First Annual Sweeten It-Up Blogger Recipe Challenge #steviva #sweetandeasy

I was sent complimentary products from Steviva to use for their First Annual Sweeten It-Up Blogger Recipe Challenge contest for the purpose of creating some recipes. All thoughts, pictures and opinions are my own.

This Blogger Recipe Challenge has 3 categories: Baking, Entrée and Beverage.  I love sugar, (duh) but haven’t used a lot of stevia products because I’m not too familiar with them, so that was a challenge in itself for me. But it can be done and done well!  So here are the 3 recipes I’m submitting.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Who wants to eat a dessert that’s healthy and tastes great at the same time? Everyone I say!  Everyone!!  

It’s a rich, dense, brownie cake prepared with healthy ingredients and it’s nicely baked in a cast iron skillet to give it that rustic feel.  

The best part, besides devouring is, you’ll feel good about serving it to your family and who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter together in a home-made baked dessert? 

Plus it even has some pumpkin in it, but you could substitute applesauce, Greek yogurt or banana as well, but I haven’t tested it, so let me know how it turns out if you do!

In this recipe, I used Nectevia.  It has infusing organic blue agave nectar with premium 100% pure stevia extract creating a decadent, indulgent taste experience with only 1/4 the calories, carbs and sugars of regular agave, or table sugar. 

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Decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Skillet

Decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Skillet is the way to go if you want indulgent, healthy brownies baked in an iron cast skillet!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time22 mins

Servings: 8

Author: Kim Lange

Ingredients

• 1 cup all natural peanut butter (stir well before measuring)
• ½ cup Nectevia
• 1 egg
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup all purpose or whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup good quality dark or unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ cup 60% bittersweet or sugar free mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Drizzle

• ¼ cup 60% bittersweet or sugar free mini chocolate chips
• ¼ teaspoon coconut oil

Peanut Butter Drizzle

• 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix together peanut butter butter, Nectevia, pumpkin, egg, coconut oil and vanilla extract together.
• Add in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder + baking soda.
• Stir thoroughly until batter is mixed.
• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Pour in to greased 10 inch skillet and bake at 350 for 22 - 25 minutes. Don't overbake.
• Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips while brownies are still hot. Time to make the drizzles

Chocolate Drizzle

• In a microwave-safe bowl, add ¼ cup chocolate chips and ¼ teaspoon coconut oil. Heat in 20-second increments until softened and melted. Stir until smooth. Spoon melted chocolate into a small zip bag and trim a corner off. Pipe chocolate drizzles over brownie cake.

Peanut Butter Drizzle

• In a separate small bowl, microwave the peanut butter for 30 seconds - 1 minute.
• Spoon melted peanut butter into a small zip bag and trim a corner off. Pipe chocolate over brownie cake.
• Devour!

Notes

Serve it warm out of the oven, room temperature or refrigerated.
If you want to use a non cast iron pan, use the thickest pan you have that will hold on to the most heat.

This sauce is so rich and thick, with a deep red color and it’s loaded with flavor.  It can be ready in 30 minutes or you can let it simmer a little longer to get more garlic flavor infusion. 

Regardless, this spaghetti sauce is a tried and true family favorite, except I substituted Monksweet+ with Stevia instead of granulated sugar. 

Monksweet+ with Stevia is a scrumptious blend of monk fruit, stevia and erythritol in granular form and the perfect sweetener for deepest sugar reductions. Paleo, keto and diabetic friendly, with only 1 calorie and 4.7 grams carbs per serving.

A lot of spaghetti recipes don’t use sugar, but I always have used it and I learned that trick from my mom, who learned it from her mom, who learned it from my mom’s sister’s husband, who is full blown Italian.  

The other secret is whole garlic cloves simmering in the sauce.  Ha!  Family secret recipe coming out!  I like to add a lot of oregano, and no basil. It has a sweet, bitter taste with a peppery bite which pairs well with the garlic and tomato sauce.

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Turkey Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

This Turkey Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce is so rich and thick. It has a deep red color and it's loaded with flavor.  It can be ready in 30 minutes or you can let it simmer a little longer to get more garlic flavor infusion. Absolutely a family favorite!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Author: Kim Lange

Ingredients

Ground Turkey

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• Salt to season
• Pepper to season

Spaghetti Sauce

• 2 28 oz. cans of Crushed tomatoes
• 2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
• 2 1/2 ish cups water (I usually just use the tomato paste cans and fill each with water 2 times leaving about an inch from the top so I can stir it up, to get the extra tomato paste out.)
• 3-4 whole garlic cloves peeled (Remove the skin, lay the clove flat, put the flat of a knife on top, and smash down with your hand but keep the garlic in tact but enough to spread the fibers - you take them out after your sauce is done)
• 4 Tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 4 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 Tablespoons Monkfruit+ with Stevia
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

The Rest

• 1 pound spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese
• Parsley finely chopped

Instructions

Ground Turkey

• Heat oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium high heat.
• Turn heat up to high and add ground turkey and seasonings, breaking it up as your go, until browned.

Spaghetti Sauce

• In large, heavy stockpot, add the tomato paste and water and whisk it all together well, then add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Let the sauce come to a boil. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce is simmering during the last 10-12 minutes, you can boil your pasta according to the directions. (remove garlic cloves unless you like to eat them)
• Drain spaghetti and transfer to plates with spaghetti sauce on top, with your favorite seasons, like parmesan, fresh parsley and or red pepper flakes, salt and pepper as needed.
• Or you can mix it all together and serve with the extras.

Notes

I usually let everyone add their own sauce to their spaghetti on their plate and IF there are leftovers, I mix the sauce and spaghetti all together and transfer to the fridge. It's so good!
Enjoy with a nice garlic bread and maybe a good glass of vino!

For a healthy kick-start to your day, try this smoothie!  It is great for some quick energy and it tastes like dessert, literally.  So bring on the good stuff!  Enjoy!

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Chia Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Here's a delectable thick and creamy, healthy chia chocolate peanut butter smoothie that is quick and easy to prepare. It's like dessert!

Servings: 2

Author: KIm Lange

Ingredients

• 2 bananas chunked and frozen
• 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 5-7 ice cubes
• 1 Tablespoon Nectevia
• dash of sea salt

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in blender.
• Pulse until smooth and creamy.
• Top with some chia seeds and cinnamon if you wish.
• Serve at once!
• Enjoy!

So what I found out!  Steviva offers much more than stevia to safely and healthfully replace artificial sweeteners and table sugar. Their product lineup includes monk fruit, erythritol, coconut sugar, agave nectar, inulin, crystalline fructose and xylitol, and they continue to innovate and add more products every year.

Steviva also supports the journey to wellness to help you achieve your dietary goals. It’s possible to feed your family their favorite foods and still live a healthier lifestyle. 

To learn more about Steviva and their products go here for Steviva’s social media links: 

Website: https://www.steviva.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steviva

Twitter: https://twitter.com/steviva

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