Recipeasy

GRILLED PEACHES WITH BALSAMIC AND GRANOLA
Easy, impressive, addictive. Make this with any stone fruit, or even with firm pears. Serves 6.

From Perfect Pantry

"1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup light agave nectar
6 peaches, halved, pits removed
1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1/2 cup granola (homemade or store bought)

In a small, deep saucepan, heat the vinegar and agave nectar over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Continue heating, watching carefully, for 10 minutes or until reduced by 3/4 to a thick (but still pourable) syrup.

Meanwhile, scoop out a bit of the insides of the peach to remove any bits of the pit.

Heat a stove-top grill pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, brush the cut side of each peach half with olive oil, and place cut side down on the grill pan. Do not move the peaches! Cook for 2 minutes or until nice grill marks appear. Remove peaches from the pan and place cut side up on individual serving plates.

When the syrup is reduced to desired consistency, drizzle it over the peaches. Top with a bit of granola, and serve immediately."

*My recommendation is to decrease the granola and serve with a little plain Greek yogurt. The yogurt has very little sugar, tons of creamy taste, and lots of protein. The peaches and yogurt can make a great snack or a healthier dessert.

Agave Nectar - The New Black

Melissa Bosslet, RD, LN, CPT

After our quick review of glycemic index and glycemic load, it is time to talk about the nutritional devil: sugar. Sugar, or glucose, is digested very quickly, causing blood sugars to spike. Sugar draws out the body's nutrients, leaving it in a state of stress. The blood sugar roller coaster leads to mood swings, low energy, brain fog, poor concentration, headaches, and hunger. The best way to control blood sugar swings is reducing the glycemic load or sugar in your diet.

SO what do you eat instead of sugar? Agave nectar! Agave has an extremely low glycemic index of 30, meaning it is converted into sugar slower than potatoes, popcorn, oatmeal, and honey to name a few. If you must sweeten, do so with agave.

Agave nectar, or syrup as it is sometimes called, is made form the sap of the agave plant. Most of our agave comes from Mexico. Agave works very well as an alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners - it is a natural product. It can be substituted for sugar when baking as well. Use about 1/3 to 1/4 less because agave is naturally sweeter. In other words, 1 cup sugar = 3/4 cup agave nectar. Since it is a syrup, or liquid, it is also a good idea to reduce other liquids in the recipe by 1/4. Agave is a good vegan substitute in place of honey, made from bees, and some sugars, which are often processed using tiny animal bones.

Remember, agave is a good substitute for sugar, but it still is adding calories (20 calories in each teaspoon) and does not have a nutritional benefit. So although agave is healthier, I am not promoting it as healthy.