I’d like to counter my last post of discussing the sour with a discussion about sweet and sweetners.
I have recently toyed with the idea of going on a cleanse. I have always avoided cleanses like the plague because well, the thought of giving up what I love to eat for any period of time (even if for a health reason) just kills me. Food is my drug… I want it all. I want it now. And I will NOT LET ANYONE STAND BETWEEN ME AND IT.

This is my inner fat kid talking. When I’m not eating food, I’m thinking about when I’m going to be eating it and what I’m going to eat next. People I hang out with are frequently amused at my ponderings over meal options and my sudden frequent outbursts of “I’m hungry.” I attribute this to a high metabolism and often low blood sugar.

The latter is something I try to manage, and lately I’ve been thinking about it more. I’ve also been thinking about some stomach problems I’ve been having, which as led me to the issue of doing a cleanse. While I usually try to be mindful of the organic, and the hormone free, I don’t always pay attention to ALL the ingredients I consume in my food. And one of my serious offenders is refined sugar. Especially when paired with my multiple-cup-a-day coffee habit. I used to try to make myself feel better by using sugar substitutes, despite the fact that I know they are more chemical than good for you. Equal has aspartame and Splenda has chlorine. Blah, blah, blah. I used to ignore it but eventually I couldn’t help but feel guilty enough to switch back to real (albeit processed) sugar. I just never developed a liking for the raw stuff. Who knows why? Bigger pieces take longer to melt deliciously into my steaming cup of joe?

Now, though… I know I need to cut back. I’ve been having hypoglycemic attacks more frequently, which always means I need an adjustment of my diet. (I could tell you horror stories about blacking-out from a redbull, but suffice it to say I don’t tolerate loads of sugar well). And while I’m warming up to the idea of a cleanse, the cold turkey approach just isn’t gonna work for me. I will do a slow cutback of one ingredient of a time. Starting with Sugar.

So what to do when you know you can’t visit load up on chemicals and don’t care for the raw sugar route?
Let me introduce you to my readily available ingredient of the month:

Agave Nectar.

Now I know this stuff has been all over food blogs for a while, but I’ve only recently realized that you can buy it just about everywhere. It’s perfect for sweetening because it’s thin enough in consistency to dissolve in a cold liquid or just toss into some oatmeal.

It’s also perfect for cocktails. (Something I’m always experimenting on making with less sugar).
I have yet to try it out in baking, but so far it does great in coffee, oatmeals, and cocktails.
I’m all stocked up on the Trader Joe’s version, which is reasonably priced.

There’s also another food item we all love that you can substitute with agave nectar: honey. What with the bee shortage … agave nectar is a (currently) more sustainable sweetener.

I’ll leave you with this cocktail recipe, courtesy of one of my favorite fashionistas, Julianna:

Makes enough for a poolside party
A bottle of tequila (I’m a huge fan of Cazadores because the locals in Puerto Vallarta tell me it’s the best bang for your buck in America but any tequila will do)
two jalapenos
A large jug/jar/pitcher
Agave nectar
fresh orange or mango juice

Pour bottle of tequila into the jug or pitcher and dice up two jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds and if you are not used to handling peppers be careful not to get juice in your eyes or near your face)
throw the diced up peppers into the tequila. Soak overnight.

To make a drink fill any tumbler with ice… pour two shots of the tequila over ice and the add juice to fill the cup. Stir in one tablespoon of agave nectar and serve.

The nectar and juice work beautifully to offset the spice of the tequila and jalapeno. It’s great for hot weather and somewhere in the back of my head I believe it’s actually healthy! (Why wouldn’t fruits and veggies and natural plant juices be?)

Filed under: Uncategorized

2 Responses to “Juicyfruit”

1. George C. Says:
   August 12th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

   Makes me wanna get a jug.. I think I will.

   I recently made some of what cocktail god Dave Wondrich calls “Rich Demerara Syrup”. Basically just a lot of raw sugar boiled with some water and a tad of lemon to invert it (so it doesn’t re-crystallize).

   I will be blogging about it HERE soon. It’s *really* sweet and subtly caramel-y and all-round good for any drink that’s supposed to be brown.

2. patrice Says:
   August 12th, 2008 at 8:40 pm

   I wonder if we could use the meyer lemons and create a pinnacle of cocktail nectar to rule the bar scene with?

Leave a Reply