YOGURT ~ JUST DESSERT ~ No Sugar!

May 27, 2024January 3, 202537 Comments

What are you having for dessert TODAY!!! YOGURT with blueberries (any fruit – apples), a handful of seeds or nuts, flax seeds, chia seeds. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Yogurt

I grew up on yogurt. The quality of your yogurt depends on the quality of your ingredients. This is such a good video I wanted to share it with you. NO SUGAR!!! ignore those recipes low sugar yogurt. BAH!!! You don’t even have to buy a yogurt maker. Notice when you have home made yogurt has a slight fermented acidic notes. Something like Kambucha. If you think it’s sour, you’ve been eating way too much sugar in your diet. I am at a point where ice cream is too sweet. I cant eat it. Take care of yourself for me! Please be good to yourself!

The next thing you want to know is ..What is the best yogurt?

HOME MADE YOGURT

NEXT BEST YOGURT: GI (Glucose Index) for GREEK YOGURT : 11. The GI for ice cream : 88!!! Replace your sour cream (GI 56) with Greek yogurt – for your baked potatoes-a side with any meal to add creaminess and balance to what you are eating. Instead of a dollop of ice cream or whip cream, use a dollop of yogurt? Note: GI under 55 is considered low.

GREEK style yogurt has the least amount of carbs.

DOCTORS AGREE
Full fat Greek yogurt is your #1 choice.
2% is the lowest percentage you want to buy.

Did You Know?

If you are lactose intolerant you can eat yogurt.

YOGURT contains lactase which is the enzyme our bodies need to break down lactose.
Yogurt is often beneficial to the lactose intolerant.

Blame The Manufacturers Then .. Blame Yourself!

MANUFACTURERS know that people like sugar. No, people are obsessed with sugar. Sugar is a preservative and enhances flavours. What would you think if I told you 70% of the supermarket shelves would be empty if sugar products were removed.

PIONEERS did not know the price you pay for sugar. Today’s ULTRA “Processed Foods” have way too much sugar. A lot of sugar is found in processed foods not as a preservative but to eat freely. Read your labels. The first ingredient in most power bars is sugar. Sugar is found in abundance from white bread, whole wheat bread to milkshakes.

Sugar Is Legal

GLUTEN FREE chocolate brownies have listed sugar as the number one ingredient written on the side of the box.

Diabetes (type 2) was diagnosed for a 13 yrs old child! !Diabetes leads to heart disease… It all starts with sugar. Since sugar is legal, we can eat as much as we like. Don’t be porous and let this information go right through you. I hope you are mindful of the dangers from sugar.

GOOD Dessert CHOICES

Fruits are an excellent sources of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and excise a cleansing effect on blood. Each and every fruit is enriched with their own kinds of nutrients. And, 70% dark chocolate is full of manganese!

Home Made Clafoutis (click for recipe)

Blueberries are at the top of the nutritional food chain. I have them around all the time. If it’s not fresh, it is frozen. But, always GOOD! If you have to have sugar, be sensible about it.

15 BEST SUGAR FREE DESSERTS

Blueberry CRISP ~ New and Improved!

July 8, 2023July 10, 202313 Comments

Blueberries are at the top of the nutritional food chain. I have them in my fridge all the time: fresh or frozen. Always GOOD!

Blueberry Crisp

Servings: 8
Time: 65 mins
Difficulty: easy
Print

INGREDIENTS
FILLING:
4 cups Blueberries (plus other fruit -optional)
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Gluten Free Vanilla Bean Paste (or vanilla extract)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) Truvía® Brown Sugar Blend ~or~
⅓ cup Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash for sweetness
TOPPING:
1 heaping cup Almond Flour
¼ cup(60 mL) Truvía® Brown Sugar Blend
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon Powder (or grated stick)
¼ teaspoon Fresh Ginger -Grated
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg -Grated
¼ teaspoon Cardamon – 2 to 3 cardamon pods -ground
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (cold and cubed)
Optional: ⅓ cup Walnuts, Pecans -or mixed nuts (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the blueberry filling. Mix together your fresh (or frozen!) blueberries and other fruit with lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, truvia or sweet potato (or squash) in a medium bowl.
2. Divide your blueberry mixture to buttered ramekins and set it aside while you make the KETO crisp topping.
3. In another medium bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, chopped nuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, sugar substitute, cardamon and Kosher salt.
4. Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces and add it to the dry ingredients mixture and blend into a crumb-like texture.
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberry mixture, cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes then remove the foil and bake for about another 10 minutes -until the topping is golden brown. Optional: mix ½ cup gluten free oats to the topping.

TOPPING (Additional)
Add a dollop of Greek Yogurt and garnish with lemon or chocolate mint.
310 cal. per serving Prep: 15 min. Bake: 40-50 min.

TIP: Pile Blueberries as high as you can. The blueberries will cook down. Remember, as fruit cooks -they get sweeter and sweeter -without added sugar!

