Lauren David Style, an allergy free company dedicated to being your resource for living a happy, healthy, allergy free life has just launched a brand new and FREE allergy free resource that you have to check out. http://laurendavidstyle.com/survivalkit

It’s the Allergy Free Survival Kit and it includes:

• Mouth-watering allergy free samples you must try
• Money saving coupons
• Informative brochures
• Allergy free recipes
• Flyers
• Information from allergy free professionals
• And much more

There are over 30 different (and the list is constantly growing) companies dedicated to helping people with food allergies and intolerances. And guess what?!  Wholesome Sweeteners is one of them! We’ve provided our Organic Stevia which is low-glycemic and gluten-free, our Fair Trade Organic Raw Honey-the purest honey you can find, and our very popular Organic Light Blue Agave nectar in 7 g individual packets-a proven low-glycemic sweetener, to the kit and you can get it absolutely free.

Find out more about the kit and reserve your own by visiting Lauren David Style’s website – did we mention there are only 100 Allergy Free Survival Kits and after that the orders go on back order?

So if you want yours ASAP… make sure to sign up today (and the first 100 orders get some other special gifts)!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 2/3 cup packed Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Dark Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Molasses

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Directions:

Combine tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Or Combine ingredients in a bowl, mixing thoroughly, then pour over meatballs in a crock-pot and let cook on low for 3 hours.

By running the grueling 250 mile trek across Southern Ethiopia these amazing athletes hoped to raise $200,000 to be used for the construction of schools to serve as many as 1500 children, fund a nutrition program to help children get the food they so desperately need, provide wages and job training for a group of 10 street teenagers, and support the work of the Tesfa Foundation and the Oromia Cooperative Farmers Cooperative Union.

A mere nine months after the run was completed, the On the Ground team returned to Ethiopia to see the amazing progress made with the $206,000 that was raised.  Check out this truly touching video and see how the Run Across Ethiopia has changed the lives of the these villagers forever.

Supporting Fair Trade Farmers and their families is why Wholesome Sweeteners pioneered Fair Trade Certification for Sweeteners in 2005. Since then, Wholesome Sweeteners has paid more than $6 million in Fair Trade premiums to our farming and beekeeping cooperatives in the developing world. Fair Trade premiums paid by Wholesome Sweeteners have helped bring clean water, schools and health clinics to villages in Africa, Mexico, and Brazil.

During this time of year everyone is so busy that I knew I needed to choose a relatively simple recipe. I settled on a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pie, made with Organic Stevia of course. This recipe takes less than one hour from start to finish and includes only a few ingredients. The first step is to preheat your oven and bake the pre-made pie crust according to the directions on the package. Make sure before you bake the pie crust that you take a fork and poke holes in the crust. This allows air to escape and prevents bubbles in your pie crust. Once your pie crust is done set it aside and continue on with the rest of the recipe.

Okay, now time for the fun stuff. Start by making your whip cream. Pour your heavy cream into a bowl and whip with a hand mixer. Once it has reached a consistency you like add the vanilla and Organic Stevia packets and whip for another minute or so. Be sure to taste the whip cream, if it is not as sweet as you would like go ahead and add more Organic Stevia. Just remember that you will be adding Organic Stevia to the cream cheese/cinnamon mixture, so be sure no to over sweeten the whip cream. Start by adding one packet and then taste. Once you have finished making the whip cream set it aside. It’s probably best to place it in the fridge until you need it again.

In a small sauce pan, and I mean small, combine the milk, water and cinnamon. Continuously stir on low heat for about 2 minutes. It might actually be a good idea to use a small whisk instead of a spoon so you can ensure the ingredients are completely mixed.  I had a fe cinnamon lumps that a whisk would have taken care of with no problem. While your milk/cinnamon mixture is on the stove go ahead and pull out another bowl and add one package of unflavored gelatin. Add your warm milk/cinnamon to the gelatin and whisk. Try and get as much of the gelatin to dissolve as possible. Once you are satisfied, grab a small strainer and another bowl. I know, I know, how many bowls do you need to make this dessert? Believe me, I hate getting a bazillion kitchen utensils dirty, but I promise this is the last one. Place the strainer on top of the bowl and pour the milk/cinnamon/gelatin mixture into the bowl. Using the whisk or a spoon, to push the remaining mixture in the strainer through the strainer.

We are almost done! Place the softened cream cheese into the bowl with the mixture and beat on low until you get a smooth consistency. Now you can add the remaining Organic Stevia packets, mix again and then taste. Baking with Organic Stevia is a very subjective thing, so be sure to taste along the way to achieve the perfect amount of sweetness for your taste. Once you have achieved the optimum texture, grab your whip cream from the frig and fold in 1 cup. Take this mixture and pour it into your baked pie crust, make sure to even it out. Now spread the remaining whip cream onto the top of the pie and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place the pie in the fridge for at least 2 hours and enjoy.

