Sugar Free Sweet Fire Ketchup

Sugar Free Sweet Fire Ketchup

A nice balance of sweet and heat!

by Kay Curtiss

A few years ago, I tried making my own homemade sugar free ketchup.  It didn't turn out the way I hoped, and my husband never really liked it.  My friend, Cindy Suelzle, made her own Best Ever Ketchup, using ***Thrive Tomato Powder (#22237) as the base and really raved about how good it turned out on her Thrive Blog.  I wanted to try it, but was a little nervous after my previous not so good experiments.  Click here to download Cindy's Ketchup Recipe, if you want to try it.

I'm on a new quest to greatly reduce the sugar in my life, as I continue to cook more nutritious meals with Thrive and lose some weight too.  SO, I made another attempt at making a SUGAR FREE KETCHUP using Thrive.  I used Cindy's recipe as a base and then did my own tweaks to make it sugar free and kick it up.  The result?  My husband said it was the best I've made and he really liked it! WhooHoo -- Success!  I really liked it too.

So here's my recipe for Thrivin' Sugar Free Sweet Fire Ketchup!

Ingredients:

1 cup THRIVE Tomato Powder (#22237)
3 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup Stevia Sweet Blend** or other sugar free equivalent
1/2 cup Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T THRIVE FD Chopped Onion (#22227)
2 Tablespoons THRIVE FD Celery (#22223)
1/2 teaspoon THRIVE Salt (#22668)
1/2 teaspoon THRIVE Chef's Choice Seasoning (#23628)
1/4 teaspoon THRIVE Peppercorn Blend (#23629)
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, optional (but it makes the Fire)
1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic or Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon THRIVE Baking Soda (#22661)
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1/8 teaspoon Allspice, ground or powdered
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:
In a medium sized pot combine all the ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Blend until smooth if FD onions & celery too chunky for you.

Pour into glass jars, cool and refrigerate.
Yields 2 pint jars.
Serving Size:  1 Tablespoon

**Stevia Sweet Blend:
1 cup GMO-free Erythritol
1 teaspoon Organic Pure Stevia

***Thrive Tomato Powder is one of my favorite products.  You can Substitute THRIVE Tomato Powder in any dish that calls for tomato paste or sauce. It's perfect for stews, soups, Italian sauces, casseroles or pasta.

Preparation Instructions Mix THRIVE Tomato Powder into water until smooth to create tomato paste, sauce, or juice using the ratios below.

Ratio Powder + Water      Yield
1:2      ½ c.   +   1 c. = 1 ½ c. paste
1:4      ½ c.   +   2 c. = 2 ½ c. sauce
1:6      ¼ c.   +   1 ½ c. = 1 ¾ c. juice

Click to download Sugar Free Sweet Fire Ketchup Recipe!

Thrive Lemonade - Not Just for Lemonade! - Strawberry Lemonade Bars

THRIVE CLASSIC LEMONADE****

SURPRISE - IT'S NOT JUST FOR LEMONADE!!!!

I as issued a challenge to make something with our Thrive Classic Lemonade.  It is a seasonal item and will only be available while supplies last!  And I know a lot of consultants that will be buying a case this year, because we discovered how versatile this product is, in so many things, in any season, and many of us ran out!

"What else besides the good, refreshing lemonade?"  Well, let me tell you, we are only just beginning to discover it's many uses --  now that we can restock our Home Stores!

Here's the start of a list that Thrive Consultants and Chef Todd have used the Classic Lemonade Crystals for:

Lemon Berry Icee

Lemon Berry Icee - Chef Todd Leonard

• Sprinkle it on Fish as part of your seasoning and bake. -- Francesca Hutchinson
• Flavor frostings - Becca Hansen Denos.
• Replace Lemon juice, Lemon Extract or Lemon Zest in Recipes - Rachel Mano & Cindy Suelzle

Cornmeal Cookies

Cornmeal Cookies in a Jar - Nancy Stewart Barter

• Lemon Chicken -- Rachel Mano
• Add to Salsa for a little more ZING! - Nancy Stewart Barter

Lemon Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Lemon Vanilla Sugar Cookies - Chad Mano - Add 3/4 Tablespoon Thrive Lemonade to a batch of Thrive Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix

