Sugar-free Vegan Dessert Balls

Several months ago, my doctor put me on a 3-week cleansing diet.  Naturally, I was not allowed to have any sugar, only honey in small quantities.  I came up with several dessert alternatives in that time to satisfy my sweet tooth, but the best one happened to be a suggestion from my mom.  Apparently my Grandma used to make a delicious dessert consisting of 4 simple ingredients: peanut butter, honey, carob powder, and shredded coconut.

Equal parts honey and peanut butter. Add carob powder (or cocoa powder) to taste. Roll into a ball in shredded coconut.  Store in refrigerator.

1/2 c. wild/raw honey
1/2 c. all natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp. carob powder
1/2 c. shredded coconut

I love this recipe and have since experimented using crystallized vs. "runny" honey, all natural peanut butter vs. homemade almond butter, etc.  This recipe is so forgiving!  If the consistency of your honey is too runny, add more peanut butter.  Or if your honey is too thick, try softening it with hot water first.  I have also found that putting the dessert balls in the fridge for even 15 minutes helps them solidify.  Just use these 4 simple ingredients in whatever way you want, and you are sure to have a tasty dessert!

 

Sore Throat Home Remedy

It's that time of year again...everyone bust out the over-the-counter crap with ingredients I can't even pronounce, much less know where they come from!  Instead I've found a quick and easy home remedy to help sooth my sore/itchy/coughing throat that decided to give out on me this week.

I came across it on a blog called "Good Food Matters" and decided to try it out.  Click here for the link to the original post and recipe.  The author uses this home remedy whenever she feels a cold coming on.  It only uses 4 common ingredients, so she keeps a jar on hand and swallows a tablespoon every now and then.

I, however, concocted the recipe with a slight adaptation and drank the whole thing like a nightcap.  All I did was add a little more water and a little more honey than the original called for.  Here's the modified recipe:

1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. organic honey
3/4 c. hot water

The directions are easy: dissolve spices in apple cider vinegar and hot water, add honey and stir.  Then drink up!

It is definitely a potent tonic, but my throat feels so much better now!

Italian Scones?

Have you ever met an Italian lady making English scones?  Neither had I....until I met Yvette from Ivéta Gourmet.

As I wandered through the Home & Gift Show at the Las Vegas World Market this past July, I happened to walk by a booth promoting a familiar looking product.  I stopped to take a closer look at the Ivéta scone mixes displayed on the table, and realized they were the very same scone mixes I purchase from my favorite little store in downtown Glendora, CA -- The Village Kitchen Shoppe.

Samples were available at the Ivéta booth for their gluten-free scone mixes, which I naturally had to try!  The scones were so moist and flavorful, that it's hard to believe how simple the ingredients are.  Listed on the packaging, the gluten-free scone mix consists of gluten-free flour, organic crystallized cane juice, dried fruit (apricot, blueberry, or cranberry), baking powder, vanilla powder, and salt.  They also have a vanilla or chocolate chip mix available as gluten-free.

The easiest part?  Add 3/4 to 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or cashew cream), and bake.  That's it!

In addition to the gluten-free scone mixes, Ivéta also offers a large variety of regular scone mixes including golden raisin, cranberry orange, ginger, pumpkin spice, and lavender white chocolate...just to name a few.  Other easy baking mixes are muffins, cupcakes, and biscuits.  And to go along with everything else, Ivéta makes their own clotted cream, lemon or key lime curd, and several fruit jams.

The name "Ivéta" is a variation on Yvette, who owns the company along with her husband John.  Yvette is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet, with an energetic personality and an infectious laugh.  As I sampled her delicious scones, Yvette shared with me the unconventional story of how an Italian lady began making English scones.

Yvette and John used to live in Chicago, where they owned and operated an espresso bar.  After someone suggested they add scones to their menu, Yvette went to the gourmet food show to see what she could find.  There happened to be some graduate students who created a unique scone recipe that did not require eggs or butter, just cream.  This was perfect for the espresso bar, because they could whip up the scones quickly and easily.  After several years, the owners of the scone company went their separate ways, leaving Yvette and John the opportunity to purchase the company and create Ivéta Gourmet!  For the complete story, click here.

Since then, Yvette has added many mixes and developed new flavors to build the company.  Not bad for a biscotti chef, right?  But don't worry, you can still taste Yvette's espresso and biscotti (as well as breakfast and lunch) at the Ivéta Café in Santa Cruz, CA!

Yes, the Ivéta scone mixes are light, moist, and flavorful.  But I think the most important thing is that they use the best ingredients.  There are never any artificial preservatives, food coloring, or hydrogenated vegetable oil...yuck!  Just simple, regular, natural ingredients.  And it is oh so tasty!

Check out the Ivéta Shop for more info.  And if you want my personal opinion...go for the Gluten-free Vanilla Scone Mix with Organic Pear Ginger Jam.  Mmmm!

At the Gift Show with owners of Ivéta, Yvette and John