The Hypo Foodie

To replace store bought syrups and to mix in sugarless sparkling water for a great tangy taste that doesn't need too much sugar. It ress...

To replace store bought syrups and to mix in sugarless sparkling water for a great tangy taste that doesn't need too much sugar. It ressembles the tonic water in taste, minus the quininie which comes from cinchona bark and has a rather controversial use in medication. By combining the sour and saly taste, we "cheat" our tastebuds in diversifying the stimulation. The result is a homemade water enhancer, wheter mixed in sparkling water or plain water, that is less chemical, less sweet and downright cheaper!

Makes about 2 l. Of tonic

Ingredients:

8 cups water,

2 chopped lemongrass stalks,

Zest and juice of 2 of each: orange, lemon, lime.

Roughly 4 allspice berries,

2 ts tartaric acid,

About a cup of honey or agave nectar ( adjust to your taste, but keep it tangy ),

1/2 ts kosher salt,

2 to 3 thyme branches.

Instructions: 

Boil everything together ( minus the zests that you do not want to cook in order to keep full flavor and oils ),

Reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes,

Let it cool than seive with a fine chinois or cheese cloth,

Pour in your decorative bottle of your choice and keep refrigerated.

Say, what a surprise! Look at what I found at Winner's. You read right. Not a health food store, not a specialty food store, not a food ...

Say, what a surprise! Look at what I found at Winner's. You read right. Not a health food store, not a specialty food store, not a food store at all, Winner's, the clothes store. You know when you stand in line to the cashiers, there is this isle of knick-knacks placed there either because they had no room for it, or because they want you to buy more. Well, kudoo's to the marketing team, because I did buy more!

Neverthless, I admit I had never seen it before. And believe you me... It's delicious!

" This is unbelievable! It's got to be forbidden, but give me!"

My belly going crazy.

It is so tasty that you don't need much. So, no: it isn't forbidden for hypoglycemics, unless you are very sensitive to everything tasting sweet. It doesn't say so, but I think there is vanilla extract too. My recommandation is to add a little syrup to plain yogourt, unsweetened cereals or on pancakes, as I feel that using it in baking would hinder it's delicate flavor.

The label "Jordan's skinny Syrups" made me smile as it looks targeted at people on diets. Recently, I saw " Skinny Girl" liquid water enhancers ( those squirt things ) sweetened with stevia at Loblaw's. Is this another health trend here? 

"Zero calories! Too good to be true! I want more!"

My marketing-fool belly.

All things considered, it is best to moderately use any sweeteners, particularly to avoid cultivating cravings for sweet taste. This reminds me that I wanted to write a post on sweeteners and one with tips to stay on track of the " less or no sugar " path for some time. To make sure you don't miss a thing, I invite you to subscribe to the newsletter. 

Muffins are often considered a good snack, but store-bought ones ( even the packaged mixes we cook ourselves ) are more like cakes in small ...

Muffins are often considered a good snack, but store-bought ones ( even the packaged mixes we cook ourselves ) are more like cakes in small portions. They are too sweet, contain little fiber and are many times too fat. 

I often cook buckweat muffins because my husband and I love its taste and nutritional values. For a good comparison on flours, consult this graph compiled by another blogger: https://ggiswheatfree.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/so-many-flours-so-little-cupboard-space-how-gluten-free-flours-compare-for-carbs-and-protein-content/

Many people favor buckwheat flour because it contains no gluten, which also means that it tends to rise less than other muffins. I have often ended up with muffins that were really thick or rather dry, which is absolutely not the case for this recipe that is a keeper and one to be shared. It is moist, flavorfull and even my belly-bully relishes it ( as you may have guessed it smirked at the thought of buckwheat muffins because of some too healthy previous versions).

Makes 24 muffins.

Dry ingredients:

2 c. Almond flour,
2 c. Rolled oats ( if allergic to gluten, read the footnote ),
2 c. Black buckwheat flour,
4 ts. corn starch,
6 tbls. baking powder,
1 1/2 ts baking soda,
2 ts. Cinnamon,
2 ts. Cardamom,
1 ts. Ground ginger,
1 ts. sea salt,
1 c. Chia seeds,
3/4 c. of raisins,
3/4 c. of sunflower seeds,
3/4 c. pumpkin seeds.

Liquid ingredients:

320 ml. milk,
100 ml. coconut oil,
1 c. of honey ( or other syrup sweetener adjusting its quantity based on its potency ),
5 eggs,
2/3 c. vanilla,
1 1/2 c. of veggiefruit with apple, ginger, zest en juice of one lemon ( consult this post 

http://not-your-typical-food-blog.blogspot.ca/2015/10/veggifruit.html

or simply grate the ingredients together )

Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix,

In another fairly large bowl, combine liquid ingredients and mix well,

Add the liquid ingredients tonthe dry ones mixing together until it forms a good dough,

Pre-heat the oven at 400 F.

Put the mixture in a silicon molds prefferably, if not, use previously greased or paper layed ones,

Cook 20 minutes or until the tops turn golden.

* In the case of gluten allergy, it is best to purchase certified gluten free oats as it often handled in facilities that handle other flours, even though oats is naturally gluten free.

I really love cranberries. I like them dried, fresh, cooked in a sauce or juiced. Knowing that cranberries are the north american counterpar...

I really love cranberries. I like them dried, fresh, cooked in a sauce or juiced. Knowing that cranberries are the north american counterpart to lemon, meaning that its PH is equivalent, it is no wonder it has so many benefits to health, protecting the urinary tract from bacterial contamination for exemple. 

"Sugar! Oooh Sugar! It is sweet right?"

My belly that's got a craving.

That being said, cranberries are sour by themselves.

"Take that, insatiable belly!"

My reason trying to gain control.

It is probably the reason it is so hard to find unsweetened. I had found some of them dried and sweetened with apple juice only, but do tell me if you find it somewhere now. Still, it is best to buy it fresh when we cook, that way we control the sugar content. Also, mixing it with sweet oranges makes it a winner combination. 

This lightly sweetened version makes it a good cheat dessert for hypoglycemics that are not too sensitive. It also uses coconut milk instead of milk in an attempt to fool my tastebuds into thinking it's too good to be true.

Cranberry-orange cheesecake, lightly sweetened.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Honey,

The juice and zest of an orange,

340g fresh cranberries,

1 c. Groung oatmeal,

1 package of light philadelphia cheese,

1 c. Coconut milk,

2 ts. Corn starch,

1/4 c. Melted butter,

2 eggs,

Fresh basil for garnish.

Instructions

Cranberry sauce:

Zest the orange and keep it for later,

Juice the orange,

Heat the honey with the orange juice,

On high heat, add the cranberries,

Stir until the berries start to form a compote, 

Let it cool before you add the zest,

Set aside.

Cheescake:

Mix the melted butter with the ground oatmeal,

Form a 1 cm thick bottom of oatmeal in each muffin molds, pressing it with a glass ( greased or layed with paper if not using silicon molds),

In a mixer, combine cheese in cubes with the coconut milk,

Add the Corn starch and whip some more,

Add the eggs and whip until it starts to froth,

Pre-heat the oven at 350F,

Pour the liquid in each muffin molds,

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the tops start to turn brown,

Let it cool completely before you refrigerate at least two hours,

When ready to serve, heat the cranberry sauce, pour it on top of the cake and garnish with basil leaves.