Sugar-Free Vanilla Sugar - Really.

Sucre Vanillé (Vanilla Sugar) - A sugar-Free Version

I thought it would be nice to have this gourmet ingredient in a sugar-free version. So here it is.

You can even use vanilla beans that have been previously infused in another recipe. Just dry them before placing in the xylitol/erythritol blend. You could also grind up spent and dried vanilla pods with this blend of sweeteners to get the most use out of your vanilla.

Sucre Vanillé Recipe:

4 vanilla beans, split lenghtwise
2 c. xylitol
2 c. erythritol (or Lakanto's zero-cal granular sweetener)

Method;

Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla bean pods.
Combine the seeds, pods, xylitol and erythritol in a jar and shake to mix.
Cover tightly and allow the flavors to blend for several weeks.
Add more sugar to the jar as you use it up.
Use in place of regular sugar in recipes.


Enjoy!

Leila

The Best Agave Nectar Ever - Recipe with a new lower sugar content!

The Best Agave Nectar (Lower Carb - Vegan - Gluten Free)

This is my amazing mother's creation. We have been using agave this way for years now and it works great. We love this easy formula because the added vegetable glycerine cuts way down on the sugar and carb count of the agave, yet, you still get the delicious taste of the agave shining through. It is a great alternative to using honey, and it doesn't crystallize like honey does.

We like to use this nectar in fruit salads, salad dressings, beverages and smoothies, sauces, desserts, hot cereals, and anywhere else where you want a touch of sweetness.

You may know already that vegetable glycerine is naturally quite sweet, it is also warming in the mouth, and it acts as a natural preservative. Glycerine has been traditionally used to make very gentle herbal tinctures for children, so it is very safe and time tested. This is just a cool new way to use it!



AGAVE NECTAR Recipe:

Difficulty Level: Easy peasy!
Yield: 16 ounces

8 ounces raw organic agave nectar
8 ounces natural vegetable glycerine

Method:

In a clean bowl, mix equal parts agave and glycerine thoroughly.
Pour into suitable bottles with tight fitting lids. Store in a cool, dark place.


Tip: We like to store this blend in a glass jar, and refill a convenient to use squeeze bottle from that.



Enjoy,

Leila

Stevia Glycerite Recipe (Now brand copy-cat)

Stevia Glycerite (Now brand copy-cat recipe)



This is an awesome recipe - and so easy!

Stevia glycerite is a kitchen staple you will use all the time. Our whole family has used liquid stevia glycerite for years. I have also recommended it to many of my clients and friends, as a natural sugar substitute. For along time, our family purchased +Now brand stevia glycerite from the health food store. It is a bit expensive, so we researched a way to make our own. We found nothing online to help us, so a few years ago, we experimented and created this reliable formula, which we are now very excited to share with you!

This is a very valuable formula and it will save you a lot of money. The vegetable glycerine in this formula is a natural preservative, so no additional preservatives are needed. It is shelf stable too. We like to make up a larger batch and put it into squeeze bottles, old (washed) Now brand stevia glycerite bottles, or dark amber glass bottles with droppers.

We like to use this to sweeten smoothies, protein drinks, herbal teas, and other beverages. You only need about 3 to 4 drops to sweeten a large mug of herbal tea. I will use a little to sweeten applesauce, other fruit sauces and jams. There are lots of creative ways to use this healthy sugar alternative. It is also great to extend the sweetening power of other sugar-free sweeteners like xylitol or erythritol, or use to cut down on sugar sweeteners used like raw agave nectar, raw honey, maple syrup, and evaporated cane juice...We do not recommend using this alone in baked goods, as it does not give the necessary structure that sugar does.


STEVIA GLYCERITE Recipe:

4 C. natural vegetable glycerine, divided
1 C. purified or distilled water
150 grams 90% stevia powder (a white stevioside powder at 90% concentration)


Method:

Pour 2 cups of the glycerine and 1 cup water into a tall pot. Blend together well.
Add the 90% stevia powder while whisking with a wire whisk, to blend well.
Cook the mixture on high heat while whisking vigorously and constantly until it comes to a full boil.
Continue whisking vigorously while boiling for 1 full minute, then turn off  the heat.
Continue whisking vigorously for 5 full minutes.
Allow to cool, whisking occasionally.
When cooled, blend in the last 2 cups vegetable glycerine. Mix together well.
When it is completely cooled, package into air-tight bottles, and store in a cool, dark place.


Tip: This recipe easily doubles.


Note: Stevia leaves are an herb that is naturally very sweet, yet completely sugar-free. Stevioside powder is a concentrated and purified form of the stevia leaf. Very small amounts are needed to sweeten foods and beverages. it is a very good low-carb, sugar-free alternative for those who are concerned about their health.

Stevia leaf - the source for stevioside powder

Stevioside powder

Now brand stevia glycerite (Now you don't need to buy it anymore!)

Enjoy!

Leila

Kitchen Cheetahs is born!

HI! You have found the Kitchen Cheetahs blog.

Leila

This is a new blog for the new year.We are so excited to be starting this project. We are a family team of professional food, confectionery, and beverage formulators - and we want to share a lot of our secrets with YOU!

As a team, we have been researching and testing recipes and creating our own unique formulas since 1999 (sooner really, we just weren't being paid for it yet). We are a health conscious family that loves excellent food and our goal is to assist the home cook in achieving a quantum leap in cooking amazing AND healthy foods. Over the years there has been an increase in food allergies, weight gain and related health issues. We see people we love suffer and fight the battle between the comfort food they want to eat and the "healthy" food they "should" eat. Most of the gluten-free and paleo baked goods for example, are a far cry from the real thing. For example, cardboard pizza crust, beany-flavored homemade pasta, brick-like breads, starch and sugar-filled flat-tasting cakes...  blehhh.

Food should taste good! Eating should be pleasurable!

SO, if we don't think it tastes good, we won't post it.

Warning: This is what we are not -
Professional photographers, professional bloggers, professional actors, professional writers, or even very electronically talented for that matter. The point is, this blog is for fantastic recipes and tips, and it may get messy...really messy...as in, chocolate all over the place (giddy laugh).

Please enjoy this journey with us, because we are going to have a lot of fun!

Leila