Can we occasionally use it as soy sauce substitute – Coconut Aminos:

http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Seasoning-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B00P9I8U0U.

Dear Divya: Occasionally perhaps, but keeping in mind that it will be pitta aggravating because it goes through heavy processing and derivation. If aggravating pitta is not a concern then by all means it is preferable over regular soy sauce. Pitta dosha is a very sensitive dosha that can trigger all other imbalances in the physiology so you want to steer clear of any ingredients that can bring that about. Of course, as the ayurvedic texts explain, we always tends to gravitate more towards what we already have plenty of: high pitta individuals will crave food items that will further elevate their pitta dosha! My wife is a good example of this! She loves soy sauce and she had to stop eating it being a high pitta and prone to migraines in her youth. To make-up for it, together we have developed a recipe using my Amla Tamarind preserve that comes very close in taste to chinese dishes using soy sauce. I will share it shortly.

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What do you think of Einkorn flour (http://jovialfoods.com/einkorn/)? It is marketed as being the “original” wheat least or not processed. I personally find it much easier to digest — it is so delicious and light, but I wanted to double check with you.

Dear Divya: Eikorn flour is a great flour. It is very healthy, it is tasty, and I personally have adopted it in my diet. What’s even better is if you can get a grain grinder and pulverize the Eikorn into flour in your own home. You will taste the difference even better!

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Unhappy with the large variety of sweeteners on the current market, many SVA followers have been requesting and asking me to formulate SVA Sweeteners for the past several years. My idea was to formulate a sweetener that would be a health-promoting and safe-to-use sweetener for long, as well as, short term use. I thought it should be used to sweeten your food and beverages without imbalancing, or confusing, your physiology, nor carrying any side-effects. I am very happy to announce that after extensive research and development I have finally put together a SVA Sweet Nectar – in 4 different flavors!

What can you expect from the SVA Sweet Nectar?

a sweetener which is sweet or concentrated enough to sweeten all food/beverage/ baked items;

a sweetener which is “safe” for cold use, as well as for cooking/baking;

a sweetener made without alcohol, with 0 synthetic preservatives, without any crude licorice, without any food coloring, which can absorb and/or carry or blend in with other natural flavors.

A sweetener whose flavor would retain after cooking and/or baking.

A sweetener which would satisfy your sweet tooth and not aggravate or imbalance your sugar metabolism.

My SVA Sweet Nectar comes in 4 different flavors. All SVA Sweeteners are made in a 100% vegetable glycerin base, with DGL (deglyzyrhnated  licorice), and Stevia. The 4 flavors are:

Original Sweet Nectar – original flavor;

Sweet Nectar with 100% organic Cinnamon;

Sweet Nectar with 100% organic Cardamom;

Sweet Nectar with 100% organic Rose.

You can use any one of these any way you want – to sweeten your glass of water; to sweeten your cup of tea; to bake in with your muffins or cakes; or in your salad dressing (you can make a delicious dressing with Sweet Nectar with Cinnamon, lime, Mum’s Masala, Olive oil, and Soma Salt). When cooking any sweet dish with protein – maybe a yogurt salad, or a paneer dish, a milk pudding, or rice pudding etc., any sweet dish that has a high content of carbs, it will be great for you to mix the Sweet Nectar with Cinnamon, or with Cardamom. As you know, Cinnamon helps metabolize starch/sugar, and Cardamom helps metabolize protein molecules. Tip: when baking or cooking with the Sweeteners, add the drops at the very end of mixing the ingredients, so you preserve the aroma.

Alternately, the sweeteners may also be used according to your dosha: Rose for pitta; cardamom for kapha; cinnamon for vata. Rose is the number one flower/plant for balancing pitta dosha. It is also ideal for balancing and cooling off the emotions, or sadhak pitta.

