Carob

 

         Carob

I was recently blessed with a bag full of carob pods! I believe that not many people will be excited about such a gift!  I was overjoyed because I have never eaten a carob pod straight from the tree before. One of my favourite treats is a delicious malted carob steamer. A creamy, rich, earthy beverage, with a hint of cinnamon and sweetener. We usually get this from Seattle Coffee shop. The mixture that they use is ordered from MaryAnn Shearer’s, The Natural Way. It consists of carob powder, a little fructose, barley malt powder and vanilla powder. We usually order ours with unsweetened almond or soya milk.

We have been using carob powder for years now. I love hot chocolate! But with all the caffeine, sugar and dairy involved, I made the choice to switch to carob powder. It might be a strange taste at first, but the key is not to see it as a chocolate alternative, but a delicious, healthy ingredient that is good enough to stand on its own.

Our kids grew up with carob as their “chocolate” drink, without the nasties that caffeine can bring. A little bit of carob powder, hot water, plant-based milk and honey. Cocoa powder can lead to sore tummies, caffeine highs and then irritation, emotion outbursts and irregular sleeping patterns.

 

What is Carob exactly?

Carob powder is made from the bean pods of the carob tree. The long, brown pods are dried and then ground into a fine powder. It has an almost chocolate taste and can be used as a substitute for cocoa powder.

What makes me really excited about carob is that it is an excellent source of minerals. It is loaded with fibre and pectin, with helps to eliminate toxins. This is a superfood which helps to improve digestion, lowers cholesterol, and can be used to treat diarrhea. It also helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. Carob has an astringent, binding effect on the mucous membranes of your digestive tract.

Carob powder can be used as a hot drink, to make “chocolate” malted ice cream, in smoothies, in cooked oats, pancake batter etc.

If you really want to use your imagination, how about using the pods as vegetarian biltong!? If you do manage to get hold of the pods, just remember to remove the pips as you chew on it! A good friend shared a fond childhood memory of them walking and chewing carob pods on their farm.

You can also buy carob chunks which usually look like chocolate blocks, but that are roughly broken into pieces. It is usually a mixture of carob powder, plant fat and a sweetener. The chunks can be eaten as a chocolate or used where you would use chocolate.

Look out for Health Connection or Nature’s Choice Carob Powder which should both be stocked at Dischem and most Health Shops.

Believe it or not, our dogs love to chew on carob pods! We call it their daily sweet treat or dessert. Chocolate is highly toxic to dogs, but carob pods are a nutritious, fibre rich, non-toxic treat for them. Now who says that a dog can’t have “chocolate”!?

Lizelle

Recipes:

Carob ice cream

Frozen, chopped bananas

Little plant milk or coconut cream for blending

A few tsp carob powder, depending on how strong you want it.

-Place everything in a food processor.

-Pulse a few seconds at a time, and disperse bananas in between processing.

-Process for longer periods the finer it gets.

-Process until smooth and creamy.

-Serve straight away.

Caramel sauce

1 Can coconut cream

Three quarter block of pressed dates

Pinch of cinnamon

-Chop the dates, add the cream, dates and cinnamon to a small pot.

-Gently simmer until the dates are soft.

-Gently mash with a potato masher.

-You can put up the heat a bit and let it boil for about a minute, watching it carefully. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

*You can serve it as a warm caramel sauce over flapjacks or pancakes.

* Use cold as a spread over tortilla triangles or in porridge.

*Replace the cinnamon with some carob powder for a chocolate caramel sauce.