Refreshing peppermint tea jelly – with delightful health benefits for digestion.

Refreshing peppermint tea jelly – with delightful health benefits for digestion.

by Marie MannNo Comments
  Jelly in my belly; why not create a spoon-able jelly desert with your favourite teas? A cooled peppermint tea jelly makes a tasty refreshing alternative to the heavy cream laden summer dessert – not quite the same as ice cream (my personal obsession) but definitely a light, refreshing not guilt involved treat option thanks to no added sugar version sweetened with natural sweetener stevia-sweet. Did you know that Peppermint tea has a large range of health benefiting properties? Since I drink quite a bit of peppermint tea hot or cold sweetened with stevia-sweet tabs, I though I should find out a bit more about this popular flavour used in so many products from chewing gum to toothpaste. It is interesting that number of studies support the use of peppermint for indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome – is that why I feel relaxed and calm when drinking this tea? Peppermint is said to have a calming effect on the muscles of the stomach and...
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Semifreddo mixed berries (sorbet) dessert – sugar free

Semifreddo mixed berries (sorbet) dessert – sugar free

by Marie MannNo Comments
  Super quick, creamy, refreshing summer dessert – makes a great alternative to ice cream, giving the melt in the mouth feeling. With two ingredients, frozen berries and stevia, this is a great emergency dessert or treat when the sweet tooth is calling – a smooth, creamy, melting healthy low calorie dessert rich in vitamins and fiber. After checking the descriptions for the two terms: Semifreddo & Sorbet I decided I’d like to call it semifreddo rather than sorbet, as it features a mousse like creamy texture rather than the watery gritty texture of sorbet.   Semifreddo is Italian, meaning "half cold", it is a description for semi-frozen desserts with a mousse like texture, which is usually produced by uniting two equal parts of ice cream and whipped cream. Sorbet on the other hand is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water, flavoured with fruit (typically juice or puree).   I like using frozen berries for desserts, as it is easy to have them stocked in the freezer as a staple. For extra sweetness and...
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Lemon fridge cheesecake – sugar free

Lemon fridge cheesecake – sugar free

by Marie Mann2 Comments
Zesty fresh! This summery no bake cheesecake features a mousse texture with sweet and zesty refreshing flavour. Last weekend I found myself longing for a fresh fruity sweet treat. My fruit bowl had an excess amount of lemons in it so I quickly whipped up a no bake cheese cake to be ready and set by the time I would be back from teaching my Saturday fitness classes – something to look forward to. I didn’t have any biscuits and no time to make a crust of any description, so I just used two slices of German style grainy rye bread – I think I might have seen someone else using a similar approach in the past. The great thing about the bread is that it is sugar free and has high fibre content. It gives the cake base a contrasting flavour to the sweetness of the mousse. What I like about this emergency fridge cheesecake is that I can just whip it up...
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Classic Tomato salad with Stevia sweetened dressing

Classic Tomato salad with Stevia sweetened dressing

by Marie MannNo Comments
Juicy, light, refreshing summer season salad – decorated with chives flower buds. Now that the sunny days have arrived, I have found myself longing for juicy fresh cool food such as salads, whereas in winter I cooked all my vegetables to create hot salads I am now happy with the refreshing summer versions. It is weird how memories of foods are triggered by seasons; the body automatically asks for what suits best in each season – mine requested a juicy tomato salad with no frills. I remembered that my grandma used to use sugar in the vinaigrette to bring out the sweetnes of the tomato and to level out the acidity of the vinegar. My version of the tomato salad is dressed with a simple basic cider vinegar, olive oil, crushed black pepper – sweetened with a couple of drops of stevia-sweet fluid. I must admit I was a little impatient– but I did give the salad a little time to develop the full flavour just the way my...
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Sugar free Quark Waffles with Stevia

Sugar free Quark Waffles with Stevia

by Marie Mann1 Comment
Fluffy, light, crunchy - just the way a waffle should be - bring a bit of Europe to your Easter afternoon tea. I loved waffles as a child– especially the heart shaped ones. When I was little, we sadly only had a square shaped one at home, square is just not the same – it so grown up and strict. Heart shapes are playful, cute and you can rip them out one by one – so when I set up my own home a heart shaped waffle iron was a must. Waffles are great Easter celebration treats, they are quickly made and everyone can add their favourite topping – ice cream would be my first choice. I loooooove ice cream. I often make them for Sunday breakfast; it takes me back to a time when things were easy… Since I like to eat healthy and sugar free, the recipe I use has changed since my childhood. I now make a lighter version using...
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