The traditional sweet on Valentine’s Day is, of course, chocolate. But there are many people, myself included, who cannot tolerate it. We turn to carob, a sweet, satisfying, and healthy alternative. It’s rich, creamy, and flavorful, a far cry from the dry, bitter carob from years ago. But it has plenty of nutritional benefits as well. It contains plenty of fiber and antioxidants, with less fat and sugar than chocolate. Carob contains no oxalates, making it ideal for those prone to kidney stones or vulvodynia. Migraine sufferers can take comfort in knowing that carob contains no tyramine. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A, B-2, B-3, and B-6, as well as containing copper, calcium, and other minerals. What’s not to love, right?
You can buy carob powder or carob chips at most grocery and specialty stores. Try sprinkling carob powder on ice cream or add carob powder to smoothies. Carob brownies are luscious! Here’s a recipe from the The IC Chef Cookbook, just in time for Valentine’s Day
Carob Brownies
5 tbsp. carob powder
1⁄2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 cup almonds, processed into a fine meal
1⁄4 cup rice flour
1⁄2 tsp. sea salt
1⁄4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and 8” x 8” pan. In a bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk. In a bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The batter will be thick. Spread into the greased pan. Add crushed almonds on top.
Bake in 350F oven for 33-35 minutes . Do not over bake! Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan. Chill before cutting so they don’t break apart. (I ate them warm out of the pan.)
Peanut Butter & Carob Cookies Gluten Free
2 cups peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1⁄2 cups carob chips
1 1⁄2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheet. Combine peanut butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Add carob chips or nuts if you are using them. Bake about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet before removing.
Mexican Hot “Carob-cocoa”
2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp. carob powder
4 tbsp. white chocolate chips (try to find ones that actually contain cocoa butter without junk. Trader Joe’s has some great ones right now)
1⁄4 tsp. cinnamon (if can tolerate)
Put all in a pot and bring to a low simmer, stirring to melt the white chocolate and blend the ingredients. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy!
Fake Mocha Latte
Sweetened carob chips
Cafix® coffee substitute
vanilla extract
milk
water
Put enough carob chips in the bottom of the mug to cover the bottom. Fill the mug halfway with milk and microwave until all of the carob chips melt. Fill the mug up the rest of the way with water and microwave until it is really hot (but be careful it doesn’t overflow). Add a little less than a tsp of Cafix® and stir it in. Then add a few drops of vanilla extract, and it’s done! I was disappointed in the hot carob drink by itself, but with the Cafix® and vanilla added it tastes really good!
