As
the holidays approach, so does our taste for sweets. We think to
ourselves: what the hell, it's the holidays after all. And then comes
January, along with the pounds and the terrible guilt. What if there
was a way to have some sweets and get some health benefit at the same
time?
SweetLeaf® is the only chemical-free, zero-calorie, zero-carb, zero-glycemic index, 100% natural sweetener there is. No chemicals. No alcohols. No additives that cover up the great
taste nature created.
What is Stevia?
Stevia is a small green plant with leaves that have a delicious
and refreshing taste, which can be 300 times sweeter than sugar
in its unprocessed form. It supports the function of the
pancreas. Stevia extract will not adversely affect the blood
sugar levels.
When it comes to weight gain, sugar is the real culprit.
Holiday treats may be deliciously tempting, but too much sugar can
lead to obesity, diabetes, and even premature aging. For a sweet
indulgence this holiday season, consider a safe sugar substitute like
Stevia. Sweetleaf Stevia is a natural, convenient and healthy sweetener. It contains no calories or carbohydrates. Stevia can be used in cooking, baking, hot or cold beverages.
When strategizing healthy eating during the holidays, it is a good
idea that we remind ourselves of all the perils involved with excess
sugar consumption. For example:
Excessive sugar can cause weight gain.
Excessive sugar can weaken the immune system.
Excessive sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria and yeast in the body.
Excessive sugar binds with the proteins found in connective tissue,
in the skin, and in the joints, leaving you stiff, sore, and swollen the
day following a sugar binge.
Excessive sugar heightens inflammation in the body.
Excessive sugar ages the body.
Excessive sugar strips the body of important minerals and B vitamins.
Excessive sugar leads to insulin resistance, a red flag indicating that you may need to watch out for diabetes.
Stay healthy this holiday season using our Sugar Free, Stevia Sweetened Recipes!
Add all the ingredients to a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer and stir every few minutes until the berries start to burst and
the sauce thickens. Add more orange juice if necessary to desired
consistency. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Remove from heat and transfer to a shallow
dish to cool.
String Beans Rustica
About 2 pounds fresh string beans
1 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped (yes, you can used canned)
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. oregano
2 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
Remove ends of string beans. Heat oil in heavy saucepan. Add onions
and garlic and cook until soft. Add salt & pepper. Add beans,
tomatoes, parsley, oregano and SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener.
Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over
low heat for about 1/2 hour. Check and adjust seasoning prior to serving
if needed. Serves eight.
Yummy Holiday Yams
6 cups peeled yams cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes
4 Tbsp. cooking oil (saffron oil is great)
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp. pepper (optional)
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
Preheat oven to 350oF. Toss the cubed yams and oil
together and spread the coated cubes onto a parchment-lined cookie or
baking sheet. Season with the salt and optional pepper. Bake to desired
softness (you can test with a fork after about 20 minutes or so). While
yams bake, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. When yams
are done, toss the yams with the syrup mixture and serve. For an extra
treat, top with toasted sliced almonds.
Sweet & Spicy Ham Glaze
40-50 whole cloves
Large smoked, cured ham
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
Push cloves into ham, spacing about 1 inch apart until entire ham is
covered. Whisk remaining ingredients together in a small pot. Bring to a
boil and simmer on LOW until the glaze thickens. Brush onto ham and
bake per package directions on the ham. Continue to brush glaze onto ham
every 15 minutes during baking time or until glaze is gone.
SweetLeaf Pumpkin Pie
10 12 ounces soft or silken tofu, drained
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cooked pumpkin (packed) OR 1 15-oz. can of plain pumpkin
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring
2 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener or
1/2 tsp Stevia Pumpkin Spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend all the ingredients for the
filling until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor. If using
a blender, start with some of the tofu and oil. Gradually add the rest
of the ingredients. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. We used an
off-the-shelf, unsweetened piecrust. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Chill and
serve!