Why have I added DGL? Deglycyrrhizinated licorice is also great for pitta individuals, as it supports the kledak kapha of the stomach, even as it pacifies the pachak pitta. It is an excellent ingredient for high pitta/low agni people – it cools off the pitta and sharpens the agni. Generally, our sugar craving is higher when our sadhak pitta is off, due to stress, or acidic food. Having a treat made with a SVA sweetener with DGL instead of reaching out for that sugary snack or ice cream, will prevent from further aggravating your sadhak pitta and clogging your channels.

This sweetener will also be great for those who have issues with sugar metabolism – either congenital or stress related. Not only will it satisfy your sugar craving, but if you use the nectar with Cinnamon, it will further support your sugar metabolism. The Sweet Nectar with Cinnamon is ideal for those with sugar metabolism challenges. Please note: the Sweet Nectar with Cinnamon does not replace any/all medications you may be currently on for sugar metabolism health conditions.

Try one, or all, and see which one you prefer! Experiment with them and come up with your own SVA recipes and email them to us at: svahealth@prana-center.com.

The post Healthy Sugar Substitutes: Original Flavor, or with Cinnamon, Rose, and Cardamom appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.

 by Divya Alter, Ayurvedic chef and co-founder of Bhagavat Life, www.bvtlife.com

There was a time in my life when I was fighting an autoimmune disease and candida, and I had to stop eating sugar of any kind. Oh, how much I missed cookies, especially around holidays! I am most grateful to Vaidya Mishra and Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum for kindly helping me become healthy again, but I still have to watch my sugar cravings. I was so excited to hear that our dear Vaidya Mishra has found yet another brilliant solution for a sugar-free sweetener: the Sweet Nectar—it gives the satisfaction of sweet taste without causing a sugar spike or inflammation.

I have tested Vaidya’s Rose Sweet Nectar for a couple of dishes now. I added a few drops of it to a fresh grape-lime drink, and my guests raved about its lasting perfume-like aroma. There is a slight stevia aftertaste but the pure rose prevails and remains strong even after baking. It took me a while to get used to the form and new taste of this sweetener, but I am so grateful that my body does not react to it the way it reacts to sugar.

Here are the conversions of raw cane sugar to Sweet Nectar I came up with during my recipe testing:

1 teaspoon sugar = 7-8 drops Sweet Nectar

¼ cup = 2 teaspoons

1/3 cup = 1 tablespoon

½ cup = 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

1 cup = 3 tablespoons

Thank you, Vaidya for creating this sugar alternative for us! I hope you will enjoy my Almond Cookies recipe on this special Victory Day today. Let us all celebrate our small and big victories in life with these delicious sugar-free cookies!

Makes: about 14 1-inch ball cookies

Preparation and refrigeration time: 40 minutes; cooking time: 15 minutes

• 1 cup whole einkorn or spelt flour
• 2/3 cup almonds, finely ground
• a small pinch of salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kid’s Masala #2 or #5
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup melted ghee
• 2 ½ – 3 teaspoons Rose Sweet Nectar

• ¼ cup sliced almonds (for decoration, optional)

1. Add the flour, almonds, salt, baking powder, masala, and vanilla to a food processor—pulse to mix.

1. Stir the Rose Sweet Nectar into the melted ghee, and add to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times to create a buttery, crumbly dough—transfer it to a bowl and use your hands to shape the dough into a ball; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with ghee or line it with non-bleached parchment paper.

1. Use your hands to roll the dough into 1-inch balls, flatten them slightly and line them up on the baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Decorate each cookie by sticking sliced almonds upright.

1. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes. They should be a little puffed and the almonds faintly golden at the edges when they are finished. Right out the oven, the cookies will be soft, but will harden as they cool. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

Variations

Dairy-free: Substitute coconut oil for the ghee.

Other nuts: Try these cookies with other nuts, such as hazelnuts or pistachios.

Less crumbly: I know ghee is the preferred fat in SVA cooking, but it makes these cookies crumbly. For a more manageable consistency, ½ cup (1 stick) cultured sweet butter is my next alternative to ghee.

Alternative preparation: I choose food processor for faster preparation. Of course, you may also mix everything by hand, in a mixing bowl.

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