What is Agave and Why am I using it!?


Agave nectar is a natural sweetner made from the agave plant.  It has a low glycemic impact and is super tasty.
It kinda tastes like honey, but not such a strong flavor.  Its also less viscous than honey and disolves better, so you can use it in cold drinks easily. 
There are different levels of agave, ranging from light with a neutral, mild flavor, to raw with a very rich caramel or maple flavor. 

Agave is vegan and gluten free and we found an 11.75 oz bottle that is ORGANIC for around $3.50 (Madhava brand).
What I am loving about it is the fact that it is a sweetner that you can use when watching your blood sugar becuase of the low glycemic impact it has.  It doesnt cause high spikes of sugar or the inevitable crash after the high.  While I do try to use splenda or stevia to sweeten things, sometimes they just dont work (like my pumpkin seeds... I tried splenda... FAIL!).  In fact, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar actually has a lower glycemic impact than a medium sized apple!
Here is an easy guide to replacing other sweetners with Agave...

Substituting Agave Nectar for Liquid Sweeteners


Honey
Replace each cup of honey with one cup of agave syrup.

Maple Syrup
Replace each cup of maple syrup with one cup of agave syrup.

Brown Rice Syrup
When replacing a cup of brown rice syrup, use 1/2 to 1/3 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/2 a cup.

Corn Syrup
When replacing a cup of light corn syrup, use 1/2 as much agave, and increase other liquids in the recipe by up to 1/3 of a cup. Like corn syrup, agave nectar will not crystallize.

Substituting Agave Nectar for Granulated Sugar

White Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup. This substitution will also work for Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice, or Sucanat.

Brown Sugar
For each cup of white sugar replaced, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 cup. Because the moisture content of Brown Sugar is higher than that of white sugar, liquids may not have to be reduced as much when substituting agave nectar.

Other Considerations
Agave syrup may cause baked items to brown more quickly, so reduce oven temperatures by 25°F is and increase baking time slightly.
Agave nectar may substituted for part or all of the sugars or liquid sweeteners in many recipes. Drinks, salad dressings, sauces and many desserts are among the easiest substitutions. More experimentation may be necessary when substituting for sugars in recipes containing precise chemistry - for example, cooked candies and some baked goods.

Candy recipes like toffees and nut brittles rely on chemical reactions provided by refined sugars which may be disrupted by substitutions. It may be possible to substitute, but ratios could take some tinkering to produce optimum results.
Similarly, recipes for baked goods containing white sugar may be too sensitive to changes in the moisture level of ingredients. If replacing all the sugar in a recipe (while reducing liquids) does not produce good results, try replacing only half the sugar with agave nectar

So far, I only have one reipe with the agave, but I did use some to sweeten a pumpkin mousse cheesecake I made yesterday.  Check out my Salty Caramel Pumpkin Seeds!

Salted Caramel Pumkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

At Halloween this year, we made our super cool "Jesus Pumpkins" (as Made likes to call them), and decided to roast the seeds for snacks.  I found a couple different recipes on Pinterest but, since I cant follow a recipe, I made my own!  Then, we went to our local health food store, Sonnewald's and found hulled pumpkin seeds.  I did a little research and pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) are full of awesomeness, and have a low glycemic impact, their GI number is only 10.  But I did NOT like them untoasted... or unflavored.  So instead of all sugar in the recipe, I decided to use Agave nectar.  Agave has a low GI compared to sugar, so its good for diabetics or people who just don't want the spike of sugar rush and then the fall that leaves you feeling like you need your 5th nap of the day.

What you need:

3 or 4 cups of pumpkin seeds (hulled tasted better to me, but both were good, so whatever you prefer or can find!)

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp agave nectar (i used light because I wanted sweetness, not a maple flavor... although that would be tasty too!)

2 tsp olive oil

Sprinkle of Sea Salt

First, you have to toast those bad boys (i think they are kinda icky raw), so you put them in a dry skillet on medium heat.  You have to stir them almost constantly, or they will burn.  They will be ready for the next steps when they start to pop and have a light brown color to them.  (Oh, good hulled pumpkin seeds are an olive color and not dried out looking.)  Once they are toasted, add your olive oil and brown sugar.  Mix around till the brown sugar starts to caramelize.  Turn pan down to low and add agave and salt.  Stir until everything is coated.  From here, you can add other flavors.  I have tried cinnamon (YUM) and ginger (I liked them, but Madi wasn't crazy about it), and I'm sure you could try lots of others (chili powder?!?).  Once everything is mixed pour into a bowl or onto a sheet pan covered in wax paper to cool.  The fun thing about the agave is it made clumps of seeds... Madi said it reminded her of caramel popcorn. 

(As always, I don't measure ANYTHING when I cook, so I'm kinda guessing here... if it isn't sweet enough, add more agave.)

AND.... these are gluten free!