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Showing results for tags 'sweetener'.
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When I first tried SweetLeaf® Organics Organic Stevia Sweetener I was amazed. How could it be sugar- and gluten-free and not contain calories, carbohydrates, artificial ingredients, aspartame, sucralose, methanol, etc.? To me it tastes exactly like sugar, yet it won't trigger the same dreaded glycemic response. This sweetener is not just for diabetics, as my 11 year old daughter will soon find out, it is for anyone who wants to avoid the pitfalls of eating too much sugar—and the best thing of all, at least to me, is that it is also gluten-free. It is available in 35- or 70-packet boxes, or a shaker jar, and they even make a liquid stevia version which comes in a variety of flavors. For more information, visit www.SweetLeaf.com.
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Gluten-Free SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener
Celiac.com Sponsor: Review posted an article in Product Reviews
SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener is an outstanding choice in place of sugar or any other replacement sweetener. For a variety of reasons, it is far superior to other sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, acesulfame K, or neotame. It is also gluten-free and doesn't contain calories, carbohydrates, or any artificial ingredients, and yet it tastes exactly like sugar but does not trigger a glycemic response so it is perfect for people with diabetes. SweetLeaf® is available in 35- or 70-packet boxes, or in a shaker jar, and they also produce a liquid stevia version which comes in a variety of flavors. For more information, visit www.SweetLeaf.com.-
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Celiac.com 01/28/2022 - When you purchase a gluten-free cookbook, the author— hopefully—has spent time in the kitchen experimenting with the recipe until the final version is tasty, light, and worthy of being included in the book. However, we all have recipes at home that were handed down through the family, or ones that we found in a magazine, which we would like to convert to be gluten-free. Believe it or not it is possible to do this without sacrificing taste or texture—simply by making a few adjustments to the ingredients. Consider the issue of “taste.” How often have you taken a fork full of a scrumptious-looking gluten-free dessert or slice of gluten-free bread only to be sadly disappointed in the dry taste, its aftertaste, or NO taste at all? Alternative flours do not have the same taste as wheat flour. To cover up this deficiency, you have to add more flavoring to your recipe, and the ways to do this are almost limitless. With a little imagination, you can create desserts and bread products that are so tasty that no one will know they are gluten-free! Consider substituting half of the gluten-free flour mixture (traditionally made of rice, potato starch and tapioca flours) with more flavorful flours, such as cornmeal, almond, or sweet potato flour. Whether you are making sweet bread, muffins or cake, look at the ingredients listed and start to brainstorm about what you can add for extra flavor. Assuming you are not allergic to nuts, this is a good starting point. If you traditionally add chopped walnuts, vary this by substituting peanuts, pecans, hazelnuts, black walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pine nuts or even candied chestnuts. Spread dry nuts in a pan and bake them (watch them closely so they don’t burn)—toasting the nuts will bring out the natural oils and increase their flavor. For added taste, toss the nuts with a tiny bit of oil and seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or ground cloves) before toasting. Coconut is another candidate for toasting. While shredded coconut adds flavor, toasted coconut has a far more vibrant taste. Other flavorful ‘add-ins’ include marshmallows (miniature or melted), caramels (melted), dark chocolate (chips, chunks, shaved, or melted), instant coffee granules for a mocha taste, or orange, lemon or lime zest. For breads and muffins consider folding in seeds like sesame, poppy, caraway or sunflower for added flavor—or chopped dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, prunes, dates, figs, and/or glazed fruits. Canned and fresh fruits and fruit juices will not only add flavor, but moisture as well. For chocolate cakes, open a can of sweet, dark pitted cherries or thawed frozen raspberries. Use the juice from the can (or frozen package) as part of your liquid measurement, and then fold in the chopped cherries or raspberries into the batter. For a white cake, use crushed pineapple and the pineapple juice. Open a can of sliced peaches and put both peaches and their juice into a blender—use this as the liquid when making coffeecake. Blueberries, shredded apples or pears, or mashed bananas are also great to add to baked products, but so