Low Sugar

Are you looking to cut back on refined sugar this holiday? Or perhaps you’d like to jazz things up in the cranberry department? This cranberry sauce features maple syrup, apples, and apple cider for a lovely autumnal flavor. I think I like it better than the standard version! Most cranberry sauce recipes call for sugar, which not only balances out the tartness of the cranberries but also helps to thicken the sauce.

This hummus is so addicting, both in flavor and in color — bright orange! The Moroccan spices add such a lovely dimension, too. This is the kind of warm-and-spicy flavor combination I crave as the days get shorter and chillier. I have a feeling you will be whipping it up more than once this holiday season to share at dinner parties and potlucks. We are in the thick of the carrot harvest at our farm and this hummus is one of the first autumn carrot recipes I’ve made.

Spring is a lovely time of year to be a farmer. Yes, the days are incredibly busy from sunup until sundown, and most of that time is spent hunched over the dirt in a back-breaking position. But on our farm, we’re are never bitter in springtime (which is quite a contrast to the middle of August!). Right now, the unfolding of the summer seems bright and full of promise. Spring is also a great time of year to start eating lighter and healthier meals to fuel our bodies for long days ahead.

Calling all cardamom-lovers!

I love granola. I love it especially because granola sneaks things like chocolate chunks, coconut flakes, and sugared pecans into my bowl and yet still passes the breakfast-appropriate test. On summer mornings, granola and milk is my go-to, but September is here, which means I’m back on campus during the days and I need breakfasts that keep me satisfied until lunch.

When temperatures drop, my smoothie consumption usually begins to taper, but this year I’ve been experimenting with adding fall ingredients to the usual blender suspects. My family’s most admired autumnal smoothie to date is this thick and creamy pumpkin pie version. It’s sweetened enough (with fruit!) that the pumpkin and spices bring pie to mind, but not so decadent that it strays into dessert territory. You can definitely still have this for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Now and then, a girl needs a little magic to get through the day and fly above it all. I have a couple of pretty gigantic projects going on right now, and while moving a mile a minute isn’t my preferred way to live, it’s been a reality. At times, I move so fast that I forget to eat, and I get clumsy and frantic. That’ll knock the wind right out of a lady’s magic fairy wings. To make sure I stay on top of it all, I need a nourishing and energizing breakfast.

Chia seed puddings are all the rage these days, and for good reason. When stirred with water, juice, or milk, the seeds gel up and thicken, creating the most delightful tapioca-like texture. It’s easy (no heat required!) and contains all the nutrition of chia seeds, which taste neutral enough that you can play with your favorite flavors. In my case, that means a sweet spring combo of strawberries, coconut, and lime.

When I first conceived of these bright little tarts, I imagined them as dessert. Later I decided that they were even better as a fancy, yet healthy (gluten-free and sugar-free), breakfast. Either way, they are a luscious pairing of two winter gems: kumquats and dates. Kumquats and dates are some of my favorite treats from the winter farmers’ markets here in Southern California.

Jammy pink rhubarb, coconut custard, and a honey-rose water drizzle! Who needs gluten (or dairy or nuts or refined sugar, for that matter) when you’ve got all this going on?! A weeknight dinner was an unusual inspiration for this dessert, but the idea took hold as soon as I made the Fennel & Coconut Tart recipe from Vegetarian Everyday by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl of Green Kitchen Stories. (A review of their excellent new cookbook coming later this week!

While I don’t follow a Paleo diet, I do believe in filling my life with delicious, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies as often as possible. These cookies are soft and chewy, with just a touch of firmness around the edges, and have a very generous helping of melty chocolate bits. Basically they’re everything you’d want from a classic chocolate chip cookie. And if they happen to skip the grains, refined sugar, and dairy, well that is just fine by me.

And it's all thanks to chaat masala.

I grew up in a sprawling, voracious family that loved cereal so much we didn’t wait until breakfast to indulge. When my mom came home from the store with a load of “healthy” cereals and one special box of Golden Grahams, we all knew to pour a bowl immediately; it wouldn’t last until breakfast. My dad munched Cap’n Crunch as a late-night snack, and we anticipated our grandmother’s visits partly because that was the only time we’d get Honey Nut Cheerios.

I don’t often write about muffins or even make them at home because, to be honest, I just don’t like most muffins! The typical coffee shop fare tends to have big, domed tops and are often too sweet for my taste. I’m drawn to those dense hippie muffins that are packed with a good bit of whole grain flour and interesting flavors and textures — which is exactly the kind of muffin I’m sharing today.

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. I know there are many different points of view on how to feed our kids, in particular baby food.

I love a good breakfast cookie. I mean what’s better than having a sweet little treat first thing in the morning? These breakfast cookies are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and loaded with oats, walnuts, shredded carrots and raisins — making them perfect for a quick breakfast. Make them on Sunday, and grab them for breakfast all week long. I was inspired to make these after seeing a recipe on Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks.

Oven-baked wings inspired by the greatest roast chicken of all time.

Is there anything the Instant Pot can't do?

