, raw, Stage 3, Vegan, world cuisine 2 Comments »
click for source
I absolutely love yacon syrup! It’s syrupy, low glycemic sweetness is perfect for many types of recipes, especially when you want to make trail mix bars or a nut and seed crunch. The problem is, it has nearly doubled in price within the last year. Combined with it’s difficulty to purchase (it has been sold out several times at my favorite online vendor), it’s starting to become one the sweeteners that I can’t readily recommend anymore.
As a result, I have been trying other types of syrupy sweeteners. Carob molasses works well, but if you don’t have a Middle Eastern or international grocery store in your area, it will be equally hard to find. I have tried coconut nectar as well. Honestly, it gives me a sugar headache like agave does, so I don’t buy or use it often.
I have been doing well eating high sugar fruits, such as bananas, grapes, mangoes and dates, in moderation, without any adverse affects. I’m very happy about that progress! So I decided to try date syrup. I like date syrup for alot of reasons. It is very easy to make myself. Dates are really easy to find. Date syrup is a whole food sweetener that does not need any additional processing. The cost to make my own yields more than a regular sized bottle of agave!
Date Syrup
*10-12 Medjool dates or 1 cup Deglet Noor dates (the kind often found in packages)
*1 cup of water
Soak your dates in water for 45mins-1 hour. Process dates and water in a food processor, blender or hand blender until smooth. Store in your fridge for up to 3 weeks.
*Sometimes lemon juice can be added to preserve your syrup longer
*You can add different spices to add interesting flavors
Cherries Jubilant
Posted: July 22, 2010 Filed under: Agave Nectar, desserts, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Snacks, Stage 2, Stevia, summer, Vegan 2 Comments »
Summmmerrrrr tiiimmmmmmmee and the desserts are……eeeaaassyyyy!
Ok, that was silly, but I couldn’t help it. Cherries are abundant and I’m taking full advantage of them. There’s only one problem-PITS!
If that is the only thing keeping you from cherry engorgement, then behold the DIY cherry pitter:
click to get the how to
See, I don’t believe in spending $13 on a tool that’s essentially seasonal, but I do believe that cherry pitters make a world of difference when it comes to really enjoying these sweet jewels of summer. So make one, or go buy one if you must!
I have whipped coconut cream “on call” since the fruits are so plentiful. It’s so easy to just dollop some on fresh fruit and have dessert (or breakfast in my case). So once I mastered my cherry pitting technique so that the cherry stayed whole, it dawned on me that these would be PERFECT to put whipped cream INSIDE! Yes!
Now of course you could stop right there and just go cherries and cream, but I took it two steps further and dipped them in chocolate coating (I was out of bar chocolate, so I used 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of raw agave nectar. I dipped as many filled cherries as I could in it! Pop in the fridge to let the chocolate harden) and sprinkled with ground almonds. You could also spike the cream with almond oil and if you really want to go all out, stick a whole almond inside the creamy center before dipping and dusting! Say what???!!!! Summer doesn’t get any better than that!
Peach Ginger Ice Cream
Posted: June 27, 2010 Filed under: desserts, gluten free, No Cook, Stage 2, Stevia, Stress Relief!, summer, Vegan 2 Comments »
Well, instead of being whipped by the heat and resembling a limp, wet noodle, I decided I’m fighting back. I’m not going to spend alot of energy doing it either. Nope. I’m staying cool and calm. And so is my food. Frosty fruit smoothies. Crisp green salads. Chilly soups. And ice cream. More ice cream.
Peach is the name of the ice cream game this time. How can you resist? Peaches are everywhere right now! And at 40 cents/pound, how can you not take huge armfuls home? If you’re not, you should. Freeze them if you have to.
If I’m suppose to be staying so cool, why the ginger? Heh, why not? Don’t you like contrast? I do. And this contrast worked very well.
This is not even going to be a formal recipe. There wasn’t even any cooking involved. I blended together 1 (15 oz) can of Thai Kitchen coconut milk, about two chopped peaches (skins stay on!), grated in some fresh ginger, hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice, and about 30 drops of liquid stevia. Add more for more sweetness. Chill your blended mix until ice cold, then put in your ice cream maker and follow the directions. If you don’t have one, don’t worry. Place your peachy mix in a lidded container and break it up every hour. That takes a little more energy, so treat yourself to a frosty beverage as a reward for being so diligent.
Enjoy and continue to think cool thoughts. If you have a porch swing, make room for me. I always wanted one!
Try this! Grow your own stevia
Posted: May 3, 2010 Filed under: cleansing, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Stage 1, Stevia, Try This! 4 Comments »
Say hello to my lil friend!