are more unusual selections. Think out of the box. Add mashed mangos, kiwi or papayas, chopped maraschino cherries, shredded rhubarb, or canned, whole cranberry sauce to muffins—add pomegranate seeds to coffeecakes. In place of all or part of the liquid called for in the recipe, substitute apple cider, apricot nectar, cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice, lemonade, or limeade. Add tomato juice mixed with a little cinnamon to crumb cakes (yes, tomatoes are a fruit). Experiment by using jars of strained baby fruits for part of the liquid amount. Don’t overlook the power of vegetables to add flavor. Shredded zucchini, carrots, or onions have long been staples when baking breads. Carrot juice may be used for part of the liquid in many muffin mixes. Mashed sweet potatoes or winter squash make excellent, flavorful additions to baked goods. Even rinsed sauerkraut may be used! In place of some of the liquid listed in the recipe, use Kahlúa, wine, sherry, rum or brandy. Melted jellies, jams and preserves work well, too. Other substitutes for the liquid listed include (gluten-free) eggnog, brewed coffee, maple syrup, molasses, canned pumpkin, flavored yogurts, cottage cheese, peanut butter, apple butter, applesauce, and even gluten-free beer. Canned pie filling may be used in place of two thirds of the liquid called for in the recipe. Instead of white sugar, measure out an equal amount of brown sugar or 3⁄4 the amount of honey (both of which have more flavor than white sugar). Increase the amount of flavoring called for in the recipe, plus think about adding an additional gluten-free extract: almond, butternut, mint, anise, lemon, rum butter, or caramel flavoring. Cinnamon may be added to most any dessert recipe, along with nutmeg and a hint of ground cloves. When baking yeast breads, popular ‘add ins’ include fruits (fresh, dried, or canned), nuts, coconut, mashed sweet potatoes, bacon bits, olive slices, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or grated cheeses, and even a sprinkling of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. Even with a plain white bread, some kind of flavoring will enhance the finished product. Try adding rosemary, dill, thyme, chopped parsley, oregano, basil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, ginger, mint, cinnamon or chopped preserved ginger in syrup. And don’t be afraid to add a little vanilla flavoring—it will help improve the taste. A hint of balsamic vinegar added to yeast breads will liven up the flavor and help the bread to rise! Are you willing to be even a little more experimental? Substitute some of the gluten-free flour mixture with a package of gluten-free instant pudding dry mix. Use gluten-free cream cheese in place of some of the shortening. In a blender, whip corn relish into a puree and add to yeast breads. Try brushing cornbread with a jalapeno-honey glaze. Yes—your gluten-free baked products will taste scrumptious just by adding a little more flavoring—happy eating! Gluten-Free Cinnamon Popovers This recipe may be found in the “Recipes for Special Diets” cookbook by Connie Sarros. It recipe is approved for diabetics, low-sodium diets, and vegetarians. It is nut-free and yeast-free. For corn-free diets, use baking soda plus 1⁄2 tsp. cream of tartar in place of the baking and omit cornstarch and xanthan gum from gluten-free flour mixture. For dairy-free diets, substitute soymilk for the whole milk. Note: To help insure that the popovers rise, spoon dough into warmed pans. Ingredients: 3 eggs 3⁄4 cup gluten-free flour mixture 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 1⁄4 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 2 teaspoons sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup whole milk Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs till light. Sift together dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to eggs alternately with milk, stirring with a whisk just until blended. Do not over beat! Fill greased popover pans or deep custard cups 1⁄2 full with batter. Bake for 10 minutes; lower heat to 325F and continue baking for 20 minutes or until popovers are golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 6 large popovers or 12 muffin-size. Calories (for 12 muffin-size popovers): 52; Total fat: 1.5g; Saturated fat: 0.4g; Cholesterol: 53mg; Sodium: 79mg; Carbohydrates: 6.7g; Fiber: 0.2g; Sugar: 1.2g; Protein: 2.9g
