Experiments with Stevia

Cold Brewed Iced Green Tea

2011-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is my new go-to drink instead of pop. It is surprisingly refreshing and tasty.

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
4 tea bags (green tea)
4 slices of lemon
4 scoops of stevia

Pour water into a 2 quart container with a lid (I re-use a Simply Orange OJ bottle)
Add stevia to the water; close and shake to dissolve stevia
Add tea bags and lemon slices
Place container into the fridge 8 hrs or overnight (I have left it a day and a half and it doesn't seem to hurt anything)

Thoughts: I keep this in the fridge at all times by rotating two containers. Sometimes I add a another bag of fruit tea from the Celestial Seasoning Sampler. The raspberry is crazy good. I have managed to give up pop by drinking coffee in the morning, and this tea with lunch and dinner.

My First Experiments - Drinks (Coffee & Lemonade)

2011-07-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Experiment #1: Mocha Coffee

Brewed 12 oz of whatever coffee my mom left in my cabinet (Folger's or Dunkin' Donuts??)
Measured a scoop of Stevia but added just a sprinkle; tasted it and wasn't offended so I added the whole scoop
Tasted coffee again and it was perfectly sweetened with no bitter aftertaste! Amazon reviewers were right!
Added 1 tsp of Hershey's cocoa powder (unsweetened). Not enough chocolaty taste so added another. Good flavor, but a little bitter
Added 1 T of heavy cream (yeah I should buy something less fattening, but it was what I had); happy with taste so far
Added a hefty dash of cinnamon, a squirt of lowfat Redi Whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon for looks. Lovely.

Thoughts: The label was right; one scoop was perfect for a 12 oz coffee. I am pleased and very happy with Kal Stevia so far. The drink itself was not quite perfect... maybe a tad... chalky? bitter? Whatever it was, it was pretty mild and tolerable. I think it is from the cocoa powder (or the cinnamon since I have noticed that it doesn't dissolve too well). In any case, the Stevia dissolved well and tasted fine, so improvements will focus on the mocha. I don't honestly believe anyone is ever going to read this blog, but if you do and have a tip for making mocha coffee with cocoa powder, I am all ears.

Improvements for next time: Figure out a way to make the cocoa powder blend better. Measure cinnamon so I can figure out if it is responsible for the chalky feel.

Ingedients & Calories:

Coffee (12 oz) 8 cal
Stevia (1 scoop) 0 cal
Hershey Cocoa Powder (2 tsp) 7 cal
Heavy Cream (1 T) 50 cal
Cinnamon (dash) 0 cal
Redi Whip Fat Free (2 T) 5 cal

Total: 70 calories per serving

Experiment #2: Citrus-Aid

I have a good recipe for a lemonade/citrus drink, that uses lemons, limes, and oranges and I wanted to see if Stevia could be used instead of sugar. I started with a mini-batch so as not to give myself carpal tunnel squeezing a million fruits only to screw up batch after batch with wrong amounts of Stevia.

Squeezed 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 tangerine (I am out of oranges); resulted in about 1/2 cup juice
Added 3 cups of water (reduced proportions from this Citrus Lemonade recipe from Allrecipes.com)
Added Stevia
After 1 scoop: Drink still very sour, Stevia clumped when I dumped it in. Smashed bits with fingers and then it seemed okay.
After 2 scoops: Tasted better, poured Stevia slowly while stirring and no clumps
After 3 scoops: Much better, might be okay for some
After 4 scoops: Yum. Much better than expected. Probably wouldn't know the difference if I hadn't made it myself.

Calories per 8 oz serving: 10 for Citrus-Aid w/ tangerine, or 12 if made with orange. YAY!

Thoughts: Pleased again. I might have tasted a slight aftertaste, but I think it was in my head because I believe I should with an alternative sweetener and I have a cold. I'll see what my husband, Jeff, thinks. I would make this again with no changes. Maybe increase the proportions to make 2 quarts or a gallon.

