Refined Sugar Free Cooking

Honey is my go-to sweetener, it’s naturally sourced and lower in GI than regular white sugar, plus it also contains trace minerals! There’s so many different uses for honey in and around the kitchen, so I’ve popped some of them here;

Stop the sticking!

Next time you need to measure out honey with a teaspoon, tablespoon or measuring cup, spray it lightly with oil spray, the honey will slide on off. Not only is clean-up a breeze, it also makes sure you use the exact amount and no sticky bits go to waste.

Substitute when baking

If you’re looking to lower the sugar content when baking, pop some honey in, in place of castor sugar or white sugar. Honey has a sweeter taste than sugar, use the guide of; 1 Cup Sugar = 2/3 Cup Honey. Add in 1⁄2 a teaspoon of baking powder per cup of honey too. Baking soda reduces the acidity of honey and will help keep the baking treats light and airy.

Sweetener of choice

Honey is my sweetener of choice when baking or cooking. It’s unprocessed and also has a slightly lower glycaemic index (GI) than castor or table sugar. Most honeys tend to have a GI of roughly 50-55, which is slightly lower than sugar at 65. Honey is also lower in kilojoules when compared to sugar (1400kJ/100g vs 1700kJ/100g).

Super salad dressings

Pre-made salad dressings can often have a high sugar content, normally to help sustain a long shelf-life. Instead of buying something pre-made, make your own dressing. This creamy honey mustard dressing is a must-try in my house;

o 1⁄2 Cup plain Greek yogurt

o 1⁄2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil

o 2 Tablespoons Egmont Waite raw honey 

o 1⁄2 Cup Dijon mustard

o 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Whisk it all together and enjoy! If it’s too thick, thin it down a little with some water. Keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Banish the browning

If you need to slice up fruit and serve it later, you’ll find this handy honey trick will work wonders and prevent things going brown. Soak slices of fruit (e.g. apples & pears) in a mix of 1 tablespoon honey dissolved in 1 cup water. The fruit will stay fresh as a daisy for up to eight hours.

Want to know why? There’s a peptide in honey that prevents the oxidation reaction and as a result, stops the browning!

Store it in the pantry

Keeping your honey pot in the fridge is a recipe for disaster, it may become hard and you’ll need some serious strength to get a spoon out. Not only is cold honey hard to spread, it can also crystallise. Instead, keep it in the pantry away from direct sunlight.

Ditch the processed snacks.

If you’ve got some spare time over the weekend, I thoroughly recommend you get creative in the kitchen and make something instead of buying the processed alternative. Try my Healthy Rice Treats OR my Mini Ricotta Cheesecakes.

Both of these recipes use honey instead of sugar, making a delicious unprocessed snack. Plus, things always taste better when you make them yourself, remember? ;)

Salmon, Soy & Honey Marinade

Balancing the sweetness of honey with the saltiness of soy and warmth of garlic makes a delectable marinade for salmon! Whisk together; 1/3 Cup honey, 1/3 Cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 crushed garlic cloves and then pour over 4 x 100g Salmon fillets. Leave to marinate overnight before BBQing or oven baking.

Getting saucy?

If you’re mixing honey to make a sauce or dressing, use room-temperature liquids and if possible, heat them slightly (like over a saucepan). Honey mixes slowly when cold. Always whisk from the bottom to the stop to keep the mixture consistent, honey has a higher density so will often sink to the bottom.

Honey Roasted Nibbles

Honey roasted nuts are a great lil’ way to make sure you reach your daily 30g of nuts! Coming into summer, nut mixes are often cheap and readily available, so this might be the perfect way to use up some leftovers. Toss your favourite nuts (I like peanuts and cashews) in honey and smoked paprika and then bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes, tossing once to keep the coating even. Use the ratio 1kg nuts = 3 tablespoons honey, 50g melted butter and 2 teaspoons smoked paprika. Add some salt and pepper once out of the oven.

This blog post has been produced in collaboration with Egmont Waite Honey.