We've all faced ingredient conundrums and last-minute shortages in the kitchen. Oh no! Out of eggs! No crème fraîche! Need a buttermilk substitute! Thankfully, there are a few tried-and-true substitutions you can turn to in a pinch. These can also be helpful if you're trying to modify a recipe out of dietary necessity (shifting it to be dairy or gluten-free, for example). This guide will help get you started. More

Last week my sweet nephew turned one! As any culinary minded aunty would do, I set about to make something celebratory for my favorite little human. What I came up with has no refined sugars and is full of dates and bananas. Even the grown ups enjoyed a slice or two after the baby fest. More

Once upon a time, it was unusual to even ask dinner guests about food allergies, let alone their preferences. Today, it can seem strange to have a dinner party without some sort of food restriction. Paleo, vegan, no carb, no gluten: sometimes planning a menu can require research into what these diets mean exactly. Fortunately, specialty food like gluten-free flours and vegan meat substitutions are much easier to find. But where to draw the line before you're practically making individual meals for each guest? The New York Times asked this question this past week — see what they had to say. More

Q: I'm planning a baby shower for a colleague who has gestational diabetes and is on a strict sugar-free diet. My challenge is providing desserts that the guest-of-honor and guests will want to eat, besides a fruit bowl. Any ideas for simple, crowd-pleasing, sugar-free desserts?

Sent by Callie More

Who: Kim Boyce
What: BakeShop
Where: Portland, Oregon

Kim Boyce is a celebrated cookbook author and whole grain baker. (We've featured her James Beard award-winning cookbook Good to the Grain several times here on The Kitchn.) She recently opened a retail space, BakeShop, in a family neighborhood of North East Portland. Her confections are unbelievable and her cheerful attitude infectious. More

I'm not a fan of quirky weight loss and health food claims. It's seems like every week there's a new litany of superfoods promising to keep us forever young, slim and healthy only to be replaced by a different list the following week. I long ago stopped paying attention to most of them. So I was a little surprised when this tonic, which was originally called Tangerine Weight-Orade and is straight from weight-loss and health guru Dr. Oz, caught my eye. Perhaps because more than anything it sounded simple and delicious: green tea, fresh tangerine and mint. Yum!
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There's a lot of debate about sugar: is it toxic? Is it just the processed stuff that's harmful? Or is sugar, well, sugar, regardless if it comes from honey, agave, or the classic white granules? Whatever your stance, here are 10 dessert recipes that all get their sweetness from one non-white-sugar source: maple syrup! More

While spending time in Santiago, Chile I had the opportunity to learn a simple, elegant dessert from Chef Mauricio Valdovino. His recipe for chilled papaya soup utilizes ingredients the country is known for; it's bursting with fresh, tropical flavors. The chilled soup also comes together in less than ten minutes and would be perfect for a spring gathering. Join Chef Mauricio in making this quick, easy dessert.
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Like Faith, I adore the combination of oranges and dates. Rich with natural sweetness, the pair makes for a simple (not to mention gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan!) weeknight dessert. I like to arrange them on a platter along with cinnamon roasted almonds and a scattering of mint for an elegant and playful way to end a meal. More

A friend told me recently that she was stumped by her kids' classroom treat rules. No more cupcakes, no cookies, no candy. All that is well and good — she was all for healthy eating — but between the tight sugar rules and the peanut ban, she wanted help brainstorming what to make when it was her turn to bring snacks for the class. Here are a few low-sugar, relatively healthy ideas — and I'd love to hear yours! Have you come up with any creative healthy treats for your kids' classroom? More