PS Jeff liked it. He was impressed. He was NOT impressed with my 1st attempts with other brands of Stevia so that says something.

Kool-Aid

2011-07-17T18:55:00.001-07:00

This is a simple one, but I finally perfected making Kool-Aid so I thought I would share.

Ingredients:

1 packet Kool-Aid (any flavor)
1/4 tsp Kal brand stevia
1 T of sugar
2 quarts water

Dump first 3 ingredients into a 2 qt pitcher
Stir in 2 quarts of water

I know... I know... seems so obvious as to hardly be worth mentioning. BUT if you are like me and tired of measuring out 8 tiny little scoops of the Kal stevia every time and then pouring it in one speck at a time so that it doesn't clump, then you will be happy to know this recipe!

The trick is in the sugar. It only causes the Kool-Aid to be 6 calories per serving but by mixing it with the stevia beforehand, you solve the clumping problem. Also it is nice to know that you can just measure out a 1/4 tsp of stevia from the jar and not mess with the tiny scoop.

Enjoy Kool-Aid once again!

Homemade Crockpot Yogurt

2011-07-17T17:19:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying that the first part of this recipe was taken entirely from Nourishing Days. I have made it several times now and have loved it every time. I am posting my own version because I go on to thicken this yogurt and, of course, flavor it with stevia.

I know homemade yogurt sounds scary, much less a yogurt made in your crockpot. But it is delicious and even the skeptics I know who have tasted it are impressed.

Ingredients:

2 quarts milk (I use whole and hope to try raw)
6 oz plain or vanilla yogurt with live active cultures (this is the starter and after you make it once, you can use your own)
stevia (to taste)
strawberries, blueberries, or vanilla (optional)

Pour milk into your crockpot and turn on low (I have a 4qt crockpot)
Heat for 2 1/2 hrs (I have messed this up two times by heating too long, with no ill effects)
Turn off your crockpot and let it sit with the lid on for about 3 hrs (I fell asleep and let it sit for 4 1/2 hrs last night and my yogurt turned out fine)
After the 3 hrs, remove 1-2 cups of warm milk and pour it into a bowl with the 6oz "starter" yogurt; mix well
Thoroughly whisk the yogurt/milk mixture back into the crockpot
Replace lid and cover entire crockpot with a large thick bath towel (or two)
Let it sit undisturbed to culture 8-12 hours (I have read it will be tangier the longer it sits, I have only let it sit 8 hours both times and it was perfect)
Strain to thicken (optional)*
Sweeten with stevia and fruit or vanilla**

*Straining: I used a tip I found on making cheese to strain my yogurt. Wash and dry a spare pillowcase. Cut out a square that fits into your strainer. Place pillowcase into strainer and strainer into a bowl. I use a square tupperware bowl so the strainer does not fit snugly. You don't want the strainer to sit in the drippings. Place bowl and strainer into the fridge and allow to drain 2-4 hrs or until desired thickness is reached. (The liquid leftover is whey and it is full of protein. I add the whey to recipes in place of water like oatmeal or rice... but only a couple tablespoons because the whey is tangy.)
**Flavor Ideas
Fruit Compote:
--Make a berry compote (you can use the "topping" portion of one of my earlier recipes to do this and substitute any fruit you like). Mix into yogurt and add several more scoops of stevia to taste. (This is the version we made tonight and my boys were licking their bowls. It was super delicious!)
Vanilla
--Add 1 tsp of vanilla and several scoops of stevia to taste. I sometimes add a dash of brown sugar, but the stevia is fine on its own.

