Tag Archives: carob

Carob Oatmeal with Cranberries

30 Dec

When you’re trying to lead a gluten-free lifestyle, even if it’s once in a while, I need to get creative…

I love cold cereal in the morning, but most of my favorite options include some sort of wheat component. And after a few days, plain old oatmeal can get a tad boring. I know…

Bring some spark to your mornings with carob and cranberries. It’s just as easy as making regular oatmeal, just a few extra ingredients and VOILA!

Carob Oatmeal with Cranberries

CAROB OATMEAL WITH CRANBERRIES

1 ½ cups almond milk
4 tbs quick cooking oatmeal
½ tbs carob powder
¼ tsp salt
2 heaping tbs brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla powder
1/3 cup dried cranberries
  1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add the almond milk and season it with the sugar, vanilla powder, carob powder and salt. Mix together to combine well. Immediately after, add the oatmeal. Mix well again and partially cover allowing an opening for you to see the milk and how it’s coming to temperature.
  2. When the milk starts to boil, in about 2-3 minutes, stir everything to combine and allow all the boiling to subside a bit. Lower the temperature of the stove to low and continue to cook partially covered.
  3. After about 5-6 minutes of cooking, you’ll see the oatmeal starts to thicken a bit, but not quite done yet. I cover completely. Count to 10 and turn off the stove. Turn it off and walk away. Don’t look, don’t peek… just walk away.
  4. After about 15 minutes of letting the oatmeal stand, it’s done. I usually let it stand for about 30 minutes to allow it to be a tad cooler.
  5. Add the cranberries right before you’ll eat it to add a special chew and sweetness.

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Carob Mousse

16 Feb

My friend Jeanette Quiñones, from the blog Sazón Boricua, was so inspired by a guest post I wrote for her blog on Valentine’s Day on carob that she sent me this recipe right away. I have not made it myself yet, but sounds and looks delicious.

It’s caffeine-free, dairy-free and gluten-free!!!!

IMHO, the perfect dessert!!!

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Enjoy this delicious vegetarian version of the traditional Chocolate Mousse, but now made with carob powder instead. It’s so easy to make that this dessert very well become part of your usual dessert repertoire. If you wish to not use carob, you can certainly substitute with fruits such as coconut, lemon, orange or strawberries.

You could also even make a savory version with carrots, avocado, tofu, cottage cheese or cream cheese. Remember, the recipes are yours to adapt to your taste and lifestyle.

I invite you to make this mousse and taste it for yourself… It’s easy to make and the result is absolutely delicious!!

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CAROB MOUSSE

2 cups unsweetened almond milk
⅓ cup unsweetened carob powder
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
⅛ tsp salt
  1. In a medium saucepan, disolve the cornstarch, sugar, carob, vanilla and salt in the almond milk, mixing well to avoid getting lumps.
  2. Cook over medium heat until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly to make sure it does not stick to the bottom.
  3. Pour into ramekins, cover with plastic film and let cool for about two hours before serving.

 

 

 

541991_10150867308509682_581085853_n  Jeanette is the CEO and founder of Sazón Boricua.  She started her blog from Puerto Rico on 2008 to share recipes, advice and tips for the home. She collaborates with Que Rica Vida,has been selected as a Top Bloguera by LATISM 2012 and is also the founder of Red Bloguera de Puerto Rico.  You can follow Jeanette on Facebook, on Twitter @sazon_boricua or via her blog Sazon Boricua.  Contact her via email mensajes@sazonboricua.com.

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Carob – The Vegetarian Alternative to Chocolate

14 Feb

Chocolate has become the star of any Valentine’s celebration… it’s become a symbol of sweetness and love all around the world. But what would happen if one day you were not able to express your undying love for someone thru chocolate???

I am self-proclaimed chocoholic. And when I had to give up chocolate I thought my world would end… it was a long time ago and had nothing to do with being vegetarian. I had to steer away from chocolate because of its caffeine content. Many people consider chocolate a vegetarian food… which in essence it is. It comes from a nut. However, just like coffee, chocolate contains high levels of caffeine, a stimulant that affects your nervous system and irritates greatly the digestive system.