There’s a movement going on. I call it the “back to green stevia” movement. There’s been alot of backlash with white stevia use. The logic is that stevia is a plant, so stevia should be green, not white. The white stuff is more processed, so it must be bad! Right?
I get the logic, but I don’t believe it’s always practical to use green stevia every time. My angel food cake, blueberry muffins, and coconut ice cream would not only look weird, but the chlorophyll taste just would not work too well. Green stevia tastes like, well, a sweet plant. What else would you expect?
Still, I believe that you should have a choice, and since I have enough white stevia, I went in search of the green stuff.
I still haven’t found any!
I remember when green stevia was all you could buy. It use to be sold as dried leaves. That was it! I would use it when I made detox teas, when I didn’t want to sweeten with sugar. I would put about a tablespoon in with the other herbs and about 6 quarts of water. That tablespoon sweetened the whole pot! I’d strain the tea into a pitcher and store it in the fridge for gradual sipping.
Gradually, stevia became more refined, becoming a green powder and finally a white powder. I never used the white powder much, but when I started this diet, white stevia became my go-to sweetener.
Now that I want to have some green stevia powder, and leaves, of course I can’t find any. But I can find stevia plants! I think that is really strange, but they were right there in my garden center, just waiting for me to take them home. I bought two, and I’m planning to make my own stevia powder this year.
Green, of course!
Dirty Marzipan
Posted: April 5, 2010 Filed under: Candy, Candymaking 101, desserts, Erythritol, gluten free, Inulin, No Cook, Stage 2, Stevia, Vegan, vegetarian, world cuisine Leave a comment »
Not much to look at right now, but stay tuned!
Recipe 1 using dried egg whites.
If you are vegan, I think you may be able to use Ener-G egg replacer instead of the egg whites. It may taste a little more starchy.
It makes no sense to do a sugar free cooked marzipan. Cooking is for candying the sugar. Sugar subs won’t do that so don’t waste your time.
I chose to do a ‘dirty’ marzipan, because whole almond meal is cheaper and you can also make whole almond meal at home if you wanted to. If you want white marzipan, just substitute blanched almond flour, or you can go through the long process of blanching your almonds first if you have the time.
Dirty Marzipan
1/2 cup whole almond meal
1/2 cup USB
pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered stevia
2 teaspoons egg white powder
2 tablespoons warm waterCombine egg white powder and warm water. Combine with a fork or whisk and stir for about a minute so the egg whites absorb the water. Set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well, then add liquefied egg whites. Mix until you get a stiff looking paste. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or until ready to use.
Mind Changing Ice Cream
Posted: July 28, 2009 Filed under: Agave Nectar, desserts, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Stage 2, summer, Vegan 4 Comments »
Three scoops of ice cream: one for me, one for my brother and one for my new boyfriend who is being introduced to all sorts of new ways to use foods he doesn’t like.
Like avocados.
He doesn’t like them. He won’t go near guacamole. He would never put it in a salad.
He would not eat it in a box.
He would not eat it with a fox…..
He definitely would not eat it in ice cream!
He saw the avocado sitting there next to the coconut milk and the cocoa and he still thought it was for something else. Before he had a chance to ask, the avocado disappeared and made my mixture look like a nice thick, creamy, chocolate milkshake ready to chill and freeze.
He said “I was willing to try that until you put the avocado in there.”
I made him try it anyway. He grimaced, backed away and made it clear that he didn’t want to and when he finally tasted it, he said “Ok, so it’s not that bad!” After he finished his scoop, he said “When it’s cold, it’s definitely much better.”
I think it’s safe to say he’ll eat a cold, chocolate flavored avocado concoction.
Maybe not with a mouse…
But certainly in my house!
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons agave
1 Hass avocado
Using a blender or hand blender, combine coconut milk and cocoa powder. Add agave and avocado and blend until thick and smooth, but pourable. Chill in refrigerator for several hours.
Freeze in ice cream maker according to directions.
Makes about 4 cups or a quart of ice cream
*I’ve been using coconut milk powder lately because I tolerate it better. I use three tablespoons to one cup of water. I also use young coconut meat when I can find it.
Try This! Ginger People's Ginger Juice
Posted: June 25, 2009 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Stage 2, Stress Relief!, Travel Foods, Try This!, Vegan 1 Comment »
Man, this has been a busy week already! I haven’t had time to test any of my new crop of recipes. Not even the ones for traveling. Traveling is all I’ve been doing this week. It’s been hard to get to a computer or even a microwave for that matter!
Luckily, this little bottle needs no special equipment.
My apologies for photographing it empty, but it didn’t last long, because I found so many great uses for it.