Notes:

I love this yogurt. In fact, I can't get enough of it. I love that I can have an unprocessed whole milk yogurt that tastes good, but is not full of sugar.
I love both the fruit and the vanilla flavored varieties that I have tried. Actually, the more I make it, the more I like even the plain. So far we have made blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and vanilla, and my boys devoured every kind.
Next time I also want to double the recipe. We eat it way too fast. I am not sure how that affects cook times though, so maybe I will buy a thermometer and use this tip from Shannon when asked about changing quantities:
"Let it heat to 160-180 degrees and then cool to about 110. I usually add about 2 tablespoons of starter to each quart of milk."
My one complaint is the thickness. While straining does work to make a thick yogurt, a lot of volume is lost this way. And although I happily use the whey in other recipes... I always end up feeding a good portion of it to the plants because we go through yogurt faster than whey. I read a tip about using gelatin to thicken on another blog, and I am going to try that next time.
Next Time: I am going to add 1 packet of gelatin to the warm milk left in the crockpot in step 4. I will let it sit a couple minutes while I combine the "starter" yogurt with the 1-2 cups warm milk. I actually want to try this right now....
Nutrition Facts: If you divide this up into 8 servings, each serving will be about 135 calories with 13g of carbs and 9g of protein (although that's without removing the whey). I am having a hard time calculating how much this makes and knowing if 8 servings is reasonable, however, because my boys gobble half of it up before I can really do any figuring. I will try and keep better track next time.

(Yogurt devoured before I could measure it)

A Note on my Absence

2011-07-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

I had a moment of disillusionment with stevia after reading a few articles about the effects of low-cal and no cal sweeteners on the body.

For awhile I decided that I was through trying to cut corners when it came to food. I was just going to eat real food with normal calories and just watch my intake. Unfortunately, this didn't exactly lead to a healthy diet and after counting calories so many times in the past, I could not muster up the motivation to keep up with it again.

Then I discovered this blog. It opened my eyes. It brought together everything I was learning about eating right. I already wrote about this in my weight loss blog (although it's as poorly kept up as this one) so I won't rehash it here, but suffice it to say, I am now committed to eating real foods as much as possible. By "real" I mean unprocessed and as close to the source as my ability and budget allows.

So anyway... although the author of my inspirational blog, Erika, does not use stevia herself and has mentioned that since it is also processed it is probably a no-no, I am finding that adding stevia back into my diet is helping me give up things that had such a hold on me my whole life.

Like pop. I LOVE pop. Or at least I did. Now that I am eating clean, pop isn't doing it for me anymore. It just doesn't taste as good as it used to. But the absence of pop from my life leaves a gaping hole that water just does not fill. So I brought back stevia. I think it is worth it to be cutting out all that HFCS. And as my taste buds recover from processed food overload, I find I don't need as much stevia to make an enjoyable beverage.

Okay... back to the recipes!

Chocolate Pudding

2010-01-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I made another stevia concoction yesterday and it was good, but not awesome, so I wasn't overly motivated to write it up like usual. Well today I took it out and tasted it and it was delicious! I am beginning to see a pattern with stevia... desserts MUST sit overnight for best results. Something about all the flavors melding and the aftertaste subsiding I guess.

Anyway... here is the recipe (once again, this was inspired by an Allrecipes.com submission--Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding).

Ingredients:

2 T cornstarch
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups 2% milk, divided
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
5-6 scoops of Kal brand stevia

In a small saucepan, slowly stir cocoa powder and salt into 1 cup of milk over medium heat
Whisk cornstarch into the remaining milk until lumps disappear (I did NOT do this for my attempt and my pudding was very lumpy)
Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into saucepan; heat until thickened and bubbly
Reduce heat, cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir a small amount of hot mixture into the egg yolks and then pour everything back in the pan, stirring constantly.
Bring to a gentle boil, cook and stir for 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
Stir in butter, vanilla, and stevia (I added my stevia along with the cocoa powder and my pudding had an aftertaste at first. I think adding the stevia at the end might help).
Cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Nutrition Facts: 140 calories per serving (make 4 servings) vs. 190 if made with sugar. Total Fat 7.9g, Saturated Fat 4.4g, Sodium 223mg, Total Carbs 11.3g, Dietary Fiber 0.9g, Protein 6.0g

Thoughts: Right after I made this I tasted it, and was unimpressed. I let it chill for an hour then served it to my sister and my kids with bananas and whipped cream. None of the kids finished it. My sister and I enjoyed it, but it tasted like it had been made with artificial sweetener... you know that unpleasant aftertaste.

