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

Mangoes- How do you cut yours?

It’s National Mango Week this week and we’ve been racking our brains to work out what exciting mango stories we should blog about.  We thought about facts, news articles and even recipes but then it occurred to us that some of us actually have no clue how to cut a mango properly.  Us Britons are particular culprits of this, mainly because the mango isn’t a native fruit of the UK.  Let’s face it, the country isn’t warm enough to grow any exotic fruits!

Our resident intern, Anissa, lives in Toulouse so she is more than used to cutting and eating mangoes.  She has therefore written up a failsafe method of how to cut a mango properly.  She’s even provided some top tips at the bottom.   It’s so foolproof even the bosses could do it.  If all else fails, however, just tuck into some Mango Simply Nectar. It’s made from mango pulp and contains no refined sugars or pesticides so is pretty much just like eating the fruit anyway.

Now, go get that mango and get stuck in.

Instructions

1. Cut off the mango

Placing your fingers at the top of the mango, hold the fruit upright on a chopping board. Take a knife and place it at the top of the mango.  The next step is to cut two large pieces of mango from either side of the stone, which sits in the middle of the fruit.  Cut down one side of the mango going close to the stone but avoiding it. If you hit the stone remove the knife and try again.  Turn the mango and cut the other side so you get two large pieces of mango.

2. Dice the mango

Take one of the pieces of mango in your hand or place skin down on the chipping board. Using a small knife, score the mango vertically and horizontally to make small cubes. Do not cut through the skin.  Repeat with the other piece of mango.

3. Turn the mango inside out

Turn the pieces of mango over and gently press on the skin to turn it inside out.  The small cubes should pop out but will still be attached to the skin.  Use your knife or your fingers to detach the small mango cubes and put into a bowl. Repeat with the other half of the mango.

4. Trim fruit from the stone

Place the remaining part of the mango (the stone) on the chopping board and use a knife to slice of any skin.  Next, use a knife or your fingers to remove any remaining flesh still clinging to the stone.

5. Decoration

If you don’t want to waste the skin you can use it for decoration purposes when serving the mango. Cut the skin into any shape you want!

6. BON APPETIT ! :) 

Important tips to remember when cutting mangoes:

• The flesh can be very slippery. Be careful not to cut yourself in the process of cutting the zig-zag lines or peeling the mango itself
• The flesh nearest the stone is the stringiest and least pleasant to eat
• If you can't stand sticky fruit juice running down your chin, you should definitely cut the mango into small bite size pieces
• If you are allergic to latex, poison ivy, or cashews you may have a reaction to mango, too, through cross-reactivity. Many people report an allergy only when contacting the skin of the mango. To prevent this, wash your hands with soap after peeling the mango but before eating it. For more information, search the Internet with the key words "mango" and "allergic."
• Mango juice will leave messy stains on clothes and so be careful.

Simply mango,

Simply Nectar