Sugar Blues? Gluten-free Baking Without Sugar

Baking gluten-free without sugar: substitutions and tips.

An increasing number of comments and questions have revolved around sugar as a sweetener and how to substitute it in gluten-free baking. I thought the subject sweet enough to deserve its own post.

And since I recently started a sugar detox (I'm on day six sugar-free-, Darlings-- completely- no sweetener except a pinch of the herb stevia in my tea and smoothies), I thought it might be appropriate to refresh this post and bring it forward.

More to come on my sugar detox- soon.

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Gluten-Free Anise Biscotti

Sugar-free vegan biscotti infused with anise. Start dunking.

Sugar is taking a beating these days. Have you noticed? Studies left and right are accusing this sweet-talking Romeo of seducing us to a life of ruin and heartache. They've applied the words toxic, and poison. Is it really as bad they say? I'm not certain (and I'm not convinced they are, either; my sugar loving grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 93). But this I do know. Super refined corn sugar (aka HFCS) scares me. Not only because it cajoles our livers to convert the fructose to belly fat, but because it doesn't agree with me. Period.

I knew this the first time I drank a margarita that made me balloon and bloat like a pregnant Demi Moore (and while I concur that Demi was superbly gorgeous in all her fecund glory, in all honesty, I do not desire to emulate such a look- or frankly, such a fertile state- at my tender age of post- let's say- fifty). So I took a gander at the label of margarita mix to be sure it was gluten-free. It was. But the second ingredient? High fructose corn syrup.


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South Beach Diet Notes- Phase 1

Summer fresh organic yellow tomatoes topped with mint, thyme and scallions, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. What more could you ask for? A low glycemic snack with my favorite Mediterranean flavors. And no b-word.

I'm deep into my first week on the South Beach Diet, whittling down my waist a half pound at a time. I am seeing a difference already. And what's really interesting- for this gluten-free pasta and muffin loving girl? After eating a lower glycemic index recipe I don't feel stuffed. Or heavy. Or that other word. The b-word. The word every celiac hates more than anything. Yup. You women out there know what I'm talking about it.

Bloated.

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Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

Blueberry cobbler- a taste of summer.

Fresh blueberries = summer. And lucky for me these indigo-hued gems are not only gluten-free and chock full of antioxidants (every celiac goddess needs fistfuls of antioxidants, you know) but they're pretty much everything-free. So that shoots them right to the top of a certain allergy-prone goddess' Yum List. I've been plopping them into smoothies, scattering them in bowls of buckwheat flakes and simply munching on them straight from the colander. Ah. Blueberry heaven.

Insert hazy slo-mo flashback

Once upon a time- in the innocent and carefree days of living merely gluten-free- I used to make a delectable (and ultra-easy!) Summer Blueberry Crisp. And Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins to die for. Click on those recipes for some serious berry indulgence. Go ahead. I won't mind. I'll wait. I won't be jealous. Well. Maybe just a wee bit jealous, now that I am gluten and casein-free. Not to mention, egg, soy, lemon, nut, legume, and a few more foods thrown in for good measure free.

Smash cut to: my tiny blue-tiled cocina

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