So, I took this out today to finish it off (it wasn't that bad, just not great). I tasted it plain and it was great. Tasted just like regular pudding! The theme time and again has been... stevia desserts just have to sit for awhile. I wonder if it is the cooking or what. I don't have this problem with coffee and tea.

Changes for next time (the recipe already reflects these changes): Add stevia in the final step. Whisk cornstarch into 1/2 the milk before adding to saucepan.

Next time I will try making vanilla... the kids just seem to prefer vanilla stuff! Weirdos!

Strawberry Pavlova

2010-01-23T15:04:00.001-08:00

Of course, I meant to have fancy chocolate drizzles on the plate, but I was in too big of a hurry to let the sauce thicken!

Ingredients:

For the meringue shells:

4 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup of sugar
4 scoops stevia (Kal powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cornstarch

For cream center

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1-2 scoops stevia (optional)

For topping

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 tsp sugar
1-2 scoops stevia
chocolate shavings

For chocolate sauce (optional)

1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 scoop stevia
1/4 cup water

Directions

Beat room temperature egg whites until the are frothy
Add the cream of tartar and beat until gentle peaks form
Add sugar about 1 T at a time while continuously beating egg whites until stiffer peaks form
Add stevia and beat for another few seconds to blend
Fold in the lemon juice and the cornstarch
Scoop the mixture into a large zipper bag and cut off a corner to form nests on cookie sheets. I used a decorator tip even to make them pretty. (I put parchment paper sprinkled with cornstarch on my cookie sheets and the nests stuck anyway. Next time I will try cooking spray.)
Bake for 25 minutes in a 300 degree oven (tops will be nicely browned, but you can cook them for longer at a lower temp if you prefer them to stay white).

While these are baking you can make the strawberry sauce:

Slice or chop all the strawberries, set aside about 1/3 of them
Heat the remaining 2/3 in skillet on medium heat; sprinkle sugar and stevia onto berries and mix well
Gently mash up berries with a potato masher once they are soft
Cook berries until sauce is desired thickness (4-5 minutes)
Add in the remaining 1/3 of berries and mix well

You can use Redi Whip to reduce calories, but the homemade whipped cream is much more delicious:

Pour whipping cream in a chilled bowl
Beat on lower speed until it starts to thicken (just so it doesn't splash out)
Increase speed and beat until the consistency of whipped cream
Add stevia to taste (authentic pavlova uses unsweetened cream which you could get away with since the meringue and berries are so sweet--my boys like licking the bowl and beaters though, so it had to be a little sweet!

Chocolate Sauce--you can use Hershey's syrup to save time, but this sauce tastes a little bitter to contrast the sweetness and has WAY less calories:

Mix cocoa powder and stevia in a small saucepan
Microwave the water to boiling (about a minute) and then whisk it into the dry mixture
Bring to a boil then gently simmer for 2 minutes
Continue heating and stirring until thickened (the mixture will also thicken as it cools, so you have to experiment to find that balance that results in a pourable sauce--clearly by my picture, I have not found it yet)

Assemble ingredients:

Drizzle chocolate sauce onto serving plate in a decorative fashion
Place meringue nest in center of plate
Add a dollop of cream to the center of the nest
Spoon strawberry topping onto cream
Sprinkle chocolate shavings over berries (I just used a vegetable peeler on a square of almond bark)

Nutrition Facts: 110 calories per serving or 65 per serving with Low Fat Redi Whip or Cool-Whip, Total Fat 7.5g, Saturated Fat 4.6g, Sodium 24mg, Total Carbs 9.6g, Dietary Fiber 0.9g, Protein 1.8g
Is that unbelievable or what?! 110 calories for a dessert you could serve at a fancy dinner party!
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it can be done in stages. I think I would even make the meringue the night before (do the baking method where you leave it in the oven all night) and then eat this for breakfast! And oh the possibilities for toppings... blueberries, kiwi, banana layered under the cream... anything goes!