The end product was so yummy with a really nice texture. The pie was not as sweet as I would have liked but I adjusted the recipe to make it a bit sweeter. It was much easier to make this Cinnamon Pie than I thought it would be so I will definitely we making this pie again. Check out the Wholesome Sweeteners website for this recipe. Enjoy. From our Wholesome Sweeteners Family to yours Happy Holidays!!

Okay, back to my adventures in Organic Stevia baking. Never having baked with Organic Stevia before, I decided to do some experimenting. I picked out a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe from a Stevia cookbook. I figured I couldn’t mess it up too badly. I gathered all of my ingredients and began to bake. First I preheated the oven to 350 degrees.  I started by sifting the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Next, I pulled out the big guns, the Kitchen Aid Stand Up Mixer, and began combining the eggs, stevia, and vanilla. Once you start combining the flour and butter together the batter is going appear at bit gummy, don’t be alarmed. Sugar normally plays a few roles in the baking process. It not only acts as a sweetener but in large amounts slows yeast fermentation. Sugar softens dough and batter. It also helps baked goods brown.  It’s the sugar in cookie dough that causes spreading to occur during baking. These are all things you will not see happen when baking with Organic Stevia. But like I said, don’t be alarmed.

Now it’s time to fold in the chocolate chips. I switched up the recipe just a bit, opting for fair trade, organic chocolate instead of the typical semi-sweet chips. I simply cut up the chocolate bar into bite size pieces and folded it into the flour/butter mixture. Before I started spooning the mixture onto pre-greased cookie sheets I added a few more ingredients-1/2 cup of pecans and 1 Tbsp of orange zest.  Not 100% sure how this recipe was going to turn out I decided to spruce up the recipe just a little, just in case. Once you have dropped heaping teaspoons of the cookie mixture onto the sheets you are ready to go. Set the timer and leave them in the oven for about 22 minutes. Like I mentioned before, you are not going to see these cookies spread so don’t leave them in the oven longer in hopes they will. You will only end up with burnt cookies.

Finally, the timer rings and the Organic Stevia cookies are ready. Just like any other cookie make sure to place them on a cooling rack for a few minutes before you dig in. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into the cookie. The texture was light, much like a scone, but very flavorful, not overly sweet, and definitely no aftertaste that you often get when baking with the pink, blue or yellow artificial sweeteners.  Baking with Organic Stevia is great because it gives you room to experiment. If you wanted to add more moisture to your recipe you could add 1/4 of Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Agave or even a 1/4 of Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Honey. Both of these sweeteners would be a fantastic addition to this classic recipe. Just make sure you make a test batch to your liking first before you make a large batch for everyone to enjoy. Here is the recipe I used for these yummy cookies. Try it out and let us know how your cookies turn out. Happy Baking!

Mixing the batter for the Fair Trade Cake.

Practically everything on the menu contained a Fair Trade product so I will just highlight the extra yummy dishes. The first thing on the list of things to make was the delicious Chocolate Mousse Cake with Cardamom Swirl. The recipe was created during Fair Trade Month by Top Chef Desserts alum Malika Ameen, using Wholesome Sweeteners products.  This recipe includes Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Light Brown Sugar along with Fair Trade coffee, chocolate and vanilla extract. The recipe was easy to follow and took no time at all to prepare. The finished cake looked great and tasted even better.

Delicious cake made using WS Fair Trade Light Brown Sugar.

Green Beans with Roasted Onions prepared with WS Fair Trade Sucanat.

The next thing on the menu prepared with Fair Trade products was Green Beans with Roasted Onions. This recipe is one of my favorites because I absolutely love green beans and onions. I was a little nervous that my 5 nieces and nephews would shy away from this onion heavy dish,  but surprisingly they all loved it. The Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Sucanat balanced the dish perfectly. It is definitely a dish that I will be making again for Christmas dinner–simple, sophisticated and delicious.

Amazing Orange Glazed Turkey using WS Fair Trade Dark Brown Sugar.

And last but not least, the pièce de résistance of the meal…the turkey! Using the Orange-Glazed Roast Turkey recipe we created the most delicious, moist and flavorful turkey ever. We actually substituted the Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Light Brown Sugar for Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Dark Brown Sugar.  The substitution provided a richer flavor with a molasses note.

Remember, using Fair Trade products is about more than crafting sumptuous dishes, it is about helping other people. By using Fair Trade products like sugar or honey you are helping farmers in developing countries compete with factory farms, buy land, send their kids to school and build thriving communities.

For more great holiday recipes be sure to visit Wholesome Sweeteners Recipe Library. 

Bees, busy making delicious organic honey.

In the last couple of weeks there have been a flood of news reports and articles about honey. Is it safe? Where does it come from? Can the bear you buy at the grocery store even be called honey?  Food Safety News released a report of their findings based on independent testing done on 60 brands of honey purchased in ten different states and the District of Columbia. The samples were then taken to a leading melissopalynologists, which is a fancy name for a scientist who looks at the pollen in honey.

