Stevia has been my go-to sweetener for the past few years, and for good reason. Not only does it have next to no affect on your blood sugar levels, it is incredibly practical–the kind of thing you can carry around in your purse for the occasional squirt or dust when the occasion calls. But what is stevia good for beyond sweetening beverages? So, so much more. The following 3 uses for stevia give you a glimpse into a world beyond liquids.
1. Baked Goods
The problem encountered with stevia when baking is it’s not comparable to sugar as one would ideally like it to be in regards to bulk and volume. That’s why when baking cookies or cakes or pies, you have to substitute with an eye to proper proportion.
First step is to replace the sweetness. One cup of sugar is equivalent to either 18-25 stevia sweetener packets, or 2 tablespoons of stevia powder, or 1 teaspoon of stevia liquid. Once you’ve made that replacement, you have to replace the lost bulk. For each cup of sugar substituted, add 1/3 cup of a bulking agent, such as fruit puree (apple sauce or banana mash), yogurt, or egg whites.
2. Salads
This sounds a bit strange, but stevia has taken my salads to new levels of goodness. In every salad, it is important to contrast tastes and textures in order to create a more complete meal. In this way, adding a sweet element to a relatively sour mixture, ultimately ties the meal together. In a typical salad dressing, I mix together a fat, like avocado flesh, with sour lemon juice, sea salt, and a few drops of liquid stevia. The result is not a sweet salad – it’s a wholesome, balanced salad with tastes that are only piqued by the introduction of a sweet element. Try it out!
3. Fish
A little sweetness complements white fish incredibly well. I always add a drop or two of liquid (or 1 packet of powdered) stevia to my fish marinade. It adds an extra sense of lightness to the already figure-friendly protein and brings out the flavors even more. Even if the dish is ultimately bound to weigh on the more savory or spicy side, the stevia makes an undeniably good impression.
Related on EcoSalon
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Striving for a (Mostly) Sugar-free Diet: Foodie Underground
Photo Credit: Jazzijava