I’ve made instant ginger ale (a dash a ginger juice, a little stevia, fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water, a squeeze of lemon).
I’ve added it to stir fry.
I even used it in the lemon ginger chews instead of the grated ginger.
With the small bottle size, it’s great to take along with you. It has to be refrigerated after opening, so I just stick it in my cooler.
You can find it in your health food store. Look in the “Sauces” or “Marinades” aisle. Also check the Ginger People website.
It does have citric acid in it, so it’s not the best for those who are just starting out on a candida cleanse.
Try This! Milled Flax Seed Travel Packs
Posted: June 6, 2009 Filed under: gluten free, No Cook, raw, Stage 1, Travel Foods, Try This!, Vegan Leave a comment »
When I saw these, I did a dance right there in the aisle! I was in Kentucky in a regular grocery store and went through the baking section. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection. They had different brands of agave, my favorite brand of erythritol, gluten free flours, and stevia. When I saw the travel packs of the milled flax seeds, I had to have them. I’ll explain:
Opened milled flax seeds lose potency very quickly. That’s why it’s often sold in opaque packages to preserve freshness. Big opened packages have to be refrigerated, and a cooler just won’t do since the temp fluctuates too much. With the travel packs, there’s no refrigeration needed. You just open and consume the amount you need.
Milled flax seeds are a great replacer for oil and eggs. This is great for not just vegans, but for traveling cooks as well. When I’m on the road, I miss having cake, cookies, waffles, etc. I can’t really make these things on the road because I would have to carry eggs and more oil. I’m not oppose to carrying oil, but who wants to carry raw eggs around? That’s way too much hassle for me!
I could make bake treats and carry those with me, and I often do, but sometimes I don’t have that kind of time. You also need special containers so that nothing gets smooshed, crumbled and stale. Now that I have a replacement for eggs and oil, I can make a dry mix, put it in a plastic bag, pack it in my bag, and just add liquid to enjoy freshly made goods.
The irony is that I have been playing with travel recipes at home since I was afraid to tote along opened milled flax seeds. That fear is gone now! So the next post will be the first in a line of travel recipes I’ve been developing.
Sodas, part 2
Posted: May 27, 2009 Filed under: drinks, favorites, No Cook, Stage 1, Stevia, summer, Vegan, world cuisine 1 Comment »
The other day I realized that all I drink is water. At least I have variety. I have my choice of filtered, bottled, or sparkling.
And flower water!
I love flower waters! I can’t believe I learned about them so late in life! I remember walking around my favorite international food store last year looking for something else, and I came across a whole shelf of different kinds of distilled flower water. Rose, orange blossom, mint, lavender, chicory and one that I never heard of that I can’t recall the name of at the moment. I spent about twenty minutes reading the bottles and making a decision about the ones I wanted to try. I went home with rose, orange blossom and mint, and those are the ones I keep in my fridge at all times. You can find these in your local Middle Eastern food market too.
With a bottle of sparkling water, cranberry, lemon or lime juice and a little stevia, I can make easy delicious sodas that are so different, I never have to even think about having a diet sprite or a diet Dr. Pepper.
Here are some of my favorite combos:
Cranberry juice and Rose water
Orange Blossom water and lemon juice
Mint water and lime juice, like a mild mojito
The tartness of the juices keeps the flower waters from being too cloying when you add your sweetener.
You just add a touch of flower water to the bottom of the glass, put in the juice of a half of a lemon or lime, or a quarter inch of cranberry juice, about two scoops of stevia and fill the rest of the glass with the bubbly water. So good and refreshing.
Who knew water could taste so good!
The Ultimate Sugar Free Sweetening Blend!
Posted: March 22, 2009 Filed under: Erythritol, favorites, gluten free, Inulin, No Cook, Stevia 9 Comments »
I think I’ve got it! I’m so excited! Finally, I’ve come up with a blend of sweeteners that I can use as a replacement for sugar that’s cup for cup in my baked goods! I don’t have to put more of this, cut back on that, blend this with that first! AahhHH! No more. All I have to do now is:
Mix together:
1 part powdered erythritol
1 part inulin
1 part stevia (in teaspoons-one teaspoon is equal one cup of sugar in sweetening power)
So today I mixed 1/2 cup of powdered erythritol, 1/2 cup inulin, 1/2 teaspoon stevia, and used the mix to make some fantastic carrot cranberry muffins. That recipe is next. Again, this mix is the ultimate FOR BAKED GOODS ONLY! I haven’t tested this with other sweets yet!
No more cooling effect! No more bitterness! No more rock hard baked goods the day after! Yay! Yay! Oh wait! Now I have to redo all of my baking recipes!
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!