Meringue Cookies

2010-01-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

Experiment #8 (part II): Improved Meringue Cookies

Vanilla with sprinkles

So this time I brushed up on my meringue skills using the Joy of Baking website. It's really the little things when making meringue. The cookies came out great this time!

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
6 T sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 T)
1/4 tsp stevia (I meant to use 1/4 tsp anyway... I don't know how much I really used)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

I beat the egg whites until they were frothy, then added the cream of tartar and beat until gentle peaks formed
I gradually beat the sugar into the egg mixture until stiff peaks formed
I would have added just a 1/4 tsp of stevia at this point, but my 18 mos old was sitting next to me and he yanked the lid off the jar spraying stevia everywhere--including into the mixing bowl. I just left it at that
I slowly beat in the vanilla
At this point, I divided the mix in half and piped the plain mixture onto parchment paper and put in the oven for 25 minutes at 300 degrees
I folded the cocoa into the 2nd half and the mixture did start softening up a bit, but not as bad as last time
I also piped the cocoa mixture onto parchment paper and baked for 25 minutes at 300 degrees

Nutrition Facts:

Vanilla Cookies: 45 calories per serving of 5 cookies (40 cookies per batch) vs 150 calories per serving for cookies made with sugar, Total Fat 0.0g, Sodium 21mg, Total Carbs 9.6g, Protein 1.4g

Chocolate Cookies: 60 calories per serving of 5 cookies (30 cookies per batch) vs 200 calories per serving for cookies made with sugar, Total Fat 0.1g, Sodium 28mg, Total Carbs 13g, Protein 1.9g

Chocolate with cocoa dusting
Thoughts: These came out sooooo much better than my first attempt. Oddly, my children preferred the vanilla batch. I think it was because of the sprinkles, but my oldest actually put his chocolate cookie down and said, "Mom, this tastes really bad." My second son finished them off though, so they must have been okay for him at least. I liked them. Oh, I should add that the chocolate cookies do deflate a bit when the cocoa is mixed in. They are softer and more pancake shaped vs. the Hershey Kiss shaped vanilla cookies.
I am going to consider these my "control" batch. For future attempts, I will gradually decrease the sugar until I find the minimum amount I can use and still have nice stiff peaks.
**Note to self: I made a meringue dessert today that used 4 egg whites and 1/3 cup sugar and it came out well. Next time maybe use 4 egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar).

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

2010-01-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

Experiment #8: Chocolate Meringue Cookies

These are in the oven at the moment and I already know these are going to be a complete and utter failure, but for the sake of journalistic integrity, here's my report!

I got the idea for these from Allrecipes.com of course, but then found a cool site called GreenLite Bites that specifically used stevia (yay!) in a meringue cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (actually I didn't use it all, maybe 1/3 of it was left)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp stevia
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt

I beat the egg whites until they were frothy, then added the cream of tartar and beat until gentle peaks formed (I should have added vanilla at this point, but I forgot)
I combined the sugar, stevia, and salt and slowly beat them into the egg mixture until stiffer peaks formed
I folded in the cocoa, but the mixture got all bubbly and started breaking down. This did not happen last time I made chocolate meringue cookies.
I scooped the mixture into a freezer bag and cut off a corner to squirt dollops onto a cookie sheet. This worked perfect last time, but this time they were runny.
I am now baking these for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Calories: 8 per cookie (made 25 cookies)
Thoughts: Ugh, I just peeked through the oven door and the cookies have flattened into road kill! There are a couple reasons this recipe may have gone wrong besides the stevia... I forgot the vanilla so added it last, or maybe the peaks weren't quite stiff enough when I folded in the cocoa. Also, I only had two eggs so I scaled the recipe to fit and who knows what happens when you do that!
Update: I took these out of the oven and they are not edible. I can barely scrape them off the cookie sheet and they taste burnt anyway --sigh-- I hate failure.
I am still excited about the possibilities of this recipe! I need more eggs, however, before I try again. Maybe I will make the next batch plain, just to get my technique down. I have made meringue cookies successfully before, but they can be tricky to get right.

