Bee Smart: Use Honey As Your Favorite Sweetener
Posted on: 29 June 2015
Since honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar, you can substitute it for sugar in some of your recipes to make them have less of an impact on your blood sugar levels. Honey is also more natural, contains small amounts of minerals and vitamins, and takes more calories to burn. You can also start searching out more recipes that have honey instead of sugar as a sweetener. Here are a few to get you started.
Greek Yogurt With Honey
This very simple dessert is often served in Greece.
Ingredients
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp Honey
Fresh fruit, nuts, granola (if desired)
Directions
Simply drizzle the honey on top of the yogurt. Top with fresh fruit, nuts, or granola.
Granola
Ingredients
4 cups oatmeal
3/4 cups almonds or macadamia nuts
1/3 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
6 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 c honey
1/3 c maple syrup
pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, melt the coconut oil and honey in the microwave. Once it is liquid, stir in the vanilla and maple syrup. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the granola evenly on top. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake 15 more minutes.
Spinach Salad
Ingredients
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp poppy seeds
6 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup chopped almonds
Directions
Put the spinach, strawberries, and almonds in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together the honey, orange juice concentrate, white vinegar, orange zest, olive oil, and poppy seeds. Right before you serve the salad, add the dressing to the salad and gently stir.
Spinach Smoothie
There are lots of smoothie recipes out there and it is easy to use honey as a sweetener in them. Green smoothies, in particular, often need added sweetener.
Ingredients
4 cups spinach
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp fresh mint
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup kale
1/2 banana
3 Tbsp honey
1 cup ice
Directions:
Pour coconut milk and water in the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve with a few sprigs of fresh mint on top.
While honey is still an added sugar and should be used sparingly, using it instead of sugar is better for you. The next time you are hungry, give one of these recipes a try! Click hclover honey.
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