Recipe: Maple Fruit Compote with Honey-Ginger Toasted Nuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2-3 apples
2-3 peaches or pears
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts or nuts of your choice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound fresh ginger root

Directions:

Wash, core and chop fruit into slices or chunks.
Place in a large saucepan with 1/3 cup of water. Add the maple syrup and raisins.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook for another 10 minutes, until soft.
While fruit is cooking, place chopped nuts in a skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
Drizzle honey over the nuts and add ginger, but keep stirring since the honey can easily burn.
Top warm fruit with toasted nuts and enjoy!

Food Focus: Natural Sweeteners

October 23, 2011

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Food Focus: Natural Sweeteners

(This article was previously published in the September edition of A Healthy You).

Who among us doesn’t love sweets? The sweet flavor releases serotonin in our brains, the chemical responsible for our sense of well-being and contentment. But when it comes to sweeteners, not all are created equal. There are side effects and health risks from refined sweeteners like white table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, and from artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet, saccharin and Splenda.

Since refined sweeteners have been stripped of vitamins, minerals and fiber, they can spike blood sugar, which can often lead to cravings and mood and energy fluctuations. Instead, using naturally and minimally processed sweeteners can reduce cravings for sugary things.

Here are a few natural sweeteners to substitute in drinks, food and baking. Since they are all approximately 1.5 times sweeter than refined sugar, you can use less. You can find them in most supermarkets or natural food stores. When replacing sugar with liquid sweeteners in a recipe, reduce the amounts of other liquids.