Prepare for your mind to be blown. Ready? Homemade energy bars. Three ingredients. No cooking. No tricks. No kidding. I am a huge fan of chewy, nutty, fruit-filled energy bars of the sort made by Lärabar. These little bars are enough to spur me on to an afternoon work-out and keep The Hangry at bay. It was looking at the ingredient list of my favorite Cherry Pie Lärabar that made me first consider making them myself. The ingredients were just dates, almonds, and cherries. So simple.

Skip the weird artificial ingredients and flavorless nubs of dehydrated vegetables and make your own instant noodle cups.

I long to be one of those people who packs a healthy, well-balanced meal when they travel. I have friends who pack lunches for their plane journeys — thinking out which foods will complement others and how it will affect the way they feel mid-flight. I don’t do this. Usually I can barely manage to eat a decent breakfast before I get out the door.

It’s about to begin, the parade of sweet treats through your office, your holiday parties, and probably your very own kitchen. Consider this granola a much-needed savory break for you and anyone lucky enough to receive it from you as a gift. Savory curry granola?, you may be thinking. That’s right: salty, crunchy, curry-spiked granola studded with toasted pecans and browned coconut chips.

It's so simple and refreshing, you'll quickly know the recipe by heart.

It’s not officially summer quite yet, but the recent temperatures here in New York say otherwise. I decided to take advantage of the early days of strawberry season and cool off with an icy strawberry lassi. A lassi is a traditional Punjabi drink made with yogurt. The most traditional forms are salty, rather than sweet, and are believed to aid digestion. Sweet lassis often feature mango, sometimes with rosewater.

A few months ago, Megan’s post on savory granola got my wheels turning. A truly savory, unsweetened granola seemed like a unique, gluten-free alternative to croutons on top of soup. And indeed it is — but it is also a light, addictive snack I can’t stop eating by the handful. The inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe for savory pumpkin seed and rye granola on CHOW.

Elvis and I were born on the same day. Perhaps this connection explains my unyielding, everlasting, over–the–top love for all things banana and peanut butter? At a young age, I listened to our Graceland tour guide explain that the King used to love banana, peanut butter, and bacon sandwiches. Instead of being repulsed, I was downright inspired! Here’s an easy breakfast bread pudding bursting with salty sweetness, just perfect for a lazy morning.

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.

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 CallieEditor: One thing you might do is ask the mother-to-be for a list of ingredients that are ok for her to eat and whether she has a favorite dessert she’d like at the party.

Smoothies made with protein powder are a great post-workout snack or breakfast on the go, but many commercial powders are loaded with artificial flavorings and other weird additives. Here’s an economical and less processed alternative: make your own tasty, vegan protein powder!There are high-quality plant-based protein powders with straightforward ingredient lists out there, but they are often quite expensive, and plant protein powder can be hard to choke to down plain.

When I had to adopt a restricted diet last year, I also got a crash course in planning ahead for snacks. Grabbing an impromptu bite to eat became a lot more complicated, and even store-bought energy bars were off-limits due to various food allergies and intolerances. I quickly developed the habit of always — always! — carrying something edible and energy-boosting in my bag.

Moist and naturally sweet with gingery bite, these cookies contain just five ingredients (four if you don’t count salt) and couldn’t be easier to make. Though you can also bake them in the oven, I love eating them raw, just firmed up in the freezer. Sometimes simple really is best. I came up with this recipe in the process of experimenting with a homemade version of Go Raw’s gluten-free, vegan, and nut-free Ginger Snaps Super Cookies.

Q: I am kickstarting 2014 with a healthy eating challenge that restricts the use of all added sugar. This eliminates most salads, as many dressings need a pinch of honey, maple syrup, or just plain old sugar. What are some good recipes for dressings or salads that don’t use added sugar? Or what is a good substitute for “added sugar” in salad dressings?

One of my favorite things about India is its fantastic range of street food. From pav bhaji and vada pav, to vegetable chaats and bhel puri, every corner of India boasts its specialties — and no two street food vendors are alike. “Secret” ingredients abound and no one gives away any recipes for their signature dishes. These spiced cucumber sticks are probably the most ubiquitous of all street food.

A low-sugar, all-natural jam that takes only minutes to prepare? Yes, there is such a thing! All you need is fresh fruit, lemon juice, chia seeds, and honey, and you can have a batch of homemade jam that is not only quick but quite low in sugar, too. Besides being rich in antioxidants, chia seeds are special because of their gelatinous properties: once immersed in liquid, the seeds inflate and give off a jelly-like texture.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been attracted to dishes that could straddle the line between breakfast and dessert. Mounds of berry pancakes with whipped cream fit the bill. Chocolate chip waffles? Absolutely. In my recent cookbook, I even managed to work in a recipe for breakfast cookies!

This simple chickpea Waldorf salad takes a lighter approach with flavors that take you from the warmer weather into fall and winter. Food like this makes the transition a little easier, so double up on the apples and add a bit of heat from red pepper flakes to warm you up. A traditional Waldorf salad is generally made with fresh apples, celery, and walnuts, and dressed with mayonnaise. I’ve seen a lot of versions that add chicken for a more complete meal.