• Sprinkle on or mix it in Fruit Salad - Sandy Anderson Pierson
• Lemon Sauce - Cindy Suelzle

Gourmet Fruit Lemonade

Gourmet Fruit Lemonade - Chef Todd Leonard

• Blueberry Lemon Muffins - Cindy Suelzle
• Lemon Scones - Cindy Suelzle

Lemonade Browines

Lemonade Brownies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting - Julie Buckner

And my first creation:

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Thrivealized by Kay Curtiss

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

FD – Freeze Dried
Product Numbers after items are for Pantry Cans

Ingredients:

Crust:
1/4 cup Thrive White Sugar (#22671)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Thrive White Flour (#22116)
1/4 teaspoon Thrive Salt (#22668)

Filling:
1 cup water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Thrive Classic Lemonade (#22899)****
1 cup Thrive FD Strawberry Slices (#22344), rehydrated and pureed
1 1/4 cups Thrive White Sugar (#22671)
5 Tablespoons Thrive Whole Egg Powder (#22570), reconstituted
1/4 cup Thrive White Flour (#22116)
1/2 teaspoon Thrive Baking Powder (#22660)
1/4 teaspoon Thrive Salt (22668)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Begin by making the crust.  In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy. On a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Dump into a prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 17 minutes, until set at the edges.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling.  In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine water, Thrive classic lemonade, strawberry puree, sugar and eggs and process until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder and salt, and then pulse until smooth.

Gently pour the filling over the hot baked crust. Return pan to oven and bake for 23-26 minutes, until the filling is set (There will be a light colored “crust” on top from the sugar in the custard – that's ok).

Cool and sprinkle the bars with some Thrive Powdered Sugar (#22672), if desired.  Cool completely before slicing and use a damp knife to ensure clean slices.  Store bars in the refrigerator, especially on a hot day -- if they last that long!

Makes 24 bars.

Click here to download Strawberry Lemonade Bar Recipe

****NOTE:  Contact me (thrivewithkay@gmail.com) to order the Thrive Classic Lemonade.  Because of the limited quantities, it is only available to Home Party Customers OR if you are already on The Q, you can just add it to your next shipment.

Original Recipe -- Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Beef, Red Pepper & Asparagus Stir-Fry

Beef, RedPepper & Asparagus Stir-Fry

Thrivealized by Kay Curtiss

May's Monthly Q-Pon is our Thrive Red Bell Peppers.  They are good in so many things! As an accent, try putting them on a salad--right out of the can--for a nice crunch, OR as one of the main ingredients as in this dish.

FD – Freeze Dried

Product numbers after products are for Pantry Cans

Ingredients:  

1st Group:

1 1/2 cups Thrive FD Beef Dices (#22576)

1 cup Thrive FD Red Peppers (#22243)

1 1/2 cups Thrive FD Asparagus (#22245)

2 cups Water

2nd Group:

1/2 cup Water

1 1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium Soy Sauce)

1/8 teaspoon ground Ginger

2 teaspoons minced Garlic

2 teaspoons Arrow Root (or Cornstarch)

3rd Group:

1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Peppers

1/2 cup Thrive FD Green Onions (#22244)

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

Rice:

2 cups Thrive Instant White Rice (#22120) OR Thrive Instant Brown Rice (#22132)

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons butter, optional

Directions:

In a medium Mixing Bowl combine the 1st group of ingredients: Beef Dices, Red Peppers and Asparagus.  Pour 1 3/4 cups water and let it sit 10 minutes to rehydrate – Do not drain the water. 

In another small Mixing Bowl or measuring cup get your sauce ready by combining the 2nd group of ingredients: 1/2 cup water, Braggs Liquid Aminos, ginger, garlic & Arrow Root.

In a medium saucepan make your rice following the directions on the can.

Heat a large skillet.  Add your meat mixture and heat through for 1-2 minutes.  Add the 3rd group of ingredients: Crushed Red Peppers, Green Onions & Sesame Oil.  Add sauce mixture and simmer until thickened.

Serve over Rice.

