http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ Gluten Free Forums for Elana's Pantry en Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:35:02 +0000 http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/substitute-for-agave#post-1097 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:05:32 +0000 jane 1097@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I am cooking for someone who is gluten intolerant and diabetic. I would like to know if there is a substitute to bake with for agave? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/maple-syrup#post-981 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:58:43 +0000 sylvia.wildflower.smiles 981@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Any one try maple syrup as a substitution for agave? I prefer it much more. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/agave-substitute#post-2150 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:47:30 +0000 mommabear 2150@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I can't use Agave, what would be a good alternative? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/xylitol-1#post-1784 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:36:56 +0000 cweaver3 1784@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I am wanting to know what is the current recommendations regarding the use of xylitol in cooking? Is it a legitimate alternative to cane sugar, stevia and agave as a sweetener? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/20-1#post-2969 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 08:57:49 +0000 Marketer772 2969@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I made the 2.0 bread following the recipe exactly except for leaving out the agave. I don't mind the lack of sweetness, however the bread was much lighter in color, and the consistency was nothing like the picture depicted. In fact, it was so dense, that it was hard to swallow. Does the agave affect the color and texture? If so, is there any way to omit the agave and match the texture to the picture on the recipe page? Thanks. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/yeast-free-diet-help-with-substitutes#post-562 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:47:16 +0000 bonnie0128 562@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hello! I recently purchased Elana's cookbook and while it is wonderful, I have to make a lot of substitutions because I have to follow a yeast free diet (no agave, no yacon, no fruit, no sweetened chocolate (even the 73%) and I think no arrowroot powder (planning to double check at my appt monday)). I ordered the book online and was a little disappointed to find so many recipes that include fruit and chocolate - but that is my issue and no fault of Elana; however, I am pressing on and can't wait to try the other recipes!</p> <p>Has anyone had success with substitutions?</p> <p>Arrowroot powder - would coconut flour, soy flour, oat flour, protein powder or vital wheat gluten work? (I cannot have other flours or starches)</p> <p>Yacon - any ideas?</p> <p>Agave - I have used SF Davinci syrup plus erythritol/stevia with some success. I have also used water plus erythritiol/stevia with some success. The only sweeteners I'm allowed are stevia, erythritol, xylitol, and sucralose/Splenda (but not the granular splenda since it contains dextrose). Any suggestions?</p> <p>Chocolate - I can use cocoa powder (thank goodness) but not the 73% cocoa. Has anyone used unsweetened baking chocolate and added a little extra sweetener? Or another idea?</p> <p>Thanks for any ideas you have to offer! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/anyone-ever-use-steviva-blend#post-2948 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:33:37 +0000 mom2one01 2948@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I have had good success baking with Steviva Blend, but would love to know how to convert the Agave used in Elana's recipes to it. Suggestions anyone? I prefer not to use Agave. I have not tried substituting honey in her recipes yet. Has anyone had success using honey in these recipes? I would still prefer to use the Steviva Blend if I can figure out how to make it work!</p> <p>Thanks! :)<br /> Amy </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/sugar-instead-of-agave#post-2819 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:06:57 +0000 teitei 2819@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I would like to buy Elana's Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook but I prefer to use sugar instead of agave. Has anyone done this and if so, in what ratio do you substitute? Did the recipes still turn out good? Thanks! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/can-i-use-half-the-agave-in-chocolate-chip-cookie#post-2722 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:37:17 +0000 TheOcook 2722@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I baked the chocolate chip cookie last night and it was DELICIOUS!!!<br /> However, it was still a little to sweet for me. Would it effect the outcome of the cookies if I use only half the agave? </p> <p>I'll experiment with it but wanted to see if anyone has tried it. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/coconut-nectar#post-2568 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 07:04:18 +0000 ckh 2568@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I've begun using raw coconut nectar as a substitute for agave, and I'm wondering if other folks have tried it and with what success. </p> <p>Coconut nectar is coconut tree sap. Raw coconut nectar is gluten free with a GI of 35, which makes it about even with an apple in terms of spiking blood sugar. It has an almost neutral PH, and is full of aminos, vitamins and minerals. It is .5% glucose and 80% inulin (the predominantly indigestible 'sugar' our ancient ancestors consumed). I'm using it in two forms, a liquid (which has the appearance of a very thick agave) and a crystal which is produced by vaccum evaporating the moisture leaving a fine crystal which has a sweet and slightly black-strappy scent and mostly inert flavor.