British Style Green Tea

2010-01-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Experiment #7: Green Tea with milk

This is not so much a recipe as a review. I am not a big coffee or tea fan, but I like a warm drink in the winter and I also want to find something to replace pop.

So I made a cup of green tea, added a scoop of Kal stevia, and maybe an ounce of milk and it was delicious. I have made tea with milk and sugar before, but I have to add so much sugar and the last few drinks are a syrupy sugary slop. I would say this is the 1st thing I have made that I prefer to sugar. For the record:

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
1 tea bag
1 scoop Kal stevia
1 oz 2% milk

Nutrition Facts: 15 calories per cup, Total Fat 0.6g, Sodium 19mg, Total Carbs 1.3g, Protein 0.9g (of course everything is zero if you leave out the milk!)

I can't wait to make Iced Tea this summer!

Update (7/27/2011): I have stopped putting milk in my tea. It seems that milk reacts with tea in such a way that it destroys its health benefits. I would recommend using milk if you need it to get used to tea... but then wean yourself off of it.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-01-19T10:37:00.001-08:00

Experiment #6: Chocolate Chip Muffins

I used the Fudgy Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe from Allrecipes.com as the basis for this experiment.
Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 tsp Kal stevia (use up to 1/2 tsp to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T ground flax seed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips (reserve a couple tsp to sprinkle on top)

I combined the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and wheat bran in a large mixing bowl
In another bowl, I used a hand mixer set on medium to combine the butter, egg, stevia, vanilla, and flax seed. I then mixed in the sour cream
I slowly added the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and tried to mix well
At this point, the batter became extremely dry, so I got 1/2 cup of water and slowly added it until the batter had the consistency of fluffy cake batter
I stirred in most of the mini chips by hand
Then I poured the batter into pre-greased muffin tins (I did NOT use paper cups) and popped them into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts: 145 calories per serving (12 servings per batch), Total Fat 8.9g, Saturated Fat: 5.4g, Sodium 96mg, Total Carbs 14.6g, Dietary Fiber 1.8g, Protein 3.1g

The whole batch has about 1,750 calories, so if you make bigger muffins, then redo the math. If I had used sugar, these would have been about 210 calories per serving!

Thoughts: These came out great! The texture was fantastic--they were moist and soft. They did come out a little on the small side; even though the muffin cups were over half full, they did not rise up much over the top of the pan. I also thought they were not incredibly sweet. The chocolate chips added enough sweetness for my taste, but I bet Jeff would like the cake part sweeter. I am going to let these sit and try them again later and see if the flavors all mellow out like in the banana bread before I officially decide to add more stevia next time.

I think the wheat bran is what is making my batter dry (the banana bread batter was also dry). I like having that extra bit of health... makes me feel less guilty for giving them to the kids for breakfast! Luckily, adding the water worked out well so I am not going to try and correct for that.
Changes for next time: Definately add more stevia... like a 1/4 tsp more. Also try adding 1 tsp of baking powder like the banana bread has. I could substitute applesauce for sour cream to reduce the calories and I think I would prefer a tad less cinnamon. Maybe try less wheat bran as well.

Update: These were not as good after cooling off and sitting on top of the fridge. Jeff felt that the wheat bran gave it a texture that was a little off... he said he could taste "flakiness". He also thought they were a little dense. I could make them again as is with a little more stevia, but more likely I will experiment some more and try and get them to be a bit fluffier. The kids still loved the muffins when they had them this afternoon... so if all else fails they make a great healthy-ish snack for the monkeys.

