Good afternoon! I hope this finds you all well. I am a day late with my next part of “What is in my Gluten, Dairy and Preservative Free Pantry” as the the office of COTC has been hectic (Thanks for everyones support and love of my books!) I have to say also a massive Thank you to my sister Jes who has been on call to help me with orders when I have needed it too! I am thrilled to have just added to my ‘shopping cart’ the ADDITIVE FREE SHOPPING GUIDE by Tanya Winfield! Just another tool I love to be able to offer to help you in your journey of healthy additive free eating.
COTC Additive Free Pack now on available for sale!
I am taking a huge deep breath as I uncover what is in my Pantry for ‘Sugar’ this week….Now, I am just going to put it out there….both my books are Gluten Dairy and Preservative Free ….NOT sugar free. In my books I use ‘plain’ sugars like white, castor and brown as I did a heap of research from my family and friends and their family and friends and found out that this is what most people want….easy simple recipes with ingredients you can get from the local Supermarkets….and if you don’t use these sugars, you can simply swap it for sweetener of your choice….there are SO many out there….there are pro’s and con’s for them all and as I say with everything in life, you need to make the decision that is right for you and your family.
This is what is right for me…..I am going to add a little extra bit to that and say “at the moment” as my learning of healthy eating is an ongoing journey still and I hope it always will be.
SUGAR
In my pantry:
White Sugar, Castor Sugar, Brown Sugar, Icing Sugar, Agave Nectar, Coconut Sugar, Rapadura and Natvia
White, Castor, Brown and Icing : the most common sugars bought. I have heard these sugars be called “empty sugars” and white sugar be called “white poison” as they have no nutritional value and are simply there for taste. The point of this blog isn’t to persuade you to choose one sugar over another and there are MANY websites and books out there that can give you more information on this sugar debate.
I use white, castor and brown sugars for cakes and muffins when cooking and testing for COTC books and recipes. I use icing sugar simply only for icing cakes. This is what you will find in both my books.
Agave Syrup: I love this stuff! For me it is a cheaper version of Maple Syrup. If I need a comforting cuppa, I love nothing more than a Rooibus tea with a splash of rice milk and 1/2 tspn agave. We use this on pancakes and I have been experimenting on using this in cakes instead of the ‘standard’ sugars – but like anything when swapping textures it takes a bit of experimenting. You can find out a more information on Agave at www.lovingearth.net - I buy mine from either Loving Earth or Santos Trading (both online) and you can get it in some health food sections of Supermarkets or Health food stores. The “light” agave is milder in flavour than the “dark”.
Coconut Sugar: It is almost toffee like and I use it mostly to replace brown sugar but have used it to replace white also. Once again you can find out more at Loving Earth. I personally think it is sweeter then brown and white sugar. I have used this to replace the brown sugar in my Carrot Cake recipe in COTC.
Carrot Cake from COTC recipe book
Rapadura: I buy this in the bulk section of a local health food store. I use this to replace brown sugar. It is more expensive yet much better for you as it has vitamins and minerals.
Natvia: I have heard people raving about this natural sweetener. The packaging it comes in says it has 0.6 calories per 3g teaspoon compared to white sugar which has 16 calories per 4g teaspoon. I personally dont like the taste. It reminds me of being a kid and nicking my Nans “fake sugar” tablets …. I have tried it in tea and cakes and just can’t take to the taste at all. Its here in my cupboard now but I won’t replace it – if it ever runs out!
So thats it for whats in my cupboard for Sugar…as I say there are so many options out there….Good Luck finding whats right for you….or if you are like me cover all options and decide on what to use depending on the recipe!
Take Care of You,
Collette x
No comments:
Post a Comment