But then… Carob entered my life. Because a world without something chocolatey… would be like a day without sun. Wouldn’t it?? I will be honest with you, if it doesn’t taste similar or better than the real thing, I won’t eat it. There are good products out there:

Carob Bars

carob-bars

I get these bars every time we travel to NYC. You can get them in many health food stores. Their taste resembles bittersweet dark chocolate because of their slightly bitter aftertaste. They’re the perfect substitute to your favorite bar candy… my mom buys them by the dozen every time we find them.

Carob Chips

carob-chips

I use these carob chips from Chatfield’s in my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and I can’t tell the difference. I also use them the same way you would use chocolate chips in recipes like my Brown Rice Krispies Treats.

Carob Powder

carob-powder

Carob, is also available in both bar and powder form, makes a very delicious caffeine-free alternative to hot chocolate. And because carob is a bit bitter it resembles the bitter bar chocolate used to make hot chocolate from scratch. I have also used it on cake and brownie recipes and it’s amazing.

Check out these recipes using carob in various forms:

Caffeine-Free Hot Carob

Brown Rice Krispies Treats

Cherry and Carob Cookies

Carob Granola

My point being… not need to deprive yourself totally of chocolate-like desserts when there’s carob around… even if you still dream of a piece of Hershey’s Kisses in your lips. I know the feeling…

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Caffeine-free Hot Carob

13 Jul

For every Encierro in San Fermín, the Encierro is not the beginning of the day but more really the culmination of a night of partying.  Well, the almost culmination because before going to bed after the Encierro you must have breakfast.

Some people consider breakfast a spiked “zumo de naranja” or orange juice… as we can see with our Pamplona friends here.  But for most Spaniards a sandwich or “bocadillo” or Churros con Chocolate are more fitting breakfast choices.

But a word of caution…  if you order a Hot Chocolate or “Chocolate Caliente” in Spain you will get something closer to a  hot chocolate pudding in a glass.  If you want to drink something closer to what a hot chocolate is in America, you need to ask for a ColaCao with hot milk.  ColaCao is the Spanish/European equivalent to Quik.   But it’s important for you to know the difference so your expectations are met.

I am self-procalimed chocoholic, but I‘ve had to steer away from chocolate because of its caffeine content.  That’s basically the reason why the vegetarianism I practice avoids chocolate.  So when we had our churros the other day, my taste buds were craving something “chocolaty” to dunk the churros in… and the vegetarian alternative is Hot Carob.     

Carob, available in both bar and powder form, makes a very delicious caffeine-free alternative to hot chocolate.  And because carob is a bit bitter it resembles the bitter bar chocolate used to make hot chocolate from scratch.  Here’s how…

 

HOT CAROB

¾ cup of evaporated milk – about ½ a container
¾ cup of water
1 tbs carob powder
2 tbs agave nectar

 

  1. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the evaporated milk, water and agave nectar.  Whisk in the carob powder to avoid any lumps from forming.
  2. Heat up the mixture enough without bringing it to a boil.  I like to keep whisking for a little while to prevent the carob powder to scorch at the bottom of the pan.
  3. Take away from heat and cover to maintain hot for a while.

 

Serve hot with a side of churros…

The evaporated milk gives it a creamier consistency as if you used regular milk, but you can certainly substitute the evaporated milk and water for equal parts of just milk.

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Carob Granola

23 Dec

This is a take on Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate and Peanut Granola.  I gave the recipe to my mom this year and she gave them away as presents to her friends at the yoga center.  She wanted to make something that was good, but easy to do as well.

It turned out really good. And because she does not eat chocolate anymore, she added carob powder instead of the cocoa powder.

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CAROB GRANOLA

1/4 cup carob powder
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
3/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cups raw peanuts or raw almonds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
  1. Preheat oven to 310 degrees F.

  2. Mix everything together very well in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Spread the mixture evenly in 2 baking pans and bake for about 1 hour, turning over half-way through baking. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

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