Banana Bread

2010-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Experiment #5: Banana Bread

I used my favorite recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook as a starter. I had already changed it up to include wheat bran, ground flax seed, and more cinnamon in the past. Tonight I tried it with stevia.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
2 lg mashed bananas
1/4 tsp Kal stevia
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp lemon peel
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 T Ground flax seed
1/4 cup 2% milk

I combined the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl and then made a well in the center
In another bowl, I mashed the bananas, then added the egg, oil, lemon peel, wheat bran, and flax seed and mixed it well. I added 1/4 tsp stevia and tasted for sweetness. I was planning on adding a whole tsp in 1/4 tsp increments but thought it tasted fine after just 1/4 tsp. This stuff is strong!
I poured the wet mixture onto the dry mixture and stirred just until moistened (that is important to do in any quick bread--don't over stir!)
The batter seemed dry so I added 1/4 cup milk.
I poured batter into a pre-greased loaf pan and popped into a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.

Nutrition Facts: 130 calories per serving (12 servings per loaf), Total Fat 5.5g, Saturated Fat: 0.6g, Sodium 59mg, Total Carbs 18.8g, Dietary Fiber 1.8g, Protein 2.8g

The whole loaf has about 1,580 calories, so if you cut it up different, then redo the math. I usually cut the loaf into 6 pieces, and then cut each piece in half when serving (I don't like thin slices, they tend to fall apart). If I has used sugar, it would have been about 180 calories per serving. Not bad!
Thoughts: I added the wheat bran to replace some of the bulk that I am losing from the sugar. It is only 30 calories for 1/4 cup so I figured why not? And it's healthy. It probably dried the batter out a bit though so I needed to add some milk to the batter. Next time I think I will add the milk to the wet ingredients right off the bat to minimize stirring in the end.
This is still in the oven as I type, so I will update this after I have tasted it... it sure smells good though!!
Update: I definitely did not add enough stevia. It is pretty good nevertheless. I will probably sprinkle brown sugar on it before serving it to the boys. I can eat it as is. Also the texture is different. The inside is nice and moist, but the outside is much crispier. I am guessing this is due to the wheat bran. I probably could have left that out altogether.... Also it did not come out of the pan nicely; the bottom stuck. I did not wait for it to cool like I usually do though.
For next time:

Add more stevia (1/2 tsp)
Use less wheat bran
Add applesauce instead of milk
Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan

Morning-after Update: I wrapped the bread in foil and let it sit overnight. It tasted much better today. The crust softened up and it even seemed sweeter. I sprinkled a trace of brown sugar on it and I really enjoyed it.

Hot Cocoa

2010-01-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

Experiment #4: Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

1 T Hershey's Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
1 pinch salt
1 scoop stevia
1/4 cup water
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 T Lowfat Redi Whip

I basically made this according to the directions on the side of the package, but changed the measurements to make one serving. I will spell it out here though in case I ever use a different brand.

Put cocoa powder, salt, and stevia in a small saucepan (I filled the scoop slightly less than full and used the whole thing)
Microwave the 1/4 cup of water to boiling (about a minute) and then whisk it into the dry mixture
Bring to a boil then gently simmer for 2 minutes (mixture became nice and creamy like melted chocolate chips)
Slowly whisk in the milk and heat up to near boiling (do not boil)
Remove from heat and add vanilla
Pour into a mug and squirt Red Whip on top

Nutrition Facts: 145 calories per cup, Total Fat 6.2g, Saturated Fat: 3.9g, Sodium 262mg, Total Carbs 14.8g, Dietary Fiber 1.8g, Protein 9.2g
Thoughts: This was delicious! I was happily surprised once again. I did not need to add more stevia. I would never have known this was not made with sugar or real sweetened chocolate.
Also the calorie savings is significant compared to the original recipe. Since I am using milk, this will never be a 0 calorie beverage; I will admit, however, that I am not going for 0 calorie foods with this project. I am trying to make snacks and drinks that are healthier, natural, and that I don't have to feel deprived when eating. I could try making this with more water and less milk to reduce calories, but it was so delicious that I might not.
One downside: this was time consuming. But I am finding out good, healthy, whole foods are generally more time consuming to prepare but are worth it.
Note to self: Try using this method to make the mocha coffee -- heating the cocoa before adding to the beverage is what makes it smooth and creamy I suppose. Live and learn.

