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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Sweet, fragrant elderflower milk & elderflower fritters – sugar free

Sweet, fragrant elderflower milk & elderflower fritters – sugar free

by Marie MannNo Comments
  Luxurious elderflower milk drink that boasts a subtle, sweet scent and light sweetness with a little help of stevia-sweet fluid, it’s a perfect elderflower treat you can make in 2 minutes. Yesterday, I finally managed to get organised enough to collect some elderflowers on my Sunday countryside exploration. I love going and collection free natural foods on walks it’s like Easter egg hunting, looking out for edible treats. What got me really exited was finding some wild raspberries, which sweetened my excursion greatly. – I do have 4 little raspberry plants in my front garden, every morning I get a little bowl full collected by my husband, he doesn’t really like them but he loves getting them in for me and looking out for more newly ripened ones. You really can’t beat the experience of gathering something that nature provided, so much better than the supermarket "have it all when ever you like" version; it just makes everything more special. You probably...
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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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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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Banana ice cream pop with carob covering – sugar free

Banana ice cream pop with carob covering – sugar free

by Marie MannNo Comments
  An ice cream a day keeps your longings way - stock your freezer with these yummy  smooth ice pops ready for next weekends summer weather. Not just for kids. These sugar-free summer dessert treat banana ice pops refresh your guests at your 1st BBQ of the year – during the Easter holiday. Transform your unwanted bananas into highly desirable ice cream pops. Sometimes it takes a little shape shifting to make a fruit desirable again. Now that the weather is getting warmer I am definitely back on a mission to have an ice cream a day; that way I never feel like I am deprived in any way. Today, I re-stocked my freezer with these low fat, sugar free creamy banana ice-lollies that are sweetened with Stevia-sweet. Once the main ice cream part is frozen I cover them in melted sugar free carob (chocolate replacement). I love the added crunch the frozen carob adds. Because the pops are sweetened with Stevia, they satisfy my sweet tooth without...
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