With Christmas on the way, I'm really looking forward to baking up lots of traditional cookies and cakes with the kids, but that's bound to be bad news for my waistline. I was therefore keen to see what we would think of Truvia, a sweetener that has been heralded as the ideal replacement for sugar in baking as well as anywhere else you'd normally use sugar, such as in hot drinks, on cereal or in yogurt.
The press release explains : "Truvia® is the leading UK and global, great-tasting, stevia-based sweetener. It originates from a leaf, providing a new alternative to artificial sweeteners and sugar. Stevia, a plant with sweet edible leaves native to South America, has been used for centuries by indigenous people to sweeten food and drinks. The sweet components found in the stevia leaf are between 200 and 300 times sweeter than sugar and have no calorific content - it's nature's gift. With the same texture and crunch of sugar, Truvia® sweetener has a crisp, clean taste and is perfect for sprinkling on fruits, yoghurt and cereals, for use in tea and coffee as well as cooking and baking."
Well, I had planned on cooking up a storm this afternoon but we ended up spending all afternoon sorting out the Christmas decorations, so that will have to wait. I just tried some on porridge though, and it's not bad at all.
Here are some of the recipes that Truvia sent through that I can't wait to try out :
Blueberry Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
These low-calorie blueberry muffins are really easy to make and great for your waistline too!
175g all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp (36g) Truvia® calorie-free sweetener spoonable*
55g sugar
¼ tsp salt
240ml skim milk
60g liquid egg substitute**
60ml canola oil
½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract
115g blueberries; fresh or frozen
* or 24 packets Truvia® calorie-free sweetener
** may substitute 1 large egg-will alter nutrition facts
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4. Line a muffin tin with muffin cases.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the Truvia.
In a jug mix the egg, buttermilk, vanilla and vegetable oil, then add to the flour and mix until well combined.
2. Carefully fold in the blueberries ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Spoon evenly into the muffin cases until they are 2/3 full, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until springy to the touch.
3. Cool on a wire rack.
Kcals 170; Total Fat, 4.5g; Saturated Fat, 1g; Trans Fat, 0g; Cholesterol, 20mg; Sodium, 160mg; Total Carbohydrate, 33g; Dietary Fiber, 1g; Sugars, 4g; Erythritol, 6g: Protein, 4g; Vitamin A, 0% DV; Vitamin C, 4% DV; Calcium, 10% DV; Iron, 8% DV
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Lemon Meringue Pie
Light and lemony! This tangy lemon pie is topped with a cloud of fluffy meringue and contains only 110 calories and 5 grams of sugar per slice*.
Filling
80g corn starch
540ml water
120ml fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1½ tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/3 cup + 1½ Tbsp (81g) Truvia® calorie-free sweetener spoonable
2 Tbsp (30ml) margarine
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
* or 54 packets Truvia® calorie-free sweetener
Meringue
1 Tbsp corn starch
80ml water
3 egg large whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 + 2 ¼ (21g) Tbsp Truvia® calorie-free sweetener spoonable
1/2 (2.5ml) tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
* or 14 packets Truvia® calorie-free sweetener
Crust:
Prepare pastry for single crust pie and bake in 9-inch pie plate according to directions.
Filling:
Stir together cornstarch, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling over med-high heat, stirring constantly until thick. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs and eggs whites together with lemon zest and Truvia® natural sweetener in a medium bowl.
Add several tablespoons of the hot filling to the egg mixture and stir. Then pour the egg mixture into the hot filling and return to heat. Cook over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in margarine, vanilla, salt and food coloring (if desired). Stir until blended.
Pour filling into prebaked crust and allow to cool while you make the meringue.
Meringue:
Stir cornstarch and water together in microwave safe cup or bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and heat again for 30 more seconds to produce thick starch gel. Stir and set aside to cool.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Add sugar and Truvia® natural sweetener while beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form.
Add thickened starch gel one tablespoon at a time, while mixing on low. Add vanilla and salt.
Spread meringue over lemon filling making sure it touches the crust all the way around. Mound the rest of the meringue on top of the pie and swirl with the back of a spoon.
Bake pie at 425° F for about 5-7 minutes until meringue is lightly browned. Cool and refrigerate pie before serving.
Kcals 110; Total Fat, 4g; Saturated Fat, 1.5g; Trans Fat, 0g; Cholesterol, 55mg; Sodium, 140mg; Total Carbohydrate, 30g; Dietary Fiber, 0g; Sugars, 5g; Erythritol, 13g; Protein, 4g; Vitamin A, 4% DV; Vitamin C, 6% DV; Calcium, 0% DV; Iron, 0% DV.
* This pie has 110 kcals and 5 grams of sugar per serving compared to a sugar-sweetened pie that has 260 kcals and 41 grams of sugar per serving.
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Pineapple Orange Banana Frostie Mocktail
This refreshing flavor combination of this frosty smoothie sweetened with Truvia® calorie-free sweetener is a great way to start the day.
230g nonfat plain yogurt
120ml pineapple juice
1 banana
240ml orange juice
160 cup ice
2 Tbsp (24g) Truvia® calorie-free sweetener spoonable*
* or 16 packets Truvia® calorie-free sweetener
1. Add all ingredients to blender.
2. Blend on high until smooth.
3. Enjoy.
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Hot Pear & Almond Drink
Try a snifter of this delicious pear and almond combo and fill up on some much-needed bliss.
Makes 1 mocktail
Sprinkle of Truvia® calorie-free sweetener
480mls unsweetened almond milk
Pinch of ground cinnamon
3 drops pure almond extract
480ml pear juice
2 long cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Combine the Truvia® calorie-free sweetener, almond milk and ground cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium low heat until very hot and the Truvia® calorie-free sweetener is dissolved. Remove from heat and add pear juice. Pour into snifter. Garnish with cinnamon sticks.
for more information and recipes : www.truvia.co.uk
Disclosure : I received some Truvia in order to write an honest review and try out some of their recipes.
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I like the sound of these low calorie receipes!
ReplyDeleteIve not see this, must look for it
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me - I have some of this in the cupboard - must give it a go.
ReplyDelete