</p> <p>Any thoughts? It is somewhat more costly than agave, but I think that might have to do with the fact that it is still micro-batched because there isn't much demand for it. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/stevia-exchange-for-agave-nectar#post-2393 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:20:56 +0000 txchik9 2393@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I'm trying to find the ratio for Stevia to Agave Nectar. Some people mentioned adding water since Agave is a liquid. Can someone please help me out with this! There are some great recipes, but I can't eat them because of the Agave. Stevia is allowed, so some help would be appreciated! Thank you all so much. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/hazelnut-flour-recipes#post-2271 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:11:31 +0000 Didi_R 2271@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi, I just bought a bag of hazelnut flour and I was wondering if anyone has any recipe ideas using hazelnut flour and agave. Can the almond flour recipes on Elana's blog just be replaced with hazelnut flour, or do the recipes need adjusting. Ive been trying to find recipes for brownies, cookies, pancakes breads and cakes.If anyone has ideas, please feel free to share.</p> <p>Thanks </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/help-cocoa-wheats-made-with-almond-flour#post-2079 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 10:22:30 +0000 farmwife67 2079@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I have tasted a few of the chocolate baking things before cooking, such as the chocolate cake and the chewy chocolate cookies and they remind me of cocoa wheats. My kids love cocoa wheats and I am wondering if anyone has an idea how I could make them with almond flour, cocoa powder and agave? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/glycemic-research-institute-severe-side-effects-in-agave-clinical-trial#post-626 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:09:42 +0000 mtkoren 626@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Rather shocking was the late October announcement from the Glycemic Research Institute that they were halting clinical trials on diabetic subjects being given higher doses of Agave syrup (supplied by Volcanic) due to "severe side effects in diabetics". And they speculate on the causes and so on.</p> <p>As I understand it, this is the organization that certifies diabetic friendly foods based on glycemic indices and clinical trials. It is worth a read!</p> <p>Here is the link:</p> <p><a href="http://www.glycemic.com/AgaveReport.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.glycemic.com/AgaveReport.htm</a></p> <p>Michael </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/agave-gave-me-hives-now-what#post-1914 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:44:16 +0000 Phyllis 1914@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I experience an allergic reaction to the agave! It's been over a week now, and still bumps all over the face. What's a good substitute? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/vanilla-cupcakes-honey#post-1688 Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:19:14 +0000 cookie 1688@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>anyone subbed honey for agave in the vanilla coconut flour cupcakes? i'm all out of agave, so i gotta use what i got! any success? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/uh-oh-agave-is-bad-news-weve-all-been-duped#post-1670 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:22:12 +0000 suncrystal 1670@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Sorry about this, but when I received my new cookbook today and saw that Elana was using agave as a sweetener in most "sweet" recipes, I decided I needed to come here to give you all some info about it. :( I've decided to substitute maple syrup.</p> <p>Here's the link:</p> <p>Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup:</p> <p><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food.aspx</a> </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/biochemistry-of-refined-fructose-1#post-1529 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:43:50 +0000 Laree 1529@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Whether or not Mercola is being an extremist, there is still scientific proof and truth in refined fructose not being assimilated into the body the way most other sugars are, and certainly not the way a whole food containing fructose and fiber would be. Agave nectar is highly refined and almost all fructose, so no different really than high fructose corn syrup. It's "digested" (or not) in the body more like alcohol than sugar. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM</a> Start at 40 minutes into this if you only want to see the biochemistry chart part of this presentation. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/substitute-honey-for-agave-nectar-in-your-recipes#post-382 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:43:11 +0000 kara 382@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Can I easily just substitute honey for agave nectar inthese recipes? if so, 1:1 ratio? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/does-agave-nectar-contain-corn-in-any-way-please-help#post-873 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:39:31 +0000 chelseaharris87 873@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I'm wondering about the name brand that Elana uses (Madhava Organic Light Agave Nectar)- Does anyone know for sure if it contains corn in any way, it may be a dumb question but I need to make sure... Thank you so very much and May God Bless You. