Sweeteners and I:
Sweeteners and I have a long and storied history together. We’ve been through the good times and the bad; hit the (sugar) highs and the (sugar) lows; and have weathered various eating styles and diets, growing and changing together over the years. After giving up refined sugars for good, I turned to unrefined sugars such as maple, agave, and brown rice syrup. But still, they’re all still sugars – minus the processing. Good, but not great. Then a friend of mine introduced me to a new word: stevia. She’d been baking with it and shared some of her recipes with me and now it’s a staple (both in liquid and powder forms) in my kitchen. Most of the time I use a combination of an unrefined sugar and stevia which makes me feel that I’m at least cutting back. Plus, that method eliminates the stevia aftertaste that some people find objectionable.
And now there’s a new kid on my sweetener block – introduced to me via Angela, at Canned Time – called Lo Han. NuNaturals, out of Eugene, Oregon, produces a powdered extract and a liquid form of the product. Details of Lo Han are below, but in a nutshell, Lo Han is a sugar-free, fruit-based sweetener that is much sweeter than sugar. I haven’t had much time to work with Lo Han, but I did create a creme pie and a batch of snack cake using it and so far I’m quite pleased. I think it has great potential. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, read on to see how you can enter my giveaway for some free Lo Han products.
The giveaway details:
Along with Canned Time, Keepin’ it Kind, and Gazing In, I am participating in a giveaway where a total of four winners per blog (for a total of 16 winners) will receive two NuNatural Lo Han sweetener products. Each of those 16 winners will then be eligible to win a grand prize (worth $125) – which will be a nice little package (just like pictured above) of several NuNatural sweetener products. The giveaway ends July 11 and is open to everyone all around the globe. To increase your chances of winning, enter the giveaway on all four participating blogs! This is a great opportunity to try these sugar-free products in your own kitchen – whether or not you are trying to eliminate sugars from your diet.
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Cherry-Coconut Creme Pie with Chocolate-Coconut Crust
Description
Coconut. Cherries. Chocolate. Hanging out together in this perfect-for-summer creamy-dreamy dairy-, gluten-, oil-, and sugar-free pie.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1/2 cup dates, chopped
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1/4 flaxseed meal
- 4 ounces unsweetened applesauce
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom
- 10 drops NuNatural Lo Han
Filling
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1 heaping Tbsp. agar flakes
- 2 15-ounce cans sweet cherries (in water, not syrup); drain, but reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid
- 6 ounces unsweetened plain coconut yogurt
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 stopperful of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia
- 1/2 tsp. arrowroot
- 1 cup coconut flakes, toasted
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the flaxseed meal, applesauce, lemon juice, cocoa powder, spices, and Lo Han. In a food processor, process the dates and the pecans until finely ground. Add to the flaxseed mixture and stir until completely combined. Pat the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate so that it’s even on the bottom and up along the sides.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes and let cool completely before filling.
Make the filling
- Chop the reserved 1/2 cup of cherries and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, process the cherries (all but the reserved 1 cup), yogurt, coconut milk, stevia, and arrowroot powder. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the apple juice and agar to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 10 minutes. Pour this mixture into the blender and process until thoroughly combined.
- Pour into the prepared pie shell and gently drop the reserved, chopped cherries onto the pie. Sprinkle the toasted coconut onto the pie and gently press down. Place the pie in the refrigerator and let chill until firm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 26
- Sodium: 15
- Fat: 24
- Saturated Fat: 19
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 41
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 0
I also made a tasty batch of chocolate-hazelnut snack cake based on my Double Chocolate Snack Cake from March 2012. I used Lo Han sweetener in this recipe and black beans served to replace the oil and also to add the bulk that would have been provided by sugar.
I’m going to let NuNaturals describe their new product, Lo Han:
We have recently introduced some new powdered Lo Han products. This pleasant tasting fruit extract is perfect for dieters & anyone concerned about the effects of sugar on their health. These all-natural products are made from the fruit Lo Han Guo (also known as Monk fruit). The Monk fruit is notable for its sweetness, which can be concentrated from its juice. It has been used as a food, beverage, and traditional medicine to treat diabetes & obesity for centuries in Asia. This little known non-caloric sweetener is a safe sugar alternative for diabetics since it will not raise blood sugar levels. It offers a very clean and neutral taste compared to other natural sweeteners.
We have recently introduced some new powdered Lo Han products. This pleasant tasting fruit extract is perfect for dieters & anyone concerned about the effects of sugar on their health. These all-natural products are made from the fruit Lo Han Guo (also known as Monk fruit). The Monk fruit is notable for its sweetness, which can be concentrated from its juice. It has been used as a food, beverage, and traditional medicine to treat diabetes & obesity for centuries in Asia. This little known non-caloric sweetener is a safe sugar alternative for diabetics since it will not raise blood sugar levels. It offers a very clean and neutral taste compared to other natural sweeteners.
And…
Though NuNaturals generously provided me with all of the products pictured above, I was in no way obligated to publish a review.
Chocolate crust, beautiful cherry-coconut pie? I think I died in this beautiful recipe 😀
Cheers
CCU
I could eat the crust alone!
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Pie looks scrumptious! I’ve been dying to try the NuNaturals because the regular stevia packets are awful with a horrible aftertaste, but I’ve heard the Nunaturals are better. I’m entering the giveaway…I’d love to try them. Thank you!
I think you’ll like them!
