This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I love to try new things so when the opportunity came to try out a new sweetener that promised to be 100% natural and made from fruit, I was looking forward to the opportunity. Still, my standards are pretty high and a no-calorie sweetener that wasn’t loaked with junk seemed almost too good to be true. NECTRESSE Sweetener is the only 100% natural sweetener that is made from fruit – monk fruit extract to be exact.
When the sample arrived I was immediately alarmed by an ingredient I didn’t recognize – Erythritol. Wait a minute. This was supposed to be natural. I don’t do synthetic sweeteners. Luckily a quick search on the internet calmed my fears.
Apparently Erythritol occurs naturally in fruits and fermented foods. It is noncaloric, 60% to 70% as sweet as sugar, doesn’t affect blood sugar or cause tooth decay. It is actually similar to the better known xylitol. According to Natural News in an article criticizing most other sugar alternatives including agave nectar, “Sugar alcohols like xylitol and erhritol seem to be safe.”
So, fears set aside I moved on to the most important part – how was it going to taste. First up, I tried it in my coffee using unsweetened plain almond milk in place of my usual vanilla soy milk. It was good and only took a half of a packed per jumbo cup of coffee to get it to my usual sweetness level. Next, it was on to testing it in a recipe. For this I decided to make a kid friendly almond butter granola.
Of course, these are my kids we are talking about. My super-picky kids that are always,always suspicious about what it is I am trying to give them. (You may be too if I was constantly hiding healthy food in things that were supposed to be treats. Beet juice in ice cream? You betcha!)
Surprisingly, they liked it despite the fact that granola is never really a hit with them. My youngest actually loved it and has been eating it with his daily coconut milk yogurt.
So, it would appear that NECTRESSE Sweetener is a viable alternative for those looking for a calorie free sweetener. If you would like to learn more you can check out this video.
If you would like to try it you can get a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener right now.
Recipe Inspired By NECTRESSE™Sweetener.
And now, on to the recipe…
Ingredients
- 8 NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener, Packets (see note)
- ½ cup natural almond butter
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup old fashioned oats (regular or gluten free)
- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- 1 cup brown rice cereal
- ¼ cup dried cherries or strawberries
- ¼ cup roasted cashews
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan combine NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener, almond butter, applesauce, maple syrup and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and stir until well combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- In a large bowl combine oats, quinoa flakes and brown rice cereal. Pour almond mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined.
- Pour granola on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool on the pan and transfer to a bowl.
- Pour in cherries & cashews and store in an airtight container for one week.
Notes
Each packet of Nectresse is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Calories 232, Fat 11.7g, Carbohydrates 26.3g, Protein 7.1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 17mg, Fiber 3.5g, Sugars 9g
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