What he found was pretty surprising. 76 % of the tested honey purchased at grocery stores had absolutely no pollen, 100 % of the tested honey purchased at drug stores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS had no pollen, and 77 % of the tested honey purchased at big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target also had no pollen. So, why is this important to you? To make a long story short, honey that has no pollen undergoes a process called ultra-filtration – water is added to the honey and filtered under high pressure, then the water is removed. According to the FDA, what is left has no pollen and can’t legally be called honey. It is also impossible to trace.

Again, why is this important to you? Well, if you can’t trace the honey you buy there is no way to tell if came from China. A few years back, China’s bee population became infected with a virus that killed millions of colonies. In order to stop the mass death the Chinese began treating the bees and hives with an antibiotic. The antibiotic is dangerous, even deadly, if ingested by humans so it has been banned in the United States and Europe. Unfortunately there have been instances where the contaminated honey has made its way into the U.S. food supply.

Organic beekeeper tending to his hives deep in the untouched jungle of southern Mexico.

So, how can you tell if you are getting safe honey? First, make sure to buy organic honey. The Food Safety News report states that you have a better chance of getting honey that isn’t ultra-filtered when you buy organic.

We have literally searched the world over for the best tasting products. Our organic, Fair Trade Certified Amber and Raw Honey are produced on traditional family farms in southern Mexico and in the north eastern Amazon. The beekeepers tend to their hives deep in the dedicated organic agricultural zones in Central and South American rainforests, far from any exposure to GMO’s or pollutants. The honeybees forage only on the wild jungle’s natural flora. Our honey is 100% free from chemical residues as the plants surrounding the hives have not been sprayed with pesticides, herbicides or antibiotics. The honey is minimally filtered to retain the honey’s abundance of natural pollens and enzymes.

Wholesome Sweeteners Raw Honey is straight from the hive. It is minimally filtered and creamed to produce the rich spread consistency. It is very gently heated to allow it to pass through the filter. It is never heated above 110 degrees so it maintains its vital nutritive values.  (The honeys are only minimally filtered to remove natural organic matter that gets trapped in the honey during the in-field harvest)

Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade, Organic Amber and Raw Honey.

Raw honey naturally contains catalase enzymes which help the body fight free radicals, and flavanoids which help the body attack allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. It also contains other vitamins and minerals including small amounts of vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium and zinc.

When you purchase Wholesome Sweeteners organic, Fair Trade Certified Amber and Raw Honey you are getting the best tasting honey and making the world a sweeter place. Fair Trade Certification ensures that a fair price is paid directly to the beekeepers tending the hives; it means they can protect the quality of the hives and jungle areas and build thriving communities. By protecting the hives and forage areas, Fair Trade encourages biodiversity and helps the forests thrive, too!

For more information about Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade, Organic Honey or for great holiday recipes using our honey please visit our website: www.fairtradehoney.com

Sources:

“Most honey sold in U.S. grocery stores not worthy of its name.”  CNN.com, November 9, 2011 http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/11/09/most-honey-sold-in-u-s-grocery-stores-not-worthy-of-its-name/

Schneider, Andrew. “Tests Show Most Store Honey isn’t Honey.” Food Safety News. November 7, 2011. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/

Honey Filtration FAQ. The National Honey Board. November 8, 2011. http://www.honey.com/nhb/about-honey/frequently-asked-questions/

Check out Marie in action making this awesome treat. You can also find this recipe on our website. Try it out this weekend and let us know how it turns out.

So, even with such crummy economic conditions why are people making the choice to buy organic? Well, for health reasons of course. 48 percent of the 1,300 U.S. families included in the study say the number one reason they buy organic products is because they believe organic products are better for themselves and their children.¹  Many of the families expressed concern over the effects of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics on their children. For these families staying away from conventionally grown products is a conscious decision made with the well-being of their family in mind. Like many Americans, most of the families surveyed in the study, done in partnership with Kiwi Magazine,  say they also choose organic products to avoid processed foods.

The study points out that even though many people are aware of the Organic Industry and the benefits of organic products more outreach and education is necessary to spread the word about the proven advantages of organic products and farming.

The Organic sector is a vibrant, growing, job-producing industry powered by consumer choice and demand. At Wholesome Sweeteners,  we are so proud to be apart of an industry that draws attention to consumers right to feed themselves and their families healthy and sustainable food.

For more information about organics and this study please visit the Organic Trade Association website.

^{1Haumann, Barbara. “Seventy–eight percent of U.S. families say they purchase organic foods-Consumers vote with their dollars despite economic difficulty”.  Organic Trade Association. November 2, 2011. http://www.organicnewsroom.com/2011/11/seventyeight_percent_of_us_fam.html}

The Organic sector is a vibrant, growing, job-producing industry! Congress has the National Organic Program, critical organic farming research, and certification      assistance up on the chopping block.

Contact your Congressman and let them know how important organics is to you and your family. Ask them to support organics in the next Farming Bill.

Visit the Organic Trade Association website for more information on how to make your voice heard.