When I need a sweet boost in recipes I’ll always turn to fruit or stevia first (whole natural foods = yay!), but when those foods simply can’t pull the weight, it’s palm sugar comes to the rescue. I teamed up with superfoods company Navitas Naturals a couple weeks ago — who offers organic palm sugar — and shot this fun Navitas-style video for their “Chef’s Notes” video series. In this video we discuss what makes palm sugar so easy to love, how to use it, and showcase my mini-recipe for Palm Sugar Limeade as well (it’s a winner). You can find Palm Sugar in natural food stores and also online.
If the $32 billion-plus yearly sales of the candy industry have one thing to tell us, it’s that ol’ Mr. Sweet Tooth is a naughty little guy. Yet what if . . . what IF . . . candy was actually good for you? Are these not the things dreams are made of?
Candy junkies looking for a healthier stash have reason to rejoice – and it’s not because of another brightly colored package hitting the shelves. Instead, the source of this sweet party is none other than the oldest known fruit: the date.
Nature’s candy: Known as “nature’s candy” by farmers and consumers alike, fresh dates are soft and smooth, and offer a caramel-like intense sweetness. There are many different types of dates — each with ranging sweetness and softness. The sweetest, juiciest (and most popular) dates include the Medjool, Zahidi and Honey Date varieties. Meanwhile, drier dates like the Deglet Noor are often ground into a paste and used as an ingredient in commercial goods.
The dating process: When first picked, dates look similar to very large yellow grapes on a vine. They are exceptionally hard and crunchy and similar to sugar cane, with high tannins that immediately dry out the mouth. Recently, at a local farmers’ market in Southern California, I had the privilege of trying fresh-off-the-vine yellow dates. I found them rather inedible at this stage, but it’s at this crunchy point in time that farmers will often harvest the fruit from the date palm trees.
Dates waiting to ripen
Next, the dates are laid out in the warm sun for a few weeks to fully ripen. The wait is patient, but the transformation is incredible. Once hard and uninviting, the dates turn brown and wrinkly, developing into the softest, most wonderful gems of sweetness — each with a smooth caramel-like flesh and sweet syrupy nectar, protected by a delicate skin.
Prime energy: Dates provide instant energy in the form of glucose, and are one of the best natural sources of potassium – containing up to three times more potassium than bananas (when compared ounce per ounce). They are full of dietary fiber, along with iron, vitamin A, magnesium and may B vitamins as well. And of course, a handful of dates equal a serving of fruit!
Sweet diet: With the highest natural sugar content of any fruit, dates make a fantastic sweetener. Easily peel dates in half to pit them, and enjoy plain, mixed with nuts, or pressed into a paste for unlimited applications. I use pressed dates frequently as a natural sweetener in my healthy dessert recipes to replace the empty calories of sugar.
Date tips: The way to test a date’s freshness is by its moisture level. Generally speaking, a fresh date is soft, while an un-fresh date is dry. Dry dates can be soaked in water for 10 minutes to restore a bit of juiciness. If fresh dates are unavailable, avoid the mediocrity of dry dates and experience fresh dates in their full glory through ordering them directly from farmers online. Dates should be stored in the refrigerator, where they can be kept for months at a time.
Summer may be technically winding down, but in Los Angeles the heat wave’s still going strong. Needless to say, I’ve turned into a complete and utter juice monster. The hotter it gets, the more fresh-pressed juice I consume in attempt to keep cool and energized via simple carbohydrates, natural electrolytes, and easy-to-digest bioavailable nutrients.
The downside to my juice party is it’s easy to load up on the sugar, albeit natural. Watering down my beverages certainly helps, but to further balance some of these sugars, I’ve been adding some extra fiber and healthy omega fats to my juice concoctions in the form of chia seeds.
What they are: Chia’s a tiny seed — just slightly larger than a poppy seed — indigenous to South America. On the health food scene, chia may be relatively new in its “superfood” status. Yet these seeds have actually been revered by Mayan, Incan and Aztec cultures for thousands of years. Chia, the Mayan word for “strength,” was originally enjoyed as a staple food source right alongside corn, beans and amaranth in ancient cultures.
Why they rock: Chia seeds are considered a superfood primarily because of two nutritional properties. The first property is their extraordinary amount of fiber — just one tablespoon contains a whopping 6 grams of fiber, or 25% of the suggested RDA! Chia’s second attribute is an excellent healthy essential fatty acid (EFA) content, which is superior to the nutrition in flax because it includes antioxidants — making the fat more stable. Chia seeds are indeed among the best sources of plant-based omega 3 fatty acids – containing around 8 times more omega 3 than salmon, when comparing gram for gram. Bonus: Also tucked into this tiny super seed package is digestable protein, calcium, iron, and many other minerals.
Why they’re . . . strange: So superman may be able to fly, but leave a chia seed in liquid and in under 30 minutes it will soak up NINE times it’s weight in water. The result is a complete transformation in consistency. Each seed goes from small and crunchy, to forming a fantastic flavorless jelly-like membrane around itself that adds a delectably fun texture to foods and drinks.
How to use: Though raw chia seeds’ neutral taste makes them easy to toss into just about anything for a quick nutritional boost, most people find that making a quick chia gel is an especially rewarding way to enjoy this food. The gel base can then be turned into a simple pudding by adding soy or nutmilk, dried fruit, and a bit of sweetener. Or use a spoonful of chia gel as a nutritionally enhanced egg replacement in baking.
Where to buy: Natural food stores are hip to the chia hotness. Or you can always hook up a bag online – I like Navitas Naturals.
Favorite recipe: In Mexico, there’s a fantastic traditional drink known as “chia fresca” which uses soaked chia seeds alongside water, lemon or citrus juice, and a touch of sweetener. With all the fun little crunchy/jelly chia guys floating around, it reminds me a bit of Thai iced tea with tapioca balls in theory. To experience the true definition of delicious hydrating refreshment, try my variation of this Mexican classic: Coconut Lime Chia Fresca.
I wish I had a brownie for every time I’ve been informed that eating naturally is simply too hard. While making fancy shmancy meals can be a fun project, uber delicious healthy food doesn’t have to be complicated…
Undercover health benefits like antioxidants, good omega fats, potassium, magnesium (and more) nutritionally rank this dessert as more of an energy bar than an “extra 20 minutes on the treadmill indulgence.” Best of all, five ingredients plus five minutes is all it takes to go from zero to brownie.
One of my favorite experiments thus far turns out to be one of the easiest: Red Raspberry Popsicles – enhanced by date syrup that’s added just before freezing so it stays in tight little flavor pockets throughout the popsicle. Heaven brought to you by your freezer, and an ideal summertime treat. Here’s how to make them.
Agave recently has been under fire with negative backlash all across the health-food spectrum. But is agave really that bad? Can it be compared to high fructose corn syrup? Should we go out of our way to avoid it? Let’s take a look.
Summer may be technically winding down, but in Los Angeles the heat wave’s still going strong. Needless to say, I’ve turned into a complete and utter juice monster. The hotter it gets, the more fresh-pressed juice I consume in attempt to keep cool and energized via simple carbohydrates, natural electrolytes, and easy-to-digest bioavailable nutrients.
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