Agave Syrup!

This is one of the awesome things I started using over Christmas break that I forgot to write about!

It is basically the same plant that is used to make tequila. ( liking this already aren't you?)

It is also two times sweeter than sugar, and slightly lower in calories. Yes folks, my mathmetician  brain has sorted out that when the quantity and calories are both halved.. its 1/4 as bad for you as sugar! RIGHT?!

(please, please, please don't correct this if I am wrong, I'll eventually realize this when I fail Economics at University)

All that you REALLY need to know is that is much lower on the Glycemic Index than regular sugar.


Okay, so not the sort of thing you would just "eat" straight up. But I like it in my coffee. And I like it when I bake whole wheat bread, but don't want the overwhelming honey taste. I still prefer to put chai tea mix or brown sugar in my oatmeal to sweeten, as agave doesn't have a very distinct flavor. I know cooks who use it in sauces, and it's getting more and more popular on Food Network channels!

Jokes aside, it is an awesome option, here is what you will find when you google it:

• it's not refined, like sugar
•  it's becoming a huge Mexican export, and so the Americans have began investigating everything that could possibly be wrong with it
•  In the future when the vegans prove us all wrong , we will also be using it instead of honey
• you can get "raw" agave nectar produced at "raw food" acceptable temperatures
• it is still fructose, so it's not healthy if you eat a lot of it

So basically, this is one of the new foods i tried which has weaseled it's way into my morning routine!

I hope you enjoy

Kale

BITTER GREENS!

One of my favourites growing up in an Italian household, was steamed rapini, that was sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chilli flakes.

Unfortunately, one day while shopping for "high iron" foods, the produce boys informed me that the broccolini, rapini, and other assorted bitter greens, actually began to loose their nutrient value the minute they were steamed.

 

http://www.google.ca/images/

So, the first time I tried Kale this year was slathered in salty peanut satay sauce.

Don't get me wrong, it tasted great. However, this wasn't healthy; the reason I was eating it!

Recently, kale is plentiful as a winter season organic and locally grown vegetable (hurray temperate coastal climate!) In my attempts at supporting global stewardship and the local food movement, I bought myself several bunches.

The my second first time "trying" the kale ( I say this because I could actually taste it this time) I was dissapointed. No amount of lemon juice or soy sauce masked that unmistakable bitter taste.

One day not too long after, I miraculously stumbled on Kath eating kale in her daily blog She sauteed it with... MAPLE SYRUP!?

Okay, there was two bunches to go!

It was amazing. my new rule: add a TOUCH of something sweet to the water when you are steaming the kale. DONE.

Or, as I did today with my lunch, I used steamed kale and added a touch of sweet to my salad dressing

 Check out the recipe:

One bunch kale, stemmed, cut, steamed and drained
Three fingers of roasted yam, cold, and cut into chunks
Half a bosch pear
half an avocado (hurray sales! what a treat!)
sprinkle of red onion

Dressing, shaken in a jam jar:
grainy dijon
olive oil
white balsamic
salt
pepper
splash of maple syrup

mmmmmmmmm, you should try it!

Mangosteeeen!

So there is this crazy looking little fruit. It looks like something from Dora the Explorer, right? All round and purple and with cute round leaves? ... I digress..

There are "cloves" inside the mangosteen that come out individually.  You cut around the thick firm shell and inside is the fruit. The number of petals on the bottom of the fruit corresponds with the number of cloves on the inside, magical!

Each clove has a large flat seed in it. They reminded me of a persimmon seed, and had sort of a clear jelly substance around them...

The fruit itself was a light and foamy texture, with a mild almost citrusy taste. A google search would tell me that this is a superfruit, but i would prefer to eat a summer peach any day of the week.


Tasty and fun!