Monday, April 04, 2011

The Perfect "Cup" of Tea and
The Most Sublime Sweetener
Libre Tea Glass and Just Like Sugar

If you've been following Hungry Vegan, you know that I'm in love with glass. I never go anywhere without one of my pretty Glass Dharma straws. Now I'm taking my herbal tea to go with my new Libre Tea Glass. It's lightweight, durable, practical, and beautiful. A BPA-free polycarbonate surrounds a glass interior that keeps nine ounces of tea warm for up to an hour. The pretty flower in the bottle? That's a flowering jasmine tea bud from Mountain Rose Herbs.


I take my Libre Tea Glass with me everywhere! It's so much prettier and more stylish than a coffee mug. It also fits perfectly in my car's cup holder!


Notice the gorgeous detailing on the lid.


Underneath the lid there's a stainless steel filter that allows loose tea leaves to steep. (Alternately, you could place a tea bag inside the glass jar.) Simply fill the glass, wait a minute or two to allow the steam to dissipate, screw on the filter and lid, turn it upside down and let sit for a few minutes, and voila! Freshly brewed tea for one! If you love tea and want to treat yourself to something beautiful and practical, a Libre Tea Glass will make you feel elegant while you sip your favorite tea. It would also make a lovely gift for the tea aficionado in your life. 


Speaking of tea, just how do I sweeten mine? After reading Dr. Michael Klaper's illuminating article, "Slaying the Sugary Beast," I began weaning myself off sugar, and I no longer have these insatiable urges for sweets. That's not to say I won't ever enjoy a little something sweet. I just don't feel like I'm going to rip someone's head off if I can't get to the next vegan Boston cream donut. Stevia is a wonderful option, but its sweetness is very different than that of sugar, and it isn't always an ideal substitute for many recipes. That's why I love Just Like Sugar and have been using it to sweeten everything, not just my tea!


Just Like Sugar's sweetness comes from chicory inulin, a naturally occurring non-digestible carbohydrate. It's also nature's best example of a prebiotic, selectively stimulating the growth of friendly intestinal microflora. So Just Like Sugar tastes sweet, has zero calories, and it's actually good for you! 
And unlike artificial sweeteners, which are not only toxic, but actually increase your desire for sweets, Just Like Sugar satisfies without making you crave more. So now I'm sprinkling Just Like Sugar on my morning grapefruit, and it tastes just like sugar!


And I'm enjoying my bedtime hot cocoa-like beverage made with raw carob powder, Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, Foods Alive Mesquite Powder, and Just Like Sugar!


The real test was baking with Just Like Sugar. I decided to first try it in Dreena Burton's Chocolate Pumpkin Pie recipe, which called for a scant two tablespoons of sugar. The pie was super rich and sweetly delicious


with a lovely cheesecake-like texture.


I've since made cookies, chocolate pudding, and slow-cooker oats with Just Like Sugar, all with superb results. While Just Like Sugar isn't cheap like sugar, it's comparably priced to stevia, and so much more versatile. If you're looking for ways to reduce your consumption of sweets but still want to have your cake and eat it too, Just Like Sugar may be just right for you! 

19 comments:

Kathy Hester said...

I may have to get one of these. I had an all glass bottle I was using that shattered in the sink after a couple of uses.

(Plus this one is prettier too!)

Vegiegail said...

Seriously, Kathy, the Libre Tea Glass is not only beautiful, it's extremely durable. And even if you do manage to break it, you won't have shattered glass everywhere (which is such a pain, especially when you have pets.) Plus, even though the tea stays hot inside the glass, the outside of the "glass" is never to hot to hold. It's really pretty ingenious!

Anonymous said...

The tea glass is lovely, and I think I'll have to get one for my mom. But wait a minute...a no-calorie, NATURAL sweetener that tastes just like sugar???? I feel like I just hit the jackpot! Thank you!!!!!!

Valerie said...

The Libre Tea glass is gorgeous! I'm going to start dropping hints now for Mother's Day. :)

Thank you so much for the info on Just Like Sugar. It will be a godsend for my diabetic mother who misses her sweets.

Debra said...

That is one awesome Tea Glass! I want one now! ;-)

Blessings, Debra
Raw Vegan Diet

Helen said...

You always find such wonderful things to share! Why is it that I find I need everything you write about?

Anonymous said...

Oh, Lordie, I think I've died and gone to sugar heaven! Just Like Sugar sounds fabulous! And the Libre Tea Glass is gorgeous. WOW! All that and a link to a chocolate pumpkin pie recipe, too? Thank you!

Angel said...

How pretty! It looks like you have a garden growing in your tea glass!

VeganMarr said...

The Libra Tea Glass looks ideal! I have a stainless one that holds hot but has a narrow opening & no place for a tea bag...Ive used glass jars but yeah, hot to hold & you have to be careful not to break it. They thought of everything on this item, sounds wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

Really great post! I'd love one of those Libre Tea Glasses and yeah, it's about time they figured out how to make a natural sweetener that you can use like sugar. Thanks for the great info!

Helen said...

I just wanted to let you know that I just won a copy of Vegan Unplugged over at Vegan Heritage Press! Thank you so much for your post and for letting me know about their giveaway!

Keri - I Eat Trees said...

Oh my, that tea glass is just lovely!!

Anna (Green Talk) said...

I have been using coconut palm sugar in baking and like it. It isn't as sweet as brown sugar.

I cooked dates the other day to see how I like date sugar. Do you think this is not a great sub for sugar?

Vegiegail said...

Congratulations, Helen! That's fantastic!

Anna, I think date sugar is lovely, because it's an unprocessed sweetener that is more of a food than a sweetener, as it's simply ground dried dates. I LOVE dates, and date sugar is perfect for making cinnamon rolls, in oatmeal, and in any recipe where you want that distinctive flavor. But it's still sugar, (1 date has about the same amount of sugar as 1 teaspoon of evaporated cane juice), and for anyone trying to reduce their overall sugar consumption, it's not a viable option.

Marie said...

Goodness gracious, that tea glass is gorgeous and the pie looks so delicious!

Ijeoma said...

I weaned myself off of sugar last summer and, boy, it's nice to not have those cravings anymore! I'll definitely have to try that sweetener. I'm using stevia right now for tea or coffee, but I haven't found an alternative I like for baking.

Jamie said...

i have one! :D i love it!!!!!

Stacy said...

Did you replace the the 2 tbsp sugar with 2 tbsp "just like sugar?" Thank you.

Vegiegail said...

Hi Stacy! I replaced the 2 tablespoons of sugar with 3 1/2 tablespoons of Just Like Sugar as per the conversion chart on the package! :)