June 23, 2015

Carob vs Cocoa...


Who doesn't love chocolate? Warmed in milk, added to sweet treats, or just a square on its own. You know what I'm talking about~that afternoon craving that creeps up on us just when we think we can't make it through the rest of the day.

Even though cocoa has terrific health benefits, it is not always the easiest to digest. For those of us who are unfortunately sensitive to all the good stuff, it seems totally unfair that cocoa finds its way to the laundry list of  no~no foods.

Now enter the carob bean. Let's face it folks, carob has the unfortunate reputation of being the chocolate of tree huggers. The weird healthy alternative that people from Oregon add to their crunchy granola as they embark on their rigorous hike to the summit of Mount Hood. Right?

What is carob anyway? It actually comes from the pod of the Ceratonia sillqua (aka: carob tree), which is readily found along the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Carob pulp is found in the pod, which is scraped and then dried, roasted, and ground into a powder that resembles cocoa powder. With a slightly more earthy caramel flavor, carob can easily be substituted for cocoa in any recipe. Plus it has tons of health benefits making it a nice addition to your recipes. Chucked full of minerals and antioxidants, carob also aids in digestion and has been proven to lower cholesterol. So what's not to love?

I personally recommend Chatfield's, which can easily be found on Amazon.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you very much, I didn't really know where to find the carob pulp.
    Good thing you mentioned it.

    ReplyDelete