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/elana-i-love-your-book-but#post-1301 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:11:08 +0000 wheeler604 1301@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Since the recent revelation about agave nectar is it possible to change some of your recipes to include PALM SUGAR? I am not sure what quantities to sub the agave for tho... agave is much sweeter than palm sugar.... have you heard about the agave debate? </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/vanilla-almond-flour-cupcakes#post-1633 Mon, 24 May 2010 13:29:37 +0000 staje 1633@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I made the recipe from the book yesterday but I wasn't thrilled with the texture. Today I made a second batch and added a bit less honey (rather than agave) but added an egg (including whipping up that extra white). They just came out of the oven and are just lovely, very puffy and 'normal' looking! Hooray! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/sugar-free-rice-crispies-squares#post-1577 Tue, 11 May 2010 10:12:42 +0000 erinselena 1577@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi All,<br /> I have a sensativity to refined sugar so I avoid it as much as humanly possible (it's difficult!). I love the recipes Elana has posted as Agave seems to agree with me. I am wondering if anyone has a recipe for rice crispies squares that contain no refined sugar?? I am really craving a square but seriously one bite would wreak havoc on my digistive system and hormones.<br /> I am wondering if Elana's marshmellow frosting in her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158761345X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=elanaspantryc-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=158761345X" title="buy The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam online" rel="nofollow">cookbook</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=elanaspantryc-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=158761345X" alt="" /> would work? I haven't tried it myself but I may just do that if there are no other suggestions.<br /> Thanks!!! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/coconut-milk-creme-brulee#post-1533 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:41:59 +0000 lisastafford 1533@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Does anyone have a good non-dairy recipe that uses honey or agave nectar? I bought a torch on ebay a few years ago and never made creme brulee. Now we are dairy/sugar free. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/dr-mecolas-article-on-agave-is-making-me-think-about#post-1383 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:21:28 +0000 BarefootContessa 1383@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>how important it is to really research your brands as Elana has done. If I am using agave I will be using the brand she recommends under indgredients. What she says about agave and her recommended brand supports what Dr. Mecola is saying in his article re how some of them are manufactured. My personal trainer recommended getting Dr. Mecola's daily newsletter and I have found it to be very good. This is link to article. </p> <p><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food-fraud.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food-fraud.aspx</a> </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/simple-bread#post-833 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:32:52 +0000 babovka 833@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi, was wondering if anyone has tried making the Simple Bread recipe without the agave (or any other sweetner)? I like the bread a lot, but found it a bit too sweet to use for sandwiches and didn't know if the sweetner served some purpose other than sweetening. Thanks very much. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/sticky-agave-honey-a-hint#post-745 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:49:21 +0000 Skycatcher 745@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>I've made a discovery, and I want to share.........</p> <p>I've found measuring the agave nectar (I sometimes use honey) to be a pain in the neck, with it's stickiness and getting it all out of the measuring spoon. What I tried this morning, and it worked beautifully, is this. As I measured out the liquid ingredients, I measured the grapeseed oil first, dipped the measuring spoon in that, and then measured the honey. What a difference! The honey just slid right off the spoon! Awesome! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/measuring-agave#post-670 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:04:16 +0000 Kimberley 670@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi Everyone!</p> <p>I just made the Chocolate cake and I'm eagerly waiting to see how it turned out! However the batter tasted really sweet...does anyone know when measuring agave is it the dry cup measure or the liquid one? I fear I may have made a mistake I used the liquid measuring cup.</p> <p>Much appreciated :) </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/anyone-tried-brown-rice-syrup-as-a-sweetener#post-449 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:57:55 +0000 momto3boys 449@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Hi Fellow Recipe Lovers,</p> <p>I have worked with the Agave Nectar, and so far so good. It makes the chocolate chip cookies almost have a "caramel-y" flavor to them that I adore. But I want to see what other options that are out there. I ordered some Coconut Flour today because I want to make the Blueberry Muffins and the Chocolate Cupcakes. On their site I noticed "Brown Rice Syrup". It is a gluten free sweetener too. This had me excited because I've had Brown Rice Syrup in other gluten free things I have purchased and I had no reactions to it.</p> <p>Has anyone had any experience with substituting this for the agave? For some reason I did have some digestive issues when using the grapeseed oil and agave. At least that is what I'm attributing it to, because everything else has checked out fine so far.</p> <p>So please share if you have baked with Brown Rice Syrup and if there are anything warnings about it.