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Celiac.com 12/24/2021 - Let me guess—the holidays are over, you ate too many sweets, and your New Year’s resolutions include eating less sugar. Judging from the calls I receive, most of you want to omit white sugar from your diet and use a “healthier” sweetener in its place. What puzzles most of you—again, judging by the questions I get—is how to use liquid sweeteners. So here is a quick overview of how I use four of my favorite liquid sweeteners to their best advantage. Each has distinct properties and complements certain foods better than others, so it’s good to learn a little about them first. Before I begin, here are two quick reminders. First, each of these sweeteners brings a unique taste and will probably not taste quite as sweet as white sugar. That is partly because your taste buds have learned to associate the taste of “sweet” with the flavor of sugar. Even though you think white sugar has no flavor because it so white and looks so neutral, in fact, it has a distinct flavor. So, prepare to re-educate your taste buds. Over time, you’ll come to appreciate the new flavors these sweeteners lend to your food. Second, remember that when you remove regular white sugar from baking, you lose other benefits beside taste. In an article for Scott-Free Newsletter a few issues ago, I discussed how low-sugar baked goods may have a coarser crumb and rougher crust, and may not stay as moist as those made with regular sugar. But if you can live with this, then read on. Agave Nectar This honey-like, mild-flavored sweetener is made from a cactus grown in Mexico. It is available in light and dark (amber) versions. I’ve cooked with the light version for nearly 10 years and it’s one of my favorite sweeteners because it doesn’t alter the flavor or color of my food. The dark version has a slight molasses flavor, but it is still delicious. For best results, use 1 cup agave nectar in place of 1 cup white sugar in baking. In gluten-free baking, reduce each cup of the recipe liquid by 1⁄4 cup to offset the liquid character of agave nectar. Use the same guideline for chocolate pudding or other desserts. Light or dark agave nectar is wonderful just drizzled over pancakes or hot cooked cereal. I also use it to sweeten my tea and I toss it with a fresh fruit salad. It also works great in homemade salad dressings to balance the acidity of the vinegar. Brown Rice Syrup This healthy sweetener is made from brown rice. I use the Lundberg brand because the label says “gluten-free” right on the jar. Other brands might contain barley malt. Brown rice syrup isn’t as sweet as sugar, so use 1 1/3 cups for every cup of sugar in baking. Be sure to reduce the recipe liquid by 1⁄4 cup for every cup of brown rice syrup used. It will make your baked goods slightly crisper, so use it in cookies that you prefer to be crisp rather than soft. For easier measuring, warm the brown rice syrup in the microwave or by setting the jar in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. It will also be easier to incorporate into the dry ingredients in baking. Because the acidity of brown rice syrup is different from white sugar, add 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda for each 1 cup of syrup used. Keep it in the refrigerator after opening. Honey We all know where honey comes from, but did you know that it is also a humectant? That means that it attracts and retains moisture so your baked goods don’t dry out as quickly. For best results when baking with honey, warm it first either in the microwave or in a bowl of warm water. It will be easier to measure and will blend into the dry ingredients more readily. Honey works great in all types of baking, but especially in big, hearty cookies. It will make them soft and not as crisp as cookies make with regular sugar. You can also use it in cakes, breads and muffins. There are so many types of honey to choose from, so just keep sampling them to find one you like. You can store honey in your pantry, but don’t feed honey to children under two years of age because of the risk of botulism. Maple Syrup Maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees. For the best flavor in baking, choose Grade B pure maple syrup. Of all the liquid sweeteners discussed here, maple syrup behaves the most like sugar in baking perhaps because its sucrose content is closer to white sugar. I like to use maple syrup in muffins, scones, and spice cakes. Just remember that it will impart a slight maple flavor, but that is a wonderful complement to apple muffins, spice cakes, coffee cakes, etc. Use 3⁄4 cup maple syrup for each cup of sugar in baking. Reduce the recipe liquid by 1⁄4 cup for each cup of syrup used. Because the acidity level differs from sugar, use 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda for each cup of syrup in the recipe. Of course, maple syrup is perfect on pancakes and waffles. It’s a natural for barbecued beans and barbecue sauce. Store pure maple syrup in the refrigerator after opening. A Final Sweet Reminder You should regard all of these guidelines as just that— guidelines. You may need to do some experimentation to make your particular dish turn out just right. There are also undoubtedly many other ways to use these liquid sweeteners in your baking. But rest assured, all of these sweeteners are available in grocery stores and natural food markets so you’ll be able to easily find them and incorporate them into your gluten-free diet.
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