NEW YORK TIMES 7-DAY SUGAR CHALLENGE: DAY 6

The New York Times issued a 7-Day Sugar Challenge and I’m thrilled to participate! Each day I’ll share a tip and an easy recipe from my new book, Half the Sugar, All the Love, to get you started on your way to cooking with less added sugar. If you’ve already got a copy of Half the Sugar, All the Love, you’re ahead of the game! If not, grab your copy HERE.

Using fiber-rich fruits and vegetables instead of added sugar to sweeten your favorite foods is the key to reducing added sugar. In addition to spices, which can also enhance flavor without added sugar, simple methods that bring out more of the inherent natural sweetness in fruits and vegetables are key to achieving success with low-sugar cooking. Remember, as you cut back on added sugar, your preference for sweet will change over time and you’ll begin to notice you don’t crave it as much. The flavor of fruits and vegetables will shine through, satisfying your sweet tooth with less added sugar.

Day 6: Sweeten Your Vegetables

For Day 6 of The New York Times 7-Day Sugar Challenge, your goal is to unlock the natural sugar in your vegetables! Roasting and caramelizing vegetables enhances their natural sweetness. Roasted sweet potato is the secret ingredient in my Double Chocolate Brownies. Caramelizing is another great trick that I use to create low-sugar recipes. That method is the secret to bringing out the natural sweetness of pumpkin in this scrumptious Pumpkin Bread. I use the same trick with my Caramelized Pumpkin Pie. Get the recipes in my new book, Half the Sugar, All the Love.

Half the Sugar, All the Love is packed with over 100 recipes to enjoy your favorite foods in a healthier way. The secret is using fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to sweeten instead of added sugar. It’s available wherever books are sold.