Makes 4 servings

Click to download Beef, Red Pepper & Asparagus Stir-Fry

Inspired by the recipe “Steak & Asparagus Stir-Fry” on MyRecipes.com

Thrive Onion Soup Mix / Onion Dip

Thrive Onion Soup Mix / Onion Dip

by Kay Curtiss

Tonight we were having hamburgers on the grill and I felt like having Chip & Dip with that.  I wanted to make my own dip seasoning, to avoid any MSG and preservatives that would be in store bought dip or soup mix.  So I decided to experiment and this is what I came up with.  At dinner, my hubby was a little concerned and asked, "No Thrive tonight?"  I reassured him that the dip was made with my New Thrive Onion Soup Mix AND the hamburgers were seasoned with Thrive's Chef's Choice All Purpose Seasoning and Peppercorn Blend -- ALWAYS have something Thrive from my Home Store at every meal in our house!

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Celery, powdered (#22223)
1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Chopped Onions, powdered (#22227)
3/4 cup Thrive Dehydrated Chopped Onions (#22228)
1/3 cup Thrive Beef Bouillon (#22662)
2 Tablespoons Thrive FD Parsley (#23621)
1 Tablespoon Thrive FD Chives (#23623)
1/2 teaspoon Thrive Chef's Choice All Purpose Seasoning Blend (#23628)
1/4 teaspoon  Thrive Peppercorn Blend (#23629)
1 teaspoon Thrive Sugar (#22671), Optional

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

About 5 tablespoons of mix are equal to one 1 1/4 ounce package of soup mix.

Thrive Onion Dip

2 cups Thrive Sour Cream Powder (#22449), OR 1 pint sour cream
2/3 cups water
5 Tablespoons Thrive Onion Soup Mix

Add water slowly to Sour Cream Powder, mixing thoroughly until it reaches desired consistency.  Add Thrive Onion Soup Mix and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors. (It tasted good when just mixed, too. :O)  

Dip will thicken up in the refrigerator - so don't worry if it seems a little thin.  If it is too thick when you take it out, you can thin it down with some reconstituted Thrive Instant Milk (#22446).


NOTE:  Thrive Stock numbers after products are for Pantry Cans except for Spice Cans. 

Download recipe for Thrive Onion Soup Mix & Onion Dip  

Matt's Thrive Chicken Spinach Pasta Supreme

Matt's Thrive Chicken Spinach Pasta Supreme

My son, Matt, is starting to experiment in the kitchen with our Thrive products.  Here's one of his favorite creations.  I stood over his shoulder today while he made it and made him measure things so I could write down a recipe.  Try it yourself -- it is delicious!

Matt's Main Thrive Ingredients

Note:  FD – Freeze Dried

Stock Number after Thrive products are for Pantry Size Cans

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1 teaspoon Thrive Salt (#22668)

1 pantry can Thrive Rainbow Farfalle Pasta (#22138)

1/2 cup Thrive FD Chopped Chicken (#22567)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup Thrive FD Spinach (#22234)

1 cup Thrive Instant Milk, reconstituted (#22446)

3 Tablespoons Thrive Veloute Sauce (#22601)

1 Tablespoon Thrive Tomato Sauce (#22604)

Parmesan Cheese, garnish (optional)

Matt's Thrive Sauce Ingredients

Directions:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add Rainbow pasta and chopped chicken and cook 12 – 14 minutes until desired tenderness of pasta is achieved.  Drain.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Saute garlic about a minute.  Add milk, Veloute & Tomato Sauce.  Mix well.  Add the drained chicken/pasta and spinach and mix.  Serve sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese, if desired.

You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by either adding a little more milk if too thick or a little more of each sauce if too thin.

Matt hiking in the Smoky Mountains

Matt’s Directions – even easier:  When Matt saw the recipe I typed up, he said that's not how I did it.  So here is how he did it!

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add Rainbow pasta and chopped chicken and cook 12 – 14 minutes until desired tenderness of pasta is achieved.  Drain.

Put pasta/chicken back in the pan.  Add the butter and stir until melted.  Add the rest of the ingredients (except parmesan cheese) and stir until thickened.  Serve sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese, if desired.

You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by either adding a little more milk if too thick or a little more of each sauce if too thin.

Print out Matt's Thrive Chicken Spinach Pasta Supreme Recipe