Tuesday 7 December 2010

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The Kid's Chocolate - Carob Powder/Carobpulver/长角豆粉[cháng jiǎo dòu fěn]


This is a great substitute for cocoa for kids, as it does not contain caffeine or theobromin, but tastes like cocoa. It is thus called the kid's chocolate. It tastes just like Ovaltine, but with a sweet caramel taste to it. Thus, you don't need to add any sugar :-). Basically you can use carob for any recipe that uses cocoa.

Serving Ideas:
1. You can use it for making shakes, grain milks, cakes, biscuits, glazes, puddings.

Carob is naturally sweet and can also be used as a sugar replacement. Carob powder is almost 50% natural sugar and can be used instead of sugar in virtually all bread and pastry products. This includes bread, waffles, cakes, pies, pancakes, cereals (hot or cold), crepes, muffins, etc.

Directions:
Too replace carob for chocolate, simply use the same amount of carob.

Nutritional Value:
Carob is high in protein and contains vitamins A, B, B2, B3 and D. It is also high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium and contains iron, manganese, barium, copper and nickel. It is rich in calcium, containing 352 mg. per 100 grams, or 1,597 mg. per pound. By comparison, milk -- often regarded as an excellent calcium source -- contains only 120 to 130 mg. of calcium per 100 grams, or 530 to 550 mg. of calcium per pound. Furthermore, carob contains no oxalic acid, as does chocolate, which tends to interfere with the body's ability to assimilate calcium.

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Additional Information:
Carob is a tropical pod that contains a sweet, edible pulp and inedible seeds. After drying, the pulp is roasted and ground into a powder that resembles cocoa powder, but does not have the same flavor and texture of chocolate. The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is a member of the legume (pea) family and it grows in Mediterranean areas. Many scholars believe that John the Baptist lived on carob pods as"the locust bean"in another name for carob. Another biblical reference to carob pods is also probable in the parable of the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance and so became a servant, looking after the pigs."He would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate ..."- the pods would most probably have been the pods of the carob trees which would still produce crops in times of drought and famine.

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