Review and Recipe: Sweet Leaf Stevia

Food-wise, a lot has changed since my celiac diagnosis. Goodbye bread, bran flakes and granola bars, hello salmon, sweet potatoes and cans of sunbutter! One thing that hasn't changed? My killer sweet tooth. So, when Sweet Leaf Stevia contacted me about reviewing their holiday recipe book and stevia flavors, I counted down the days to package arrival! 

Pages of goodies! (Source)

Cooking with SweetLeaf Stevia is a 119-recipe cookbook packed with everything from breakfasts and desserts to Christmas dinner favorites. It's not exclusively gluten free or allergy friendly, but it does include a few GF recipes and others are easily adaptable - they certainly got my tongue drooling and my mind jumping to all sorts of new edible creations!

Then comes the sweeteners. Sweet Leaf offers several kinds, including Sweet Leaf Stevia Sweetener and Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops to sweeten, cook or bake with. Both are free of calories, carbs and glycemic spikes, but packed with flavor. I may or may not have jumped up and down when I saw my drop flavors: pumpkin pie and peppermint mocha. You could say they had me falling for them right away - seasonal pun intended!

My fave new flavors!

The book offers several smoothie recipes and, having no previous experience with stevia, I decided to start out my sugar free adventure with a good old bowl of banana nice cream. Using my usual base recipe, I added the recommended 4-6 drops of peppermint mocha. I licked my Nutribullet clean! 

Unlike other extracts and sweeteners, Sweet Leaf's products boast a understated flavor that packs a delicious punch without overwhelming the taste buds. Admittedly, I don't drink coffee, and peppermint extract usually reminds me of throat lozenges, but I fell head over tongue! A slight hint of mint + earthy touch of chocolate coffee = one killer sugar free dessert (or breakfast!)

My Instagram is exploding with delicious treats!

The pumpkin pie stevia drops tastes equally delicious in smoothies, but I actually prefer it in my buckwheat and rice morning oatmeal. I never would have thought of adding it to my oatmeal, but when I read about their vanilla and peaches quinoa in the cookbook, I knew it had to try it out! Ever since my calendar hit November, I've been pumpkin-pimpin' out my oats with piles of pumpkin spice and pumpkin butter, but a few drops of Sweet Leaf's pumpkin pie stevia adds the final kick to my morning magic in a bowl! 

Cacao and pumpkin pie based oatmeal? Sign me up!

The one creation I can't stop eating, though? My homemade pumpkin granola! I cooked my first huge batch Friday afternoon, doubling this base recipe and throwing in some gluten free cereal, buckwheat groats, rice flakes, dairy free chocolate, sunbutter and dates to finish it off. Then I tossed it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes and perfection was born!

All the granola, all the time!

Considering that the entire pan of granola has mysteriously disappeared (into my mouth) by Monday morning, I can safely say that the granola is scary good or that I have a serious granola addiction. Or both. Oops.

The pumpkin pie stevia adds the perfect explosion of pumpkin and sweetness to every crunchy bite, making this my favorite batch of granola ever. It even had the gluten eaters in my dorm drooling. When they smelt it cooking, they all guessed "pumpkin muffins." And when they tasted? Nothing but "Mmmmm." 

Too much goodness for my tongue to handle!

For those who need a more filling snack, Sweet Leaf stevia is a great addition to my homemade "bliss balls." Also known as "protein balls" when protein powder is thrown into the mix, these are nutrition bar substitutes that are easy to make and even easier to scarf down! Though I don't follow an exact recipe anymore, the base usually followers similar proportions to this:

10-12 Medjool dates soaked overnight and pureed in a Nutribullet or blender

2TBSP coconut or other flour (more if the mixture seems too wet) 

1/2 very ripe mashed banana 

1 TBSP nut butter (I prefer sunbutter but anything will work!)

All the flavor additions of your choice

All the balls in all the flavors!

My favorite flavor additions are all kinds of nuts/seeds, with the larger kinds roughly chopped, powders (acai, maca, cacao), spices (cinnamon, pumpkin), chocolate chips, puffed cereal, dried or fresh fruit (pomegranates and blueberries are the best!) and flavorings like vanilla and Sweet Leaf's pumpkin pie and peppermint-mocha stevias! 

To make your bliss balls even fancier, try rolling them in extra toppings after molding them into shape. Then pop them in the freezer to chill, and keep them in there or in the refrigerator for major snackage!

Sweet Leaf took me on a sweet trip!

I didn't know what to expect when I first tried Sweet Leaf Stevia, but now that I've tried two, I'm definitely hooked! With these guilt-free droppers in hand, I can make lots of desserts and eat them all too! 

**Sweet Leaf Stevia was kind enough to offer samples of their holiday stevia flavors in return for an honest review. I was not paid for this review, and all the ideas and opinions within it are my own.**

Have you ever tried Sweet Leaf stevia? What is your favorite fall flavor? Comment below!