In my constant pursuit of taming the sugar beast, I can be frequently found in the kitchen trying to figure out just how many goddamn ways there are to use stevia. As it turns out, there are a lot.

And now that Spring has sprung, I find I have a taste for something sweet and light to match the warmer weather. An added bonus is the gelatin in this recipe, which helps build up the gut lining for those of us who have dealt with leaky gut. Alternatively, consider using agar or other non-gelatin product if you are vegan or vegetarian. Seaweed has a benefit as well: It helps to clean up the heavy metals within the body, something which I’ve dealt with on more than a few occasions over years, including now.

Stevia is a no-sugar, no-calorie sweetener that is far sweeter than sugar, so a little bit goes a long way. But the challenging thing about it is that it doesn’t provide the bulk that white sugar or other sugars provide to a recipe. In the case of Lime (or Lemon) Wiggles, the bulk is just water and gelatin mixed with a bit of fruit juice, which is stored in the fridge for firmness’ sake.

This little recipe is fast, easy, sugar-free and light. There are no sugar alcohols, sugar, fats, artificial flavors or colors. It’s just a little juice, water, stevia and gelatin:

First, choose your fruit – lemon or lime. I find that using the juice of a whole, fresh lime is enough to satisfy my taste buds. If using lemon, I gauge it by the size of the lemon. If it’s on the larger side, I might use just half of it, but if I’m in a particularly sour mood, I’ll use the whole thing…and maybe a bit more than the usual 2.5 ml of stevia powder, which produces a mild, not overbearing level of sweetness.

Note as well I am now using metric measurements. I’ll probably add a conversion tool to the recipes on this blog, but I’ve decided to join the rest of the civilized world – actually, the rest of the world, period. Out of 195 countries on planet Earth (as of this writing), only three are still living in their colonial past: Burma, Liberia and the good ol’ US of A. Yep, we’re still acting like a British colony, all the talk about being “great again” notwithstanding.

But forward we must go if we are going to make it to dessert. To this end, fill your measuring container with 500 ml of water, then empty 300 ml or so into your pan and set it aside.

Then, cut your lime or lemon in half and squeeze the hell out of it over the remaining 200 ml to get all the juice you possibly can. This will help with your border frustration as well as your search for the imperialist equivalents to my metric measurements here. Next, add your 2.5 ml of stevia powder and mix it well with your newly-minted lime or lemon juice mixture:

And finally – and very slowly and evenly – pour in the contents of both packets of gelatin (or the equivalent agar, etc.). VERY IMPORTANT: Let the gelatin absorb fully into your juice mixture, or else you will find your self stirring for a long, long time to dissolve the little gelatin gummies that can form if it hasn’t sufficiently dissolved.

This may take several minutes (at least), so be patient, and please note that it is best to wait on boiling the water you set aside in the pan until all the gelatin has completely absorbed, as seen below:

Once the gelatin in absorbed and you see no more powder on the surface, quickly boil and pour the hot water into the gelatin-juice mixture and stir vigorously until you have silky-smooth liquid, which will be light yellow in color whether you are using lime or lemon.

Taste the stirred mixture to see if it is sweet and/or tart enough for your tastes, adding more stevia or fruit juice as desired.

Let the mixture cool and then cover and place into your refrigerator, or pour the gelatin-juice mixture into your gelatin mold(s) of choice. You may even add in things at this point, such as whole fruit slices. Note that I’ve simply poured the hot water back into my original glass measuring container and let it cool before covering and refrigerating:

I usually let it sit in the fridge overnight, after which time I always have a very firm, very, VERY wiggly gelatin to spoon out several generous portions. Taking it out first thing in the morning is always fun…and it leads to eating a breakfast-dessert (who says every meal can’t have a dessert?). In any case, these Wiggles can start your day off very brightly…they are truly a light in the darkness…

…and they can catch the first morning’s rays quite beautifully…

…and, of course, like Weebles, Wiggles wobble, but they don’t fall down…

In any case, enjoy…and this dessert is fantastic topped with vanilla yogurt, or even swirled in before refrigeration. Whipped cream is also great (the kind without the sugar!).

Yours in great health,

Alison