Super Fresh Strawberry Jam
Jam was seriously my jam growing up (well mostly jelly.) It’s sweet without being dessert and pairs perfectly well on a slice of bread with chunky peanut-butter. However, because I no longer have the metabolism of an 8-year-old (who can somehow live off sugar and not have diabetes), I’ve had to make some life-changes and one of those were saying bye to peanut-butter jelly time.
Fun fact: “The difference between jelly and jam is that jelly is made strictly from the juice of fruit while jam is made from crushed fruit. Specifically, jelly is made by crushing fruit, then straining out everything but the juice. The juice is then boiled, typically with sugar and pectin added, the latter of which reacts with the sugar and heat to give the jelly a thicker consistency for spreading.
The first step in making jam is about the same as jelly, but instead of straining the juice, the crushed fruit is left in, often with the seeds, if they are relatively small, such as with certain berries. Unlike most all jellies, jam may not contain pectin, as the mashed fruit will often give it sufficiently good consistency for spreading.
If you are wondering how to tell the difference between jelly and jam on sight, the jelly will spread pretty evenly, while the jam will tend to be a little lumpy.”
So I wasn’t even eating real fruit preserves but rather fruit-juice and sugar so double whammy. Good thing Lakanto monkfruit sweetener came into my life and replaced by need for ever needing sugar-again (check them out here and use my name SAHARA for 40% off any order.. it’s a game changer.)
I wanted something to go well with my Walnut-Rosemary Bread, which I also recreated to be raw-vegan, paleo and keto. Yes you can eat bread without any flour, sugar or even eggs. Thank me later when you try out the recipe for yourself here.
I absolutely love strawberries. They’re the most low-glycemic fruit out there (after rhubarbs) and taste delicious. A basket of strawberries reminds me of a relaxing summer’s day picnic with no care in the world. When paired with my Walnut-Rosemary Bread, I truly feel like one of the kids in the Vantrapp family singing “The Hills Are Alive” while eating an Austrian breakfast (any Sound of Music lovers here? Nope? K moving on..)
I always thought making jam was an extremely arduous process that required grandmother status in society. For some reason, I was imagining I’d have to spend hours crushing fruit by hand and watching water boil for hours as I knitted my next scarf. None of that is true.
Adding sugar to your strawberries is not necessary. Stomping on them with your feet while yodeling is not necessary. In fact, even BOILING YOUR STRAWBERRIES is even not necessary.
YES you can make quick n’ easy RAW VEGAN, SUGAR-FREE strawberry jam and still preserve (no pun-intended) all of the nutrients in the strawberry. WAHOO!
The reason raw is important is because many nutrients such as vitamin C, as well as all living enzymes are destroyed in the cooking process. Boiling your strawberries for hours is akin to killing them.
I created this raw vegan, sugar-free strawberry jam to allow you to reap the Prana-enhancing benefits of fresh strawberries in a totally new, unique way.
To make them sugar-free, I used Lakanto Monkfruit Maple Syrup, which contains NO actual maple syrup or sugar at all. It is derived from monkfruit, an ancient fruit found in China that is 300 times sweeter than sugar without any impact on your glycemic index levels. You can order any Lakanto product for 40% off with my code SAHARA here.
Sahara’s Super Fresh Strawberry Jam:
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen strawberries (if frozen, allow to thaw completely)
- 1-4 tbsp Lakanto Maple Syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
- ½ -1 lemon, juiced (depending how sour you want it)
- Optional Add-Ins:
- 2 tbsp whole chia seeds for extra gelatinous crunch
- ½ tsp cinnamon for blood-sugar-balancing benefits
- ½ tbsp. grated ginger for added spice
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Place in a stainless steel container bowl and place in dehydrator. Allow to dehydrate on 115 degrees overnight.
- Remove from dehydrator and store covered in fridge overnight to thicken.
- Serve with my raw-vegan bread, coconut yogurt or whatever else you'd like!
Notes
Note: If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still make this recipe using your oven. It just won’t be considered raw because the nutrients in the almonds are destroyed above 118 degrees. I highly recommend purchasing a dehydrator so you can make plenty of my raw-vegan recipes; some are as low as $35 on Amazon and work wonderfully.
Alternatively, you could use your oven on the lowest temperature and open it periodically to keep the temperature low. It may take anywhere from 1-4 hours in your oven, depending on the temperature of your oven. Check the consistency of the strawberry jam to ensure it is sticky.
Additional note: You can also make this recipe without any added sweetener if the strawberries are sweet enough for you already.