Tasty Sugar-Free Apple Pie
Pastry dough for 9" 2-crust pie
10 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 to 3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
3 to 4 large, firm, tart apples
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
Preheat the oven to 425oF (220oC). Peel, core,
and slice the apples. Line a 9 inch pie pan with half the pastry dough.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add apples to the dry mixture,
coating them well. Pile them into the lined pan and dot with the butter.
Roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie, or lattice weave
strips of dough over the top. Brush the latticed dough with egg and dust
with cinnamon. Crimp the edges and cut several vents in the top. Bake
10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350oF (180oC) and bake 30-40 minutes more or until the apples are tender when pierced with a skewer and the crust is browned.
Christmas Apple Walnut Cake
2 cups applesauce
8 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
1/2 cup soy margarine or butter
3 eggs
3 cups sifted whole-grain flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 cups chopped Macintosh apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350oF. Butter and flour one 10-inch tube- or Bundt-cake pan. Cream together the applesauce, butter and SweetLeaf Stevia®
Sweetener. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Set aside. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda,
cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in
the vanilla, walnut and apples. Mix well and pour into the prepared cake
pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted
into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool. Once cool, slide
knife along the outer edges of the pan to release pan bottom, the along
the bottom and inner tube of the pan to release cake onto serving
surface.
Stollen
HISTORY: Weinnachtstollen or Christstollen can trace its roots
back to Medieval Prussia. The shape of the stollen was meant to
represent the baby Jesus in swaddling clothes. The Christmas season was a
time of fasting and because of this the bakers were only allowed to use
oil, water, flour, and yeast. In 1490, after petitioning the church in
Rome, pope Innocent the VIII granted permission to use butter in the
stollen.
DOUGH
1/2 cup dried apricots
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dried raisins
dash nutmeg
1 pkg. Stevia
1/2 cups dried currants
dash clove
1 egg
1/2 orange zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg yolk
1/2 vanilla bean
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. rum
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 1/8 cups cake flour
3/2 cup butter
2 envelopes active dry yeast
PROCEDURE: Warm the milk to 100oF-110oF.
Add in the 2 packages of yeast and let it stand for ten minutes. In a
stand mixer place all the dry ingredients inside the bowl and mix on a
low speed to combine all the ingredients. When the yeast is ready add
all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.
Mix with the bread hook for 4 minutes on a low speed and follow by
mixing on a medium speed for 2 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl
and let it sit for one hour. place in the refrigerator overnight to
ferment. Preheat the oven to 325oF The following day divide
the dough into three equal pieces. Pound into a 6 x 9 rectangle and
roll into a tube. Place all three onto a cookie sheet and loosely wrap
in plastic film. Let this stand for 30 minutes in a warm area. Place
into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until
golden brown. Once removed from the oven liberally brush with melted
butter and immediately wrap each stolen with plastic film. When it is
cool place in the refrigerator for future eating. When using dust with
powdered sugar and slice.
Tiramisu
1 lb. mascarpone
25 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 coffee extract
Mix all the above ingredients together and pipe into shot glasses.
Warm-Your-Heart Cocoa
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 pkt. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener
5 cups soymilk or regular milk
2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix the cocoa and SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener together in a
two-quart saucepan. Add about 1/2 cup of the milk to make a paste.
Gradually add about 1/2 of the remaining milk, stirring to thin the
paste. Turn on the heat under the saucepan, add the honey and bring the
mixture to a slow boil. Boil for two or three minutes, and then turn the
heat down. Add the rest of the milk and the vanilla and bring the heat
back up. Heat until hot enough to drink, but keep stirring to be sure
the mixture does not scorch! Serve with a dollop of whip cream and
sprinkle of cinnamon for a tasty winter treat!
SweetLeaf® is safe for cooking and baking, and is heat and
freezer stable. Please refer to the conversion chart below when
substituting SweetLeaf Stevia® for sugar.