Too often, the jar of tahini paste gets tucked away in the back of the pantry and only gets taken out for the occasional Middle Eastern salad dressing or batch of hummus. But tahini, ground sesame paste, is exceptionally versatile and can be used like any other nut or seed butter in your cupboard — it’s delicious in cakes, cookies, and even granola! Put your tahini to good use this fall and get baking. This delicious spiced granola is proof that tahini has a world of uses.

If you’re anything like me, homemade gifts have become more and more appealing in recent years — they’re often cheaper than buying gifts at the store, and a homemade gift is sure to be something different and unexpected. This year, these simple and delicious hazelnut and cherry crackers have made my list. They’ll stay crisp and fresh for weeks, so you can make a few batches now and have them ready to go when you need a quick gift.

Yes, I grew up eating kohlrabi, also known as a German turnip. It tastes like a mild version of broccoli and has the texture of an apple. I suppose it was part of my childhood diet because it is available year-round — at the grocery store, even. While my mother prepared it simply — sliced and drizzled with lemon juice — I prefer a slightly more interesting take, paired with cabbage and tossed in a delicious sweet-tart dressing.

Mors is a tart, berry-based refresher that has a heck of a pedigree — it was first mentioned in the sixteenth-century Russian homemaking manual “Domostroy.” Although it’s frequently made from cranberries, mors can easily be made with just about any kind of wild or cultivated sour berries.

This bright new riff on the classic switchel features turmeric, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antiviral agent. I love sipping turmeric switchel after a workout, or using it as a cocktail mixer with fresh sugarcane spirits like cachaça and rhum agricole. I highly recommend using fresh turmeric, which has a livelier flavor than the dried version.

Baking a whole eggplant is something of a culinary metamorphosis. The hot oven transforms eggplant’s firm, spongy interior into a luxurious, velvety texture, which in turn lends its merits to savory dips and vegan bolognese. Yet cooks cannot agree on just how eggplant should be baked. Should we halve it and score it, or poke it and wrap it in foil as you would a Russet potato? Our testing resulted in a dead-simple solution with stellar results.

Let me introduce you to your new summer BFF: tomato water pops. These blush beauties are a savory snack on a stick that will make you a hero at every backyard BBQ between now and September, or even just your own personal hero at midnight on a hot August night. These pops are packed full of tomato flavor and studded with fresh basil, making them a fast and fancy appetizer option for serving a crowd. Here’s how to make these tomato Popsicles this summer.

If you’re feeling the winter blues right about now, this salad is the antidote you need. With ruby red grapefruit and creamy avocado at center stage, plus a little help from crisp fennel and a handful of greens, it’s a cold-weather staple in my meal plan for light lunches and simple dinners that I’ve been leaning on in various forms for years.

I’ve become an oatmeal connoisseur. I’m that woman who orders oatmeal when eating out at relatively nice restaurants or on vacation to see just how they do it. When on a train trip a few months ago, I even became quite enamored with Amtrak oatmeal and would look forward to it each morning (it was a long train trip). Like you, I’m sure, I’ve had really great oatmeal and my share of pretty awful bowls, and I’ve learned a lot in between those experiences.

I’m a sucker for a good whole-grain breakfast bowl. In many ways, I consider it the perfect breakfast; grains are a great vehicle for seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and yogurt. While I tend to stick to cooking grains with water or broth when making dinner, in the morning I like to get a little creative and cook them with something other than water. Lately my go-to has been coconut milk, and this tropical barley bowl is evidence that it can be a pretty delicious move.

Though it may be chilly outside, I think the beginning of the year is an excellent time for a glass of homemade grapefruit ginger soda. I came up with this recipe when my partner swore off commercial soda, and after months of holiday indulgence, the light and tangy fizz is most welcome. The soda is sweetened with honey, not sugar, and the ginger provides a note of warmth for winter. This recipe is for a syrup that you can mix with carbonated water (store-bought or homemade).

I considered waiting until the holidays to share these salted tahini date caramels with you, but they are so swoon-worthy that I just had to post the recipe right now. Plus, if you can get your hands on caramel-like Barhi dates, which won’t be in season for long, they will make these confections all the more special.

Bourbon and peaches were made for each other, and not just in cocktail form. Here’s a grown-up sorbet that marries golden peaches with the vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon — it’s a bowl of cool refreshment and warm summer sunshine all at the same time. And you don’t even need an ice cream maker to make it. I call this grown-up sorbet not only because of the booze, but also because it isn’t overly sweet.

Dessert is one of my favorite meals. Let’s face it: I have a pretty fierce sweet tooth. But many of us are trying to watch our sugar intake or, at least, cut down on the pure white stuff. Here are seven desserts that satisfy a sweet tooth without using any white sugar at all.   So what are they? They’re a list of a few inspired and varied desserts that don’t rely on processed white sugar (or chemical/artificial sweeteners) to craft delicious, satisfying desserts.