A healthier brown sugar - it is possible!

Life without gluten is hard enough but so many times we add a lot of sugar to our gluten-free foods to make up for the taste. However, having too much sugar in your diet can cause a lot of inflammation in your body. Refined sugar is a highly inflammatory food and can really upset the balance your system tries to maintain. Inflammation in your food does not just affect your gut. If you've read some of my other posts - it affects other organs like your heart.

However, I have a sweet tooth and its demands must be met. So here is a little trick I want to share with you if you have a recipe that calls for brown sugar and you want to cut the calories and inflammatory factor WAY back.

Molasses + powdered Stevia + a little mixing = brown sugar!!

It's about a 1 tablespoon to 1 cup addition. If you have 1 cup of stevia then add 1 tablespoon of molasses. A little more than a tablespoon won't hurt but I started with a tablespoon and kept mixing until I got the brown sugar consistency that I liked. Sometimes powdered stevia can be very dry depending on the brand you are using. So, half a cup of stevia + 1/2 tablespoon of molasses will give you a half a cup of brown sugar and so on. 

I've used it in my sweet potato casserole, pecan pie and my berry crisp and not even my picky little sister could detect it! Try it and let me know what you think!

**Side note: This must be used fairly quickly. It doesn't do well if left out or made ahead of time. I always use it in the recipe I am making right away.