A Sugarless Review

Having downtime usually means doing something anti-stressful, which for me can involve reading, sewing, and sometimes cooking. I recently read The I Quit Sugar Cookbook by Sarah Wilson. I actually wanted this book for a few newly vegetarian and paleo foodie friends who have tried to quit white-refined sugar long before their dietary experiments. Although I bake quite a lot, I actually grew up without added refined sugar in my diet, and I could not have all of the indulgent treats others children would (more on that topic later), so I am used to it. In fact, I only recently tried chocolate for the first time in my life several years ago. I know, go on and pick your jaw up … I’ll wait! 

In 2008, the former editor of Australian Cosmopolitan magazine was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease—she’s dedicated to seeking ways to live more healthily. This book is informative, entertaining, and in some areas reminiscent of a scrapbook, only it’s filled with worthy scribbles that will help you along your sugar-free or semi-sugarless journey. 

Details:

There are plenty of recipes to capture just about every dietary style, and others that you’ve seen before. Some recipes you may have even made yourself, but Wilson gives her personal perspective, and modern take on it with sugar alternatives. 

The Verdict:

Overall, I think it’s a helpful cookery book for beginners to learn more about certain foods, like leafy greens and how to store foods properly, but also a good book for seasoned home cooks. Additionally, there’s a wealth of other knowledge: what to actually buy organic, how to remove grass stains from clothing, and even how to make home made paneer. It’s a fully packed book with all the special features, just as you’d expect in a new DVD, in HD, obviously!

 Pros & Cons: 

 You get a real sense of who the author is the further you delve into the book,  and I like the fact that it’s quite evident that this project was entirely a team  effort.  

 Wilson provides a plethora of recipes, three-hundred six to be exact; although  given the title you’d expect most occupied pages to be desserts. Instead, it’s  filled with a variety of main dishes, snacks, and more—from sweet to savoury.

Even though I don’t have a heavy sweet tooth, I do enjoy baking savoury and sweet foods quite a lot, especially for dinner gatherings and I would’ve liked to have seen more desserts in the book, since it is about quitting sugar. In my opinion, there were some pages that were filler pages, recipes that you wouldn’t typically use a sweetener in anyway. She’s truly passionate about cooking and it’s apparent in every section. The photography throughout the book is creative, effective, and beautifully shot. 

This would be a lovely investment for anyone who loves to cook, bake, and/or is looking for alternative recipes with sweetness. On the contrary, if you have a real sweet-tooth, you’d likely find some recipes on the far less sweet side generally until you get used to having less sugar—yes, it’s a process. I did make four recipes so far (unaltered) and served them to my sugar-toothed mates, and got varied feedback, the chocolate lovers were happy, but the others (cake lover’s and heavy dessert lovers) wanted a tad more sweetness regarding taste. 

I will likely find a satisfying medium for them, which for any longtime home baker is easy to do if you are used to making things from scratch. Let’s be honest, sometimes in baking there are some things that you really cannot substitute, whether for texture, caramelising, or actual taste. But, this comes close, and brought so much happiness to my kitchen. At the very least, it’s a mighty source of inspiration with a diverse collection of cuisines, especially with recipes like carrot bacon, and “Nomato” sauce! 

Have you heard of Sarah Wilson or read any of her books?

The goods: The I Quit Sugar Cookbook by Sarah Wilson.View more information about the author here. I received this book for an honest review from Crown Publishing Group. All opinions expressed are my own. Purchase this book here.