Smoothie and berries

2010-01-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

Experiment #3: Tropical Berry Smoothie
I made an awesome Smoothie this afternoon, but I can't really document it properly because I did no measuring. All of the following fruits were leftovers that had already been chopped up for my boys to eat. The strawberries had previously been cooked in a skillet with sugar (before I bought stevia) to make a topping for French toast.
Ingredients:

1/2 large papaya
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
1 cup strawberries
1 cup light vanilla yogurt (Meijer brand)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups ice, crushed (from the fridge dispenser)
stevia to taste (3 scoops)

After all the ingredients were blended, I would say this made about 5 - 8oz servings. I know the kids drank at least 4 cups and I drank exactly 1 cup and I had a little leftover.
Thoughts: This was delicious. I loved it. I poured out some for my 1st son before adding the pineapple and OJ because he hates pineapple (and I forgot the OJ). So that makes it even harder to guess the proportions in mine, but it was excellent!
Nutrition Facts: 85 (depending on the proportions this will be anywhere from 75-100), Total Fat 1.0g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Sodium 38mg, Total Carbs 16.8g, Dietary Fiber 1.9g, Protein 3.3g
Experiment #4: Sweetened Strawberries
This may seem too simple to mention, but I will because I am still amazed how well this sweetens with no aftertaste. This is probably the 1st time I tried stevia without having it masked my some other strong flavor.
Ingredients:

strawberries
stevia

I cut 7 medium berries into fourths. I put them in a Glad container with a lid and filled the scoop just over half way with stevia. Then I held it over the berries and just gave it the tiniest of shakes letting some grains fall out. I closed the lid, shook the berries, tasted and they were CRAZY sweet. But not yucky! I gave them to the kids and they gobbled them up and asked for seconds.
So I cut up 5 more berries and shook them in the container without adding any more stevia and they were perfect. The boys asked for thirds and I admit, I told them no and bribed them with a cookie to go away. How backward is that?! I cut up four more and shook them in the container one more time and this time they were a tad tart. But I happily ate them before the boys could catch me and ask for more.
Calories: 25 per 1/2 cup serving
Thoughts: These were great. I didn't miss the sugar at all. Next time cut up a lot more berries and just keep them in the fridge for later so the stevia isn't so strong. or just ditch the scoop and just sprinkle on a tiny pinch. Maybe add a few drops of water to the container, pinch some stevia into that, then add the berries and shake to coat uniformly.
Next I need to figure out how to make the whole strawberry shortcake.

Welcome!

2010-01-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is to track my adventures with Stevia. I am addicted to pop and longing for the day when PepsiCo. perfects a Stevia blend cola, but until then, I have the occasional cup of coffee to save on calories and still get a jolt of caffeine. Didn't have too much luck with NOW brand French Vanilla drops, but I read on Amazon that Kal makes a powder that is much better with no aftertaste. And I can do more than put it in my coffee if I ever feel so led. I found this last night at The Fruitful Yield in South Elgin.

First thought... according to the label, a serving is one "scoop" and the included scoop is bizarrely small! The label says this 3.5 oz bottle contains 2,381 servings. Considering I drink 1 cup of coffee every 2-3 months, this should last me 496 years.
There are woefully few recipes out there that utilize Stevia (especially ones that aren't for super health fanatics and vegans). I am just a moderately health conscience slightly overweight, former diabetic (gestational) that doesn't trust artificial sweeteners but LOVES sweets. I am going to document my experiments with Stevia as I go, so I can learn from my mistakes and not forget how I made that amazing 0-cal chocolate cookie. I can dream right?

Update (7/27/2011): I used to have a couple recipes right here, but I moved them to their own posts so I could tag them and search for them more easily.