Using fruit as a healthy substitute in cooking

Being an avid user of Twitter I tend to be logged on to the site all day every day.  I find it a fascinating way to keep up with the goings on in the world.  During a regular day of being nosey and seeing what everyone had to shout about I noticed a tweet that took my interest.  It mentioned that fruit can be used as a substitute for certain ingredients in baking.  This struck a particular chord with me because here at Simply Nectar we know only too well that fruit can be used instead of sugar.  Simply Nectar drinks don’t contain any refined sugars.  If the drinks need sweetening at all we just add a dash of grape juice.  That is all they need.   Knowing this I was then intrigued to find out more about other ways fruit can be used to sweeten products and what else it can replace.  My curiosity encouraged me to delve deeper into the subject and this is what I found out.

Fruit can be used to replace artificial sugars and sweeteners in most recipes.  You can swap about half a cup of fruit for one cup of sugar.  It can be used in all forms too – from liquid to solid.  Fruit juice – such as Simply Nectar (of course!) – can be used to add sweetness to food.  If you want to juice your own fruit then you can obviously do this but make sure you use the fruit pulp as well as the juice because this can thicken as well as sweeten.  Another thick liquid you can use is apple sauce.  This can be used as a healthy replacement to butter and oil as it has similar properties to these ingredients.  It allows the finished product to retain its moisture so deducting oil or butter from the recipe won’t dry it out.

Image courtesy of Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Purees are also a good way to add sweetness and the trusty apple can be used once again.  An apple puree will work especially well in many baked goods.  Pear and prune puree can also work well as they can replace a significant amount of sugar in cake mixtures in particular.  You can even play around with sweet vegetable purees like pumpkin, sweet potato or butternut squash.  They all add nutritional benefits.  You could try using the purees with spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.   You can make your own puree or sauce by simmering one cup of water with around a quarter of a cup of fruit for about an hour.

Image courtesy of Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As well as pureeing the fruit, you can use overripe fruits such as pears, bananas, figs and mangoes.  If you drain off the excess juice from these fruits then you can usually use an equal ratio of fruit to sugar.  Overripe fruit doesn’t just have to be added to recipes either.  Why not mash it up to form a paste which can then be used as a topping.  Smother it on toast, bagels or muffins instead of jam or chocolate spread.

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Another option is to use the zest of a lemon, orange or lime to add sweetness and enhance the fruitiness of a dish.  Dried fruits also work well.  Try fruits such as plums, apricots, raisins and cranberries.  When fruit is dried it retains its natural sugars and so can provide bursts of sweetness if used in baking.  Take caution though.  Dried fruit is very dense so it needs to be used in small quantities in particular recipes, otherwise it may ruin the end product.  It may sink to the bottom of the mixture or not get distributed equally. 



Image courtesy of Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So there we have it; the proof that fruit can be used in lots of ways and can be used to replace many ingredients.  We all for getting rid of added sugar in food and drinks and now you can help us.  Stop including artificial sugars and sweeteners in your recipes and start using fruit.  It’s pure, natural goodness and by the sounds of it it’s also very easy to use.  Give it a try and see for yourself.

Simply fruit,

Simply Nectar

An apple a day and all that…

Today is National Apple Day.  This is a fact.  Last week it was National Curry Week and National Chocolate Week – both in the same week.  This week it is National Baking Week and now, to coincide with all that baking, it is Apple Day.  Does that mean we must bake things with apples??

Courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / Freedigitalphotos.net

As it’s Friday, a day we all love, and because we're in an office and not a kitchen, we have decided to ditch the baking and do a fascinating blog post to take you into the weekend.  That’s right, we’re going to teach you all about apples…of course we are, what else would we talk about on Apple Day?

From the wacky and wonderful to the downright bizzare, we have come up with a list of facts, stats and experiments for you to learn and try.  Fun huh?!  Just say yes….we think it’s fun so please do humour us :-)

Right, eyes down and look this way.  Here we go….

• Apples, like many other pieces of fruit, give off ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process.  If you want to ripen certain other pieces of fruit in your fruit bowl, place them next to the apples.  If you don’t want your pieces of fruit to ripen fast, don’t put the apples next to them
• Fresh apples float on water because 25% of their volume is air
• Some studies have found that the smell of green apples can reduce the symptoms of a migraine AND can shorten a migraine episode. Putting apples on your head is optional
 

Courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net

• Apples are high in fibre – one apple can supply about 20 pre cent of the RDA.  Most of the fibre and antioxidants are found in the peel so it is important to eat this part as well as the flesh
• No apple is identical
• The apple fruit itself is covered with a natural layer of wax to protect its high water content. Hence, fresh apples are always crisp
• Now it’s winter we can feed our apple leftovers to our feathered friends who are suffering in the cold outside.  Add the apple to other fruit and seed and those birds have got a meal fit for a king.
• Each colour apple is good for you in different ways:
• Green Apples – Good for strong bones and teeth, aids in vision and has anti cancer properties
• Yellow Apples – Good for heart, eyes and immune system; reduce risk of some cancers
• Red Apples – Good for heart and memory function, lower risk of some cancers and help maintain urinary tract health.

Courtesy of m_bartosch / freedigitalphotos.net

The last and most important fact of the day is this…..

Drink Apple Simply Nectar every day and your life will be better.  

OK, maybe that is more of a prediction than a fact.  BUT this bit is fact…Apple Simply Nectar contains 100 % pure apple.  You won’t find any refined sugars, preservatives or pesticides in the drink.  Plus, one tiny bottle contains over a third of your RDA of vitamin C.  Oooh, what a clever little drink.

Simply apples.

Simply Nectar