AltSweet THEME: Peet's Sells Corn Syrup-Sweetened Berkeley Farms Yogurt

Not sure how a coffee chain known for high quality and purity of product allows itself to sell yogurt with corn syrup in it, but Peet's does sell Berkeley Farms yogurt in its refrigerated in-store cases. There are so many other brands of yogurt that are, at least, using slightly less terrible evaporated cane juice. I don't get it.

AltSweet THEME: Tricks and Tips for Cooking With Agave Syrup

Agave is my go-to for sugary-sweet flavoring in baking. BUT, I need to remember several things: first, bake at lower temperature, for a little less time--otherwise, whatever you are baking, tends to dry out, burn and taste over-done. Equivalency is also important: about 3/4 of sugar, but you can find translation measurements all over the web (see below). An earlier attempt at Chocolate Walnut Pie went great--then, I got careless, and the next attempt was dry.

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There are lots of tips about using agave on the web:

--Chowhound has a nice discussion thread on the subject.
--VegFamily offers tips AND some recipes.
--Eating Well has some good advice, too.
--French for Foodies blogger highlighted her agave cookery attempts.
--Foodista has an assortment of agave-centric recipes.

AltSweet THEME: Nix Wheat Entirely...

Interesting new book on cutting out wheat, mentioned on Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb blog. I'm not endorsing it, just offering it as another perspective.

AltSweet THEME: Evaporated Cane Juice Not So Juicy

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So, lots of companies have switched from high fructose corn syrup or white sugar to something called 'evaporated cane juice' (EVJ). It sounds nutritive, but...it ain't. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers the word 'juice' to be mis-used in this way, but has never--to my knowledge--issued a directive forbidding companies from using the word.

Meanwhile, EVJ is really no better than white sugar, according to many sources. And, it's pretty high on the glycemic index, meaning it has a dramatic effect on blood sugar, which makes controlling appetite, food intake and weight, difficult. Look for 'unsweetened' products, wherever you can find them. Almond milk and soy milk usually come in 'unsweetened' varieties, although the big sellers have evaporated cane juice--check the labels. Because it is less processed than bleached, white, crystalline, sugar, some insist it's a healthy alternative; it's really not, once you dig deeper.

Unprocessed sweeteners, like agave and honey, remain better glycemic choices. Those choices are expertly discussed, along with helpful info about refined and unrefined carbs at The Franklin Institute. These natural sweeteners will always be more expensive, at least in the U.S., where corn and sugar cane growers are subsidized in a number of ways through the tax code, legislation and federal agriculture policy. There's always fresh fruit in season, for a dose of complex carbs...

Recipes REDUX: Family Circle's Apple, Beat and White Bean Salad

This is a completely sugarless, flourless salad that looks awfully easy to make. Family Circle posted this incredible Apple, Beet and White Bean Salad. Fantastic. No croutons, no sugary dressing. I never thought I'd be a Family Circle reader, but maybe I should be giving them a glance. The kale in this salad makes it even healthier--could survive weeks on this.

THEMATIC Thursdays: Not a Sweet Dream--Salad Dressings Full of Sugar

The amount of sugar in prepared sauces used on American tables is astounding.

A great example is a mid-to-high-priced mainstream salad dressing line, Ken's Steak House. To Ken's credit, the company puts its ingredient labels online. I came across a dressing sale at Safeway, and found sugar 'above-the-line' of  "2% or less" in a number of their products, e.g. Caesar Lite Dressing. And, corn syrup in a couple of them, too! Ditto Buttermilk Ranch  A few had sugar 'below-the-line'...still, why?

This goes for mayonnaise and pasta sauces, as well. Read labels...

Recipes REAL: Pumpkin & Chickpea Fritters Need Work (Mine)

I went ahead Tuesday night, and made Pumpkin and Chickpea Fritters, but without the breadcrumbs...initially it didn't work out too well, partly because I used an equal amount of pumpkin to chickpea--when the recipe says you half as much pumpkin as chickpea.

I fixed it by dumping in about 2/3 cup of rolled oats, and then, yes...I had to, I rolled the patties in light dusting of whole wheat flour. Mea culpa. If I had to do this again, I would cut down the pumpkin, increase the spices--these can be pretty bland without..., and then make a side dipping lemon or mint dipping sauce with yogurt or sour cream.