Monday, July 15, 2013

Quinoa and Alternative Ingredients

Check out this almond flour, quinoa, coconut oil crust.. ! And Maple Syrup in the mousse.

http://www.cookingquinoa.net/quinoa-berry-mousse-tarts

Coconut cream would be great to use! But mainly I enjoy the ingredients of the crust - which could be used for many different things and fillings! And altered to preference. I love the idea of using ground almonds, pistachios or any nut. And quinoa can add a nutty unique flavor. Coconut flakes or dates are always good added to a crust - especially cheesecake crust!

 

Random Sugar recap from back tracking notes from blog and a bit of added research from Natural & Healthy Sweeteners, by Diana Allen, MS, CNS --

Natural sweeteners (such as Maple Syrup) are better because they contain trace minerals not found in refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. However it can still raise your glucose level, since it is basically a liquid sugar.

Watch the calories: Agave nectar (90 percent fructose and 10 percent glucose), has 60 calories per tablespoon. Maple syrup  (sap that is boiled until 70 percent sucrose), has 40 calories in every tablespoon. Refined sugar has 50 calories per tablespoon. While eating lots of it could certainly be a tasty way to get phenolics, you'd be ingesting a solution that is at least 66 percent sugar. So while pure maple syrup may contain a bit of nutritional value and less calories, it's not really something you can eat in large amounts as a health food. It is still a carbohydrate, so diabetics or those at risk for developing diabetes, must watch and be careful how much they consume of this sugar.