Wholefood Baking Beauties

So, I’m hitting the road tomorrow with a group of friends for a mid-winter beach getaway to cosy up around the outdoor fire and indulge in relaxation and some well-deserved treats. I’ve happily taken the ‘Chef’ role for the trip, and as a result, I’m consumed by foodie thoughts this week and wanted to share three of my current favourite healthy alternative ingredients with you…

Raw Agave Syrup -  It has a low glycemic level (GI) and is a delicious alternative to cane sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance, or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake.

Baking tip – In recipes, use about 25% less agave than you would use
of table sugar. ¾ cup of agave nectar should equal 1 cup of table
sugar.

Coconut Sugar – Coconut Sugar is a great tasting, mineral rich low GI (35) cane sugar alternative, produced from coconut palm blossoms. It is certified organic, minimally processed and has not been filtered. Coconut sugar has a rich toffee like flavour. It’s naturally low on the GI index, which has benefits for weight control and improving glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes. It’s rated as GI 35. By comparison, most commercial Agaves are GI 42, Honeys are GI 55 and Cane Sugars are GI 68.

Baking tip – A great alternative to brown sugar in recipes (and it doesn’t taste like coconut in the slightest). I discovered yesterday that this works really beautifully in oatmeal and raisin cookies (I don’t think they’ll be any left by the time we hit the road…they’ve been popular in my house!)

Coconut Butter/Oil – Coconut butter is a tasty, healthy, naturally saturated vegetable product and great alternative to butter in baking. Coconut butter is very stable, making it ideal for sauté cooking and baking. It is unhydrogenated, unrefined, contains no trans fatty acids and no solvents.  Unhydrogenated coconut oil contains “good” fat –and is made up mostly of medium chain fatty acids, which the body metabolizes efficiently and converts into energy, rather than storing as fat. Coconut oil does not elevate your “bad” cholesterol level (LDL), and is slightly lower in calories than most vegetable oils. That’s not to say you should eat it in excess, but it is certainly a healthier option than butter and it’s ideal for vegans or people who are dairy-free.

Baking tip – This is perfect for baking that can be enhanced by a coconut flavour (think muesli bars, banana bread, pineapple cake…) but if you have a recipe that won’t be so favourable to a taste of the tropics, you could opt for ‘deodorized’ coconut oil/butter, which has a much more subtle flavour.

I have the sweet and seductive smell of orange, cardamom and almond cupcakes permeating the air as I write, so I think it’s about time to go check the oven. Oh, and it’s true, some habits never die. I’m still covered in ‘flour’ (almond meal in this case…these babies are flour and dairy free!) and although I have a bit more patience now, I still lick the bowl. Enjoy and experiment with alternative ingredients so that you can keep on nourishing both your body and soul, forever.

Happy baking beauties,

Renee x