Willing To Try It, But Where Do I Buy It??

     Some of the ingredients that I use regularly in my kitchen may not be familiar to those of you who stick to the main section of your local grocery, rather than exploring the natural foods area. Because these foods are sure to pop up in my posts and recipes, I will frequently be highlighting a particular ingredient that you might want to learn more about, and maybe even pick up on your next shopping trip. I assure you that I have very little tolerance for foods that taste bad, regardless of how healthy they might be. Therefore, please trust me and give some of these products a shot. It's like your mom always said, "What if you'd never tried pizza?!" 

AGAVE NECTAR

Also known as agave cactus nectar, this sweetener is derived from the agave cactus and can be used as a substitute for sugar in almost any recipe. It is available in both light and dark varieties, comes in convenient squeeze bottle packaging and adds delightful sweetness without any aftertaste or chemical additives. It is also available in chocolate and raspberry flavors, although they may be a bit harder to find. Aside from serving to eliminate the need for refined sugar, agave nectar has a few other great health bonuses. The dark variety contains beneficial minerals and nutrients such as calcium and magnesium, and both light and dark agave nectar have very low glycemic indexes, meaning that they are less apt to cause spikes in blood sugar. Additionally, one teaspoon of agave nectar has about 20 calories and has the equivalent sweetness of 60 calories worth of refined white sugar.  In my opinion, as a sugar-substitute, agave nectar is about as good as it gets when you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling bad about it later.

Agave nectar can easily be swapped for sugar in just about any recipe, just remember that it is sweeter than sugar so you should reduce the amount by 25% (ie: In a recipe calling for 1 cup of sugar, use 3/4cup agave nectar). The only other adjustment that is necessary when baking with agave nectar is a reduction in the recipes liquid by one third. An example of this would be 1 cup milk cut to 2/3 cup when substituting the nectar.

So now that you know what it is, why you might want to use it and how to incorporate it into your recipes, you'd probably like to know where to buy agave nectar. Most well-stocked supermarkets will have it shelved in the natural food section, along with baking supplies. Alternately, you can find it in the baking aisle of your local health food store or look on-line if you prefer to order it from a supplier. (You'll probably have to hit the health food store for flavored varieties like chocolate, but its worth a special trip, especially if you're looking for a new topping for ice cream!) 

For a tasty idea on how to use agave cactus nectar, check out the previous post, "Tastiest Last Minute Breakfast...Or After Dinner Treat."