Sweet Thoughts

You already know, if you are a regular reader, that I love to watch people.
And, aside from airports, restaurants, the dentist's office, etc., my
next favorite place is the grocery store. This is a higher level of
watching, because people are mobile, and I have to maneuver my own cart
while taking inventory of their selections. It has the potential of getting dangerous. Sometimes, I will even ask them about something they've selected, "Hey, what do you do with your jicama?"As my subjects shop, I also watch
their faces and note this sense of approval as check out a food label.
Usually, they hunt for "zero" values that then impose a dispensation.
Like, if that sorbet is fat free, it has to be good. Forget about
sugar, it's fat free, so it has to be good, right?

And, unfortunately, I am one of those people. Though since the early
fall, I am so careful in my label reading, that foods that would have
once "passed" my test, are now left behind for totally nutrient dense
foods. That's where our mind conversion needs to go.

BACKGROUND INFO:
I inherited a lot from my grandmother, Mary DeVito Montaruli...her
bunions, her thighs, her hair, and her sweet tooth. So, for me, this
"fat free" thing would speak loudly and clearly to me, because if it
was "fat free" it was okay. No fat, no worries. And, always remember
that sugar is fat free. Oh, there is a God. My grandmother was the only
person in the world who I knew, that after a visit to my childhood
dentist, Dr. Huberman, she would take me to the candy store and buy me
"Good and Plenty." Really. Better than that was hitting the pillow at
night to find a bulge in your pillow...she'd have stuffed a few candy
bars for safe keeping. This is where I learned that food was comfort,
reward, and had nothing to do with hunger. But, it also translated to
"amore," because what could speak love more clearly than a grandmother
who stashed "Milky Way" in your pillow? You can ask my sister, Mary
Lou.

Portion control is rough for me. So, even if, let's say, I purchased a
pint of a fat free sorbet, in my mind, it would be good for me. And
although a portion might be four ounces, those four ounces were too
many, but never enough. It's sugar that is like a drug to me. And
without it, I am more balanced, less critical, and better thinking.
Without it, I do not crave anything. Really. This, I believe supports
the 45 pound weight loss I have worked towards since the fall.
My solution to eating well and healthfully, is to re-create or
duplicate recipes of things I like...I like to "flip" them so they work
for my body...fat free. Sugar free. Salt free. Still good tasting. No
"Milky Way" for me, and even my grandmother's lasagne has been
converted to a totally vegan dish that is delish. I won't lie, though, without the Parmigiano Reggiano, it isn't the same.

Today, I have made a sorbetto...no added sugar, vegan, pure and delicious. No filler.
Nothing fake. High density nutrients. Easy to make. No sugar. No guar
gum. All good. This sweet temptation will make your heart sing.

Sorbetto di Nonna (not really, but I like the name)

Three very ripe pears
Freshly grated ginger, to taste
One very ripe mango
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
One teaspoon of agave

Peel the pears (I eat the skin, it just doesn't puree well)
Peel the mango.

Cut both fruits into slices. Place on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer.

Next day...take the frozen fruits and place them in your food processor with your grated ginger (or you can juice the ginger so that you do not have to deal with the ginger fiber). Pulse until fruits are in beads. Gradually add the almond milk. Pulse. Add your agave. Pulse again. DONE and ready to eat. This is SO good. Too bad there isn't a 75% dark chocolate tree.

Tip del Dia: If you are still using the poison in the pink or blue packets...time to think about low-glycemic sweetners, like agave. Remember, that honey is not vegan, because after all, bees do have eyes. The pink and blue packets will kill you. Sweet love.