Mix and Match!

⅓ Blueberries + ⅓ peach, apricot or apples + ⅓ butternut squash -or- ⅓ sweet potatoes, You can mix and match for your filling. Rhubarb pairs well with blueberries. I do not add any sugar in my filling. The sweet potato or butternut squash is my “go to” sugar substitute (If needed).

Blueberries are sweet and slightly tangy. They pair well with a sweet, crunchy topping. Don’t forget the salt. Kosher Salt is an important flavour enhancer!

Alton Brown’s TIP – Good Eats (Food Network) ..see below…

GLYCEMIC INDEX

The GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI) is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, with pure glucose (a simple sugar) arbitrarily given the value of 100. Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels.

G.I – Ice Cream vs Yogurt Topping

Many desserts have an added dollop of ice cream or whip cream. Let’s make it better!
Remember, the GI index for ice cream is 88. and the GI index for GREEK yogurt is: 11. Add “full fat” Greek yogurt instead of whip cream to your dessert. Note: GI under 55 is considered as a low GI. Y

What is the best yogurt to buy: (i) no-fat, (ii) 2%, or (iii) whole fat? Full fat – Greek style yogurt – is the right answer. It has the least amount of carbs. The carbs in Greek yogurt is very LOW. Doctors agree that a low fat or 2% yogurt is not the healthiest choice. Full Fat – Greek Yogurt Is your “Best Choice”!

Thick, Creamy Greek Yogurt GI: 11 With Blueberry Crisp!

SO-O-O GO-O-OD!

A MEMORY FROM CHILDHOOD

I am cutting down on cane sugar. Blueberry crisp can be enhanced with cardamom, lemon and ginger. Sweet potato is a good cane sugar substitute – if you want more sweetness.

EXTRA NEWS ~About Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes are known to be beneficial to individuals with type 2 diabetes due to the high levels of magnesium and fiber, which helps in reducing insulin resistance and stabilizes blood sugar. Sweet potatoes do have a large level of carbohydrates. But, they generally have a low glycemic index:

Butternut squash GI 52
Sweet Potato GI:61

Orange Sweet Potato (most common), Red Jamaican (white inside) and Japanese Sweet Potato: (red inside).

ALTON BROWN suggests to add crackers, breakfast oatmeal packets, crumbled plain or cinnamon bread to the blueberry crisp. Before baking, mix half your mixture with the blueberries. The other half is the topping! Kind of like mock bread pudding with fruit. Alton you’re so creative!

Eggplant -Roasted With Pomegranate

August 7, 2021August 16, 202118 Comments

I was excited to snip some lemon thyme for my favorite grilled eggplant. File this under EASY RECIPE . Make it once and you will be hooked for life!

Print Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 large eggplants
1/3 cup olive oil (adjust as needed)
1 1/2 tsp. (fresh) lemon thyme plus a few sprigs for garnish
Maldon Sea Salt & pepper
1 pomegranate
1 tsp. za’ater

Sauce

9 tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove of crushed garlic
a pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400F
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise
Place diagonal incisions (diamond shape) on the cut side of the eggplant ( do not pierce the skin)
Brush eggplants with oil until absorbed by the flesh – I added more oil.
sprinkle with fresh lemon thyme, salt and pepper
Roast for 35-40 minutes until nicely browned
While the eggplant is roasting, remove pomegranate seeds and prepare the buttermilk sauce
Refrigerate sauce until eggplant has completely roasted
Top eggplant with sauce, sprinkle pomegranate seeds and za-atar on top with a drizzle of oil
Garnish with lemon thyme

Spice Of Life

We need to roast more veggies! A high-heat cooking method that brings out the best flavors in vegetables. Also, bland vegetables like eggplant and zucchini are vessels for spices to make something delicious.

Maldon Sea Salt

Maldon Salt is an English sea-salt. It comes in large, thin, uneven, crunchy salt flakes that have a very clean, pure salt taste. I buy it at my local grocery store.
If they don’t have it, get your grocer to order it. Just ask!

The Za’atar shrub is common to the middle east and Turkey. ( It looks like oregano. ) You can grow your own plant if you can get the seeds or starter plant.

Home Made Za’atar … Jamie Oliver’s Food TV

Za’atar is one of the few spices you can eat with a spoon. Full of Nutrition.

You can buy Maldon salt flakes and za’atar online. Jamie Oliver provides the recipe for make your own za’atar blend . A healthy concoction that tastes amazing! The secret ingredient for this middle eastern recipe. It’s delicious! The day I made this recipe, I didn’t have buttermilk or milk. I did have Greek yogurt and another tangy plain yogurt I use in recipes. Today, it’s a substitute for buttermilk. You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk. The za’atar and lemon thyme makes such a difference. I can not say enough about how really fantastic it tastes. It’s one of those recipes you will make again and again.