Ingredients:
1/2 cup dates or honey
1/2 cup water
1 or 2 tablespoons brown sugar (whole cane, organic brown sugar is better).
1/3 cup cold-pressed oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup organic soy milk
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup carob powder
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
Directions:
Simmer dates and water.
Mash with fork to make paste. (In place of date butter, you many use 1/2 cup of honey).
Stir in brown sugar, oil, salt, lemon juice, vanilla, and soy milk until well-blended.
Add rest of the ingredients to mixture and mix well.
Spread out batter in a baking dish (10 inch x 6 x 1 & 3/4). You want the batter approximately 1/2 inch thick.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25- 30 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8
Fast Facts on Carob:
One ounce of unsweetened chocolate contains 15 grams of fat. One ounce of carob contains no fat.1
Carob has over twice the amount of fiber than chocolate does.
In contrast to chocolate, carob is rich in calcium and has magnesium, but dark chocolate does have several minerals.
Unlike cocoa or chocolate, carob does not contain oxalates which decrease calcium absorption. This property of calcium might make it beneficial for those who tend to get kidney stones.
In contrast to carob, chocolate contains small amounts of two stimulants: caffeine and theobromine.
While pure dark chocolate seems to help blood vessels, carob offers cardiovascular benefits too. Antioxidant polyphenols in carob and insoluble fiber lowered total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in people with high cholesterol.2
Carob is better than chocolate especially for individuals who suffer migraines. Chocolate contains a migraine trigger, tyramine. Carob does not.3
Carob has anti-diarrhea properties.
Unlike chocolate, carob is dog friendly.
Carob is delicious, but does not taste exactly like chocolate (mixing it with a coffee substitute may help mimic that flavor).
Sources
- Nutrition in Carob Vs. Chocolate October 3, 2017.[↩]
- Baltasar R. Insoluble Carob Fiber Rich in Polyphenols Lowers Total and LDL Cholesterol in Hypercholesterolemic Subjects. March 2010, Volume 65, Issue 1, pp 50–56[↩]
- www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/carob-powder[↩]