Alternative to Sugar

Looking for an alternative to sugar and tired of using applesauce?

Try adding a ripe, sliced banana to your oatmeal. For a pumpkin pie, the banana is processed to a creamy consistency and may be substituted for the sugar in a pumpkin pie (previous post on this blog). The pie will have a bit of a banana flavor and my family loves anything banana.

The oatmeal includes dried cranberries and a teaspoon of real vanilla extract for that added zip we need some mornings. The great thing about oatmeal is it holds you until lunch!

For those of us on diuretics, oats are a source of magnesium and bananas have potassium.  Great for breakfast or a snack anytime, ?Sometimes we add small pieces of fresh apple as a garnish, enjoy!

Quick Hummus Dip without Salt or Tahini

Cook a can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) including the liquid. I like to cook most things that come in cans, but not for too long as I do not want the beans to get too mushy and absorb too much cooking liquid. Make sure the beans are salt-free. The best place I have found to buy the salt-free beans at a reasonable cost from 89-99 cents is Whole Foods.

Let the beans cool to lukewarm and drain into processor reserving liquid beans were cooked in, just in case. Add 2 cloves (cloves, not the entire head of garlic, only 2 cloves) of peeled garlic to the blender. Do not cut up the garlic as in my Ninja they will not mix if cut up, but I need to place them in whole. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and blend. Check consistency. Since we eat it on sandwiches I do not add more liquid, but if making for a party dip, add another tablespoon of the bean water in the pan.



Again, this is a salt-free recipe, make doubly sure the can says no salt. The lemon in the recipe takes care of the salt in other recipes.

Garbanzo beans are a good source of magnesium!