Agave Recipes Using Agave Nectar Syrup

Black Bean Agave Whole Wheat Brownies Recipe

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

These black bean agave brownies turned out super moist, dense and delicious. These can be eaten for breakfast without the guilt.
This recipe can be adapted using white flour, all agave etc to suit your own taste. I sprinkled some white swirl chocolate chips on top.
I cooked my own black beans for this recipe however you can use canned but BE SURE it has no other ingredients, i.e. onion powder. I've made this mistake before. Chocolate DOES NOT go well with garlic.

Recipe

4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 oz.)
1 cup black beans
1/4 cup Smart Balance buttery spread
1 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and spray with Pam. Melt chocolate & butter in bowl 1-2 minutes. Stir until melted. Meanwhile, puree black beans and eggs in a blender. After chocoloate has melted and cooled a bit, stir in the agave, sugar and vanilla. Blend well. Add in egg/bean mixture and blend. Stir in flour and almond meal until blended. Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes.

Agave Barbecue Beef & Biscuits

2010-09-20T17:54:00.001-07:00

This was a huge hit at my house tonight! I used mostly foods from Trader Joe's (because they're so delicious) but you can use whatever you can find of course.

1 can Trader Joe's refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup Trader Joe's organic ketchup
1 pound ground beef
1/4 C. Trader Joe's agave syrup
1 tablespoon balsmic vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 C. Trader Joe's marinara sauce

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Tear dough to make 12 biscuits (about 3/4 of a biscuit) and shape into 5 inch circles. Press each into the bottom and up sides of muffin cups; set aside. In a skillet, brown the ground beef and drain. In a small bowl mix remaining ingredients and add to meat, mix well. Divide meat mixture among the twelve biscuit lined cups and then top with cheese. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Coconut Agave Cake Diabetic Friendly

2010-09-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Coconut Agave Cake Recipe

I made this layer cake yesterday for my diabetic husband's birthday. It was such a hit, I will definitely be making this again. The coconut oil really gives it a unique flavor plus it's good for you! It came out prettier than the picture but this was the best shot I could get since we already ate half of it.

This cake is not low fat by any means, it's super moist, yet fluffy. You would never guess it's sugar free. If you've never tried agave syrup as a sugar substitute I urge you to give it a try. It doesn't spike your blood glucose like sugar and it's better than artificial sweeteners in my opinion. It does have carbs/calories but my husband can eat desserts made with agave without his blood sugar going high or low.

1 C. boiling water
1 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. Coconut Oil
2 C. agave syrup (I use Trader Joe's)
1/2 C. sour cream (I used lite)
4 eggs
2 3/4 C. all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 small box sugar free chocolate instant pudding mix

Preheat ove to 350 degrees. Grease 3 9" round cake pans.

In large bowl add cocoa and hot water, stir til blended. Add butter & let melt. Then add coconut oil, agave and sour cream and beat with mixer. Let cool then add eggs and beat again. In seperate bowl add the rest of the ingredients (dry ingredients) and mix then add to wet mixture and beat for a couple of minutes.
Pour into pans and bake for 25 minutes.

Icing and cake filling:

Filling:
1 large box chocolate instant sugar free pudding
2 C. milk, half & half or heaving whipping cream

Beat until thick and spread between cake layers.

Icing:
1/2 C. coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 TB. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 C. agave syrup

Melt coconut oil and unsweetened chocolate in microwave for about a minute. Stir until chocolate is melted then add cocoa. Stir again and add agave syrup, stir and then cool in freezer. Check to make sure it doesn't seperate or start going solid. When cool enough beat with mixer for about 3-4 minutes. Spread a thin layer on cake and sides and then refrigerate cake.

No Bake Agave Syrup Raspberry Cheesecake

2010-06-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

No Bake Cheesecake Bites Made with Agave Syrup

These are low in sugar and a low glycemic index food so it's a great dessert - at least for my type 1 diabetic husband!

It's not quite sugar free since it's made with graham crackers but this delicious dessert is very low in sugar (warning - it does have carbs!). If you're not familiar with agave syrup you must give it a try. I've been baking with it ever since my husband discovered he could eat it without spiking his blood sugar levels. I came up with this fun and easy summer dessert today after finding some fresh raspberries at the farmers market for $2 a basket.

Raspberry topping:
1 basket of fresh raspberries
1/4 cup raw agave syrup (I used Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Mix corn starch and water in small bowl & set aside. In a small saucepan bring raspberries & agave just to boiling, slowing stir in cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and refrigerate.

Cheesecake:
4-5 graham crackers
1 8 oz. package low fat cream cheese
2/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin. Crush crackers and divide evenly into muffin tin cups. In large mixing bowl add last 4 ingredients and blend with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon about 1/4 cup into each muffin cup. Top with a heaping tablespoon of raspberry topping.
Freeze for 2 hours and serve.

Optional:
sprinkle mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top.

This turned out way better than expected! The graham cracker crust is crumbly but I didn't want to make the traditional crust so just through it in as is.

Let me know how you like it!

Trader Joe's Agave Nectar is it Healthy?

2010-04-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of controversy in the news lately about Agave Nectar and how it compares to high fructose corn syrup so I emailed Trader Joe's directly and asked them their opinion, this was the answer I got:

"...Below is some detailed information about Agave Nectar and recent concerns regarding high fructose corn syrup.

The simple nature of the organic farming and processing clearly
differentiate the product from any comparison to High Fructose Corn
Syrup. We are unsure as to why organic blue agave seems to be under
such concerted attack at the moment. It is rapidly growing in popularity
as a multi-purpose natural sweetener with consumers.

