Savvy's Sugar-free Strawberry Cheesecake

I spotted this yummy cheesecake made with ZSweet® posted by Molly on 24Savvy.com, an online "community dedicated to providing members with tools for savvier living." 

Click here to here for the recipe & share your feedback with us.

"Agave not an ideal sugar substitute"

Watch video

We've found that many health conscious consumers are under the wrong impression about agave nectar. While it is all natural and lower glycemic than table sugar, it is not zero calories, and being that it is entirely fructose, it is not metabolized by the entire body, but instead is processed only by the liver, which if consumed in excess can lead to health problems.

We felt it was important to share this recent news article & video which illuminates the facts about agave which many people are using as if it were a zero calorie sweetener, when in reality it is closer to honey & needs to be used in moderation.

1 tbsp. agave - 60 calories / 32 Glycemic Index
1 tbsp. sugar - 48 calories / 68 Glycemic Index
1 tbsp. ZSweet® - 0 calories / 0 Glycemic Index

credit: ABC News

"Sweet Sugarless Baking NATURALLY"

View recipes here.

ZSweet® Cocoa Cream Cheese Mints

yields 50-60 mints

Ingredients:
1 cup ZSweet®, ground to powder (I do this in the coffee grinder)
2 tablespoons cocoa*
few drops of mint oil (to taste)
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
addtl. 1/4 cup ZSweet®, ground to powder, for rolling mints in

*Note: If you leave out the cocoa, be sure to add a pinch spirulina or 1 teaspoon ground mint leaves for green color

Equipment you will need:
bowl
wire whisk / 2 forks / pastry cutter
wax paper lined baking sheet
flexible molds or a rolling pin
small container (to shake mints in)


Mix 1 cup ground ZSweet® and cocoa together in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in cream cheese with a wire whisk or a couple of forks (or a pastry cutter, if you have one). The resultant mix will be dry and crumbly. At this stage, mix in the mint oil to taste and knead the mixture with your fingers until it starts to clump up into a dough (the heat from your hands helps to further soften the cream cheese).

Once you have one big ball of dough, pinch off pieces to put in your flexible molds and fill them, one at a time, mashing them in well, and scraping off the excess. If you do not have molds, you can also roll out the dough onto wax paper with a rolling pin till about .25" thick and cut into 1" squares with a butter knife.

Take the small container and put the 1/4 cup of powdered ZSweet® into it. Pop out a few mints at a time into the container and shake until well-coated, and tap each coated mint against a flat surface (I use the container lid) to release any extra ZSweet®. Lay each mint onto the wax paper-lined baking sheet in rows. When all the mints are finished, cover with a dry cloth and let sit for 24-48 hours to dry out completely. Put in a sealed container and store in the fridge (if they have not dried out yet, the container will get condensation on the inside of the lid). They will last in the fridge for a couple weeks, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Recipe Author: Paula Bishop, North Carolina

March Whole Foods Raw Vegan Cooking Class

Stop by any of these local Southern California Whole Foods Markets to sample ZSweet® this month & be sure to attend Kelly Keough's Raw Vegan Cooking Class on Wednesday, March 31st at 6 pm. She'll be teaching students how to make Chocolate Hemp Ice Cream Smoothies & Wheat Grass Pineapple Sorbet!


3/1 Mon: 11-2 pm - 2201 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica - Demo
3/3 Weds: 4-7 pm - 3751 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena - Demo
3/5 Fri: 11-2 pm 7871 West Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

3/7 Sun: 2-5 pm - 331 N Glendale Ave, Glendale - Demo
3/8 Mon: 4-7 pm - 19340 Rinaldi St, Northridge - Demo
3/24 Weds: 11-2 pm - 740 N Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks -Demo
3/25 Thur: 4-7 pm - 24130 Valencia Blvd, Santa Clarita - Demo

3/29 Mon: 11-2 pm - 239 N Crescent Dr, Beverly Hills - Demo

3/30 Tues: 11-2 pm - 11666 National Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

3/31 Weds: 6 pm - 21347 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills - CLASS

Sugar-free Cookies, Hot Chocolate & Whipped Cream

Inspired Living Expert & TV Host Leah Guy just released a special ZSweet® episode on her official site. In the video Leah & co-host, Jim O'Connor of the Food Network, mix up sugar-free hot chocolate almond milk, with sugar-free whipped cream from scratch on top (I suggest using a mixer instead of whisking it by hand) & a warm batch of "sugar" cookies made with ZSweet® to take to the streets for live reactions from people out & about. The public & the hosts unanimously agreed that they love ZSweet®!

Watch the video here.

Try these yummy ZSweet® recipes at home....
Sugar-free "Sugar" Cookies

2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup ZSweet
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ZSweet and salt.

3. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in
lightly beaten egg, vanilla and cream. Blend well. Chill dough for one hour for easier
rolling.

4. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on
ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with ZSweet.

5. Bake for 6 – 8 minutes, or until lightly brown.

(I also sprinkled ZSweet packets on top of cookies after cool!)

Sugar-free & Dairy-free Hot Cocoa with Whipped Cream

Cocoa
1/4 cup ZSweet® granulated
6-10 ZSweet® supersweet packets (add to taste)
32 oz. unsweetened chocolate Almond Breeze® almond milk

Directions: Add ZSweet® to taste & stir. Heat in a pan on stove over a low-medium setting. Pour & serve! Top with sugar-free whipped cream.

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup ZSweet® granulated
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Pour heavy cream in a medium bowl and beat with electric beater until cream becomes stiff. Add ZSweet® and vanilla and continue beating until consistency and taste become whipped cream.

photo credit: leahguy.com

February Gluten-free / Sugar-free with Kelly Keough

Join Kelly at Whole Foods Markets in Southern California for hands on training in gluten & sugar-free "baking". Taste for yourself the surprisingly delightful results of Kelly's creative & simple alternatives to popular foods we know & love.

2/4, Thurs: 4-7 pm - 7871 West Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

2/5, Fri: 11-2 pm - 6350 W 3rd St, Los Angeles - Demo
2/8, Mon: 11-2 pm - 239 N Crescent Dr, Beverly Hills - Demo

2/11, Thurs: 11-2 pm - 3751 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena - Demo
2/12, Fri: 11-2 pm - 21347 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills - Demo

2/16, Tues: 4-7 pm - 19340 Rinaldi St, Northridge - Demo

2/18, Thurs: 11-2 pm - 11666 National Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

2/23, Tues: 4-7 pm - 331 N Glendale Ave, Glendale - Demo

2/25, Thurs: 11-2 pm - 239 N Crescent Dr, Beverly Hills - Demo