</p> <p>Thanks! =) </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/sugar-free-pectin-free-gelatin-free-jams#post-216 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:13:12 +0000 adagio@aprilonlinemusic.com 216@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>So I ran across these today when trying to find a home-made jam recipe for one of <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/tag/cakes-and-cupcakes/" rel="nofollow">Elana's cake recipes</a>... After an entire day searching the web I found these... Enjoy!</p> <p>Yield: scant 1/2 cup jam<br /> 1-1/2 cups black raspberries, or berries of your choice<br /> 1/4 cup agave nectar<br /> 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste<br /> Combine raspberries and agave nectar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. (I used an enameled cast-iron pan, which was perfect.) Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and continue simmering until mixture thickens and berries have begun to fall apart but still retain some shape, about 30 minutes. (Stir occasionally with a heat-proof spatula to prevent scorching.)<br /> Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. The mixture will continue to gel as it cools.<br /> Keep refrigerated.</p> <p>Recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Agave Jam</p> <p>Yield: scant 1/2 cup<br /> 2 cups red raspberries<br /> 1/4 cup agave nectar<br /> 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice<br /> 1 ounce dark chocolate (72% cacao), very finely chopped<br /> Combine raspberries and agave nectar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. (I used an enameled cast-iron pan, which was perfect.) Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat as low as humanely possible. Continue simmering until berries fall apart and essentially liquify, giving a stir now and again to prevent it from scorching. You want the mixture to reduce considerably and begin to thicken, so plan on a 25 minute simmer time.<br /> Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice.<br /> Pass the jam through a medium-mesh strainer, pressing on it with a rubber spatula to force it through, leaving the seeds behind. (Scrape the underside to release jam that clings to the mesh.) Discard the seeds. Quickly add about 1/4 of the chopped chocolate to the hot jam, and stir until it melts. Continue with remaining chocolate. (If the jam has cooled too much to melt all the chocolate, microwave the chocolate by itself at 50% power for about a minute, stirring halfway through. Then mix into the jam.)<br /> The jam will thicken as it cools. Store in the fridge.</p> <p>Now may you not have to search the web for hours for a wonderful and simple sugar-free jam recipe!</p> <p>Happy Eating!!! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/pineapple-ginger-sorbet-candying-without-cane-sugar#post-461 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:15:12 +0000 MinifadBlogspotCom 461@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>As a ginger fanatic, I am absolutely dying to make this Pineapple Ginger Sorbet I saw on foodgawker today:<br /> <a href="http://www.phoo-d.com/2009/08/pineapple-ginger-sorbet.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.phoo-d.com/2009/08/pineapple-ginger-sorbet.html</a></p> <p>Ingredients: </p> <p>1/2 ripe pineapple, skinned, cored, and cut into chunks (Approx. 2 cups of pineapple puree)<br /> 1/2 cup water<br /> 1/8 - 1/4 cup sugar (I used cane sugar and it was wonderful)<br /> 1 lime, juiced<br /> 1/4 cup candied ginger chunks</p> <p>I have erythritol, stevia, and agave all at my disposal. What do you think would work best, both in the sorbet and for candying the ginger? I was thinking a combo of erythritol and stevia would probably work best for the ginger, although I've never tried candying with it. My biggest pet peeve with erythritol is the cold aftertaste, but I don't think this would matter in this recipe, so I could use it in the sorbet as well if you think that would work the best (and that would give it the lowest glycemic index, as well).</p> <p>Thoughts? Thanks, everyone! </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/how-to-substitute-agave-nectar-for-sugar#post-412 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:57:53 +0000 Stacie 412@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Does anyone have any suggestions on how to replace sugar with agave nectar in some of my pre-elana's-blog recipes? I have a few old favorites I would like to over-haul but thought I would seek advice before my trial and error experiments begin. </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/coconut-milk-or-almond-milk-yogurt-recipes#post-184 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:33:14 +0000 Theresa Watson 184@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>Does anyone have a recipe for yogurt made with coconut milk or almond milk? Can you use agave as the sweetener or does the bacteria need real sugar to grow?</p> <p>Thanks,<br /> Theresa </p> http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/need-help-with-elanas-blueberry-muffin-recipe#post-176 Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:55:57 +0000 ebates 176@http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/ <p>My 2 1/2 year old son has PDD-NOS and was placed on the SCD diet. I found Elana's pantry quite compatible for some goodies to make for my little boy, but I substitute honey for the agave nectar. I'm realizing he maybe having issues with honey since he has yeast overgrowth in his system. His intestinal dysbosis has improved dramatically, but his behavior is declining so its a Catch 22 right now. He loved the blueberry muffins, but now I am removing honey from his diet until the yeast issue is resolved. I just tried <a href="http://www.elanaspantry.com/mini-blueberry-muffins-video-tutorial/" rel="nofollow">Elana's blueberry muffin recipe</a> using not from concentrate pear juice instead of the honey, since yeast isn't crazy about pears. I didn't care for the texture. My son did eat it, but I was wondering if anyone has advice or experience so that I can modify Elana's muffin recipe. </p>