I am working on giving up the refined sugars and I am going to try this product line as I don’t like most stevia brands I have tried, perhaps the lo han will be better/
Yep, usually there’s that funky aftertaste. So far I’ve been very impressed with NuNaturals! Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Wow! Keepin’ It Kind shared the link to this post and I am so glad I followed! That chocolate snack cake sounds like the perfect solution for those special cravings… 😉
Hey there! Glad you found me, too ;-)! I’m going to be posting the snack cake recipe after a few tweaks – it was good, but I know it can be better!
Woohoo!! A global giveaway! I can enter I can enter nananananana. 😀
That pie looks amaaaazing! Perhaps you can zap a slice over to me now? :p
I was so happy when I found out everyone could enter – yay!!
Would love to win this to try all the products! Vegan sweets are the way to go!!! Can’t wait to try.
Thanks for entering, Deanne!
Thanks for the opportunity. The pie looks amazing!!!!
Hi Vicki! I’m happy to be able to give some of these great products away. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
I want one of those snack cakes NOW!!
Hehe! They were GOOD, but I’m going to tweak just a bit more.
As usual, reading your post made me drool! Cherries and chocolate in the same post is too much for me to handle at 6:30 in the morning. My oatmeal tastes bland at the moment – ha! Happy 4th of July! Celeste 🙂
Hehe – well at least this is darn healthy! You could almost eat it for breakfast!!
We were just talking about how to make a vegan coconut creme pie at my house 🙂 I like the addition of cherries! Looks yummy 🙂 Happy Fourth of July!
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Looking gorgeous! So…I made a Rhubarb Crisp, that is vegan and GF, with my Lo Han. And the verdict? My in-laws loved it. No one knew!
Score!!
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I still eat cane sugar once in a while, but I use coconut sugar, maple syrup or brown rice syrup in most of my cooking/baking. I also use stevia in my coffee and smoothies.
That’s the way to go! Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Yes. I have been working for months to cut out refined sugar and it’s the best decision I made.
Go, Amanda!
If I were the head cook of my household, I would gladly ditch refined sugars. I at least limit them in my own diet.
That hazelnut cake looks divine to me Annie along with that pie too of course 🙂 Love you ladies and your giveaways — I’m not a big sugar eater but try to enjoy in moderation..and I’ve just recently realized how important supporting fair trade practices are when it comes to sugar cane production. It’s crazy!
I can enter?…I CAN ENTER!!! :). Please enter me in the draw Annie. I now feel like a fully fledged member of the world-wide vegan community and not just annexed off into the wilderness of upper-cumbucance Tasmania 🙂 Who cares if I win, I at least get to enter this time! 🙂
Yes, girl – you can enter this giveaway!!! Tells you something about NuNaturals, doesn’t it?
Yeah…feather light in more ways than one 😉
I would love to win the giveaway – I’ve never tried any of the NuNatural products!
Thanks for entering the giveaway, Yvonne! Good luck!
I ditched refined sugar some time ago, I’ve been looking for an alternative to stevia so this giveaway comes at a perfect time. I would love to try NuNaturals products. Really cool that they are a local to me (in Oregon) company! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
🙂 NuNaturals seems like a really great company. Thank you so much for entering the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! I am trying my best to give up refined sugars, but it’s hard. I try not to use them at home, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth when out with family/friends. I’m working on it, though!
It IS hard! I’m still working on it, too. These products will definitely help.
I have given up refined sugars, and I recently also gave up artificial sweeteners (I am so embarrassed that I was using them at all!). So I would LOVE to win this giveaway!
I can’t wait to make these! The chocolate cake looks especially amazing. And thanks for the tip about combining sweeteners to reduce the sugars and not have that terrible aftertaste from the stevia. I don’t use stevia at all because of it, so this would be a great way to be able to use it.
Snack cake..so that means I can eat like 5 at once right?? HA! That snack cakes looks delicious, as does the patriotic pie!! I have yet to try NuNaturals! I NEED TO!
Girl – NO OIL! NO SUGAR!! 5 squares are perfectly acceptable.
That cherry coconut pie with that chocolate coconut crust looks so freaking delicious & fabulous even, Annie! And those snack cakes squares look very yummy too! 🙂 Waw!!!!!!
I guess I need to share that snack cake recipe :-)!
yes!
Hmm! A new sweetener on the block. I wonder how I would like it in comparison to stevia, which does sometimes have an aftertaste. Girl, that pie. Very patriotic, looking insanely delish. I just need the cherries… 🙂
Pie looks delish!! I’m entering the giveaway!
Yay! Thanks, Lolly!
Simply gorgeous Annie! I would love a chance to try the new product and I think your recipe would be high up on the list of recipes to start with 🙂
This is a very Gabby product, I think :-)!
I am in Eugene, OREGON!
Woohoo!!
I am try not to have too much sugar, it is not easy. I am using more stevia.
You’re on the right path, Maryann!
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I somehow missed this was open worldwide!! Wow, thanks so much 🙂 I’d love to try nunaturals- stevia is still fairly hard to come by here in the UK and I’ve heard NuNaturals products really are the best.
You made it just in time :-)! Thanks for entering!
Definitely want to try if it is still open!
It is! Thanks, Deb!
I am cutting back and use very little refined sugar. My husband won’t eat anything with sugar, so I’ve adjusted that.
Wow, almost midnight is a bad time to read a blog post like this… all I can think about now are chocolatey coconutty confections! I have entered the giveaway though so hopefully soon I will be able to do some experimenting of my own – I love the challenge of making healthy low-sugar sweet treats, and as a personal trainer it’s pretty cool to be able to tell clients they can still indulge 🙂 Thanks for sharing!