Out with the cane, in with the palm sugar (with video)
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.
No Bake Brownies
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.
Red Raspberry Pops
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.
Is agave syrup good, bad, or just kinda tasty?
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.
Green Mango Smoothie
There’s something about this blend, with its thick frosty creamy mangos and sweetly inviting flavor that makes it more than “just a smoothie.” I make it a little extra thick, throw it into a bowl, and eat it with a spoon as a quasi-sherbet-like dessert.
Buckwheat Graham Crackers
Just think: kinda like a cookie, kinda like a biscuit, it’s always a good time for a graham cracker – am I wrong? This is definitely graham cracker recipe 2.0 (and also free of gluten and dairy)!
Candy made from real stuff
The Greeks really have the candy thing down with their traditional Pasteli, which is essentially a chewy and crunchy treat usually made from just sesame seeds and honey. Such a simple combination, yet as sweetly comforting as it gets, with it’s pure whole food ingredients. In my version, I like to use yacon syrup (from the yacon root) instead of honey, as it lends a more sophisticated flavor alluding to molasses and hints of apple.
Turnips: The Forgotten Tuber
While the Santa Monica farmer’s market buzzed with Sunday morning action, as the turnips seemed destined to simply watch quietly. Three or four to a bundle, each bundle just a dollar a piece, I began to feel a little bad for the turnip, the way you watch an acquaintance fidget awkwardly alone at a party.
Sweeten up your diet with dates
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.
Indigo Granita
On this episode of Super Foods With Jules, watch as antioxidant powerhouses blueberries and acai combine forces to produce a colorful, healthy, and refreshing berry dessert.