Unfortunately, our experience with those making the majority of these
attacks on blue agave is that they have little interest in a reasoned
debate as they consider 'caloric' sweeteners generally as the root of
all evil. They tend to hide behind the anonymity of the internet and
basically feed off any attempt to enter into dialogue to promote their
rather obscure objectives. We stand firmly behind our products.

Trader Joe's organic agave comes from the blue agave plant because it
produces the best-tasting agave syrup. Other agave nectars are also
marketed in the US from other plant sources. We source certified organic
blue agave nectar from several high quality producers to ensure
continuous supply and quality. In order to guarantee the products'
safety and authenticity, we conduct exhaustive audits to ensure these
suppliers are producing to our high standards.

Trader Joe's Organic Blue Agave Nectars, on a solids basis are about 75%
Fructose, 20% Dextrose and the balance is inulin and mannitol. It is a
delicious sweetener that does not spike blood sugar in the way sucrose
(from sugar beet or cane) or glucose (from corn) does. The science that
supports that is the glycemic index. It's not a 'health claim', it's a
factual product attribute of blue agave nectar.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), despite its name, is not necessarily
high in fructose at all really. HFCS is just corn syrup (glucose being
the major sugar), with a higher proportion of fructose in it to make it
sweeter and less viscous. To produce HFCS, the glucose/fructose ratio is
controlled to meet food manufacturers' needs for bulking and viscosity
but it rarely exceeds 55%. It is the higher levels of glucose in HFCS
and conventional table sugar (sucrose) that spike blood sugar levels.

Agave syrup also differs from HFCS in that it taps the naturally
occurring fructose available in the agave inulin. HFCS, in contrast, is
a highly manufactured product that is chemically produced from the
starch of the genetically modified carbohydrate feedstock - corn.
Leaving the GMO issue aside, the intensive farming practices used to
grow that corn, we believe are unsustainable. HFCS is a ubiquitous,
cheap sweetener and the main ingredient of most poor quality food and
drinks sold in the USA. We also do not allow the use of HFCS in any
private label Trader Joe's product.

By contrast, the organic blue agave plants are hand-grown by
hard-working Mexican farmers and harvested in a variety of conditions.
The organic agave syrup manufacturing gives these farmers an alternate
buyer to the dominant tequila factories in the Jalisco region that are
the main purchasers of the blue agave plants. Therefore, it gives these
farmers the opportunity to earn higher returns from their labor along
with an incentive to embrace sustainable, organic farming and
agriculture... "

Here's another great article explaining fructose, high fructose corn syrup and how agave nectar compares. It also explains the process in which both are made:

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/agave-nectar/

Agave Nectar Chocolate Muffins Healthy

2010-04-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

I just came up with this recipe last night, it's healthy, has some fiber and protein and best of all CHOCOLATE. This recipe turned out better than expected with a nice rise and moist texture. I ate one warm topped with whip cream. My kids had it for breakfast and I didn't feel bad at all, after all cocoa is good for us in moderation!

Healthy High Fiber Chocolate Agave Muffins

1/2 cup boiled water
1/2 cup Trader Joe's unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Trader Joe's wheat flour
1/2 cup Trader Joe's almond meal
1/2 ground flax seed
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup Trader Joe's vanilla soy protein powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup Trader Joe's agave nectar
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup Smart Balance sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin pan.
In medium bowl wisk water and cocoa, set aside to cool. In large bowl mix the rest of the dry ingredients.
After the cocoa mixture has cooled wisk the rest of the ingredients with it then add to the dry ingredients. Mix together and pour into prepared muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Agave Sweetened Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

2010-04-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

These are easy and delicious and a little healthier than your traditional cinnamon rolls.

1 package reduced fat flaky biscuits

1/4 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup Smart Balance spread

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13x9 pan with Pam.

In a medium bowl melt spread in microwave for about 30 seconds then add syrup and cinnamon, mix together.

Tear each biscuit in half, stretch it out lengthwise and twist loosely around your finger, drop into the bowl with agave mixture and roll around with a spoon until coated, place in pan. Do this with each half biscuit spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake about 18 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool for about 10 minutes before eating.
Optional: sprinkle with Trader Joes chopped pecans before baking.

Trader Joes High Fiber O's Agave Snacks Recipe

2010-04-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

I just made these, my husband is a type 1 diabetic but he can eat foods with agave syrup in moderation so I'm forever coming up with recipes using this wonderful natural sweetener. I love these because they're soft, custardy on the bottom and crunchy on the top.

Eat these for breakfast or a pick-me-up snack, they're high in fiber, protein and low on the glycemic index and they're REALLY DELICIOUS!

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups Trader Joes High Fiber O's cereal

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup Trader Joes agave syrup

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl add oil, eggs, vanilla, agave syrup, salt and milk. Mix together with fork then add 5 cups Trader Joes High Fiber O's cereal. Blend together and then fill muffin cups with mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes, let cool and eat!

Healthy Chocolate Agave Nut Bars Recipe

2010-03-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

This recipe is perfect for nut lovers and health nuts! I came up with this no-bake recipe after searching for a healthy bar for my diabetic husband. Agave nectar is the ingredient used to sweeten these bars, it's a great alternative to honey or sugar as it's low on the glycemic index, i.e. it won't give spikes in glucose levels like regular sugar (at least it doesn't for my husband).

Ingredients

1/2 Cup quick oats

1/2 Cup Grape Nuts cereal

1/3 Cup cocoa powder

1/2 Cup almond meal

1/4 Cup ground flax seed

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Agave Nectar

3/4 Cup chopped pecans

Directions

Mix quick oats, Grape Nuts cereal, cocoa powder, almond meal and ground flax seed in medium size bowl.
Add in peanut butter & Agave Nectar and stir until blended thoroughly.
Add chopped pecans.
Press mixture into 8x8 pan.
Chill and cut into 2 inch squares to serve.