"Agave not an ideal sugar substitute"

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We've found that many health conscious consumers are under the wrong impression about agave nectar. While it is all natural and lower glycemic than table sugar, it is not zero calories, and being that it is entirely fructose, it is not metabolized by the entire body, but instead is processed only by the liver, which if consumed in excess can lead to health problems.

We felt it was important to share this recent news article & video which illuminates the facts about agave which many people are using as if it were a zero calorie sweetener, when in reality it is closer to honey & needs to be used in moderation.

1 tbsp. agave - 60 calories / 32 Glycemic Index
1 tbsp. sugar - 48 calories / 68 Glycemic Index
1 tbsp. ZSweet® - 0 calories / 0 Glycemic Index

credit: ABC News

"Sweet Sugarless Baking NATURALLY"

View recipes here.

ZSweet® Cocoa Cream Cheese Mints

yields 50-60 mints

Ingredients:
1 cup ZSweet®, ground to powder (I do this in the coffee grinder)
2 tablespoons cocoa*
few drops of mint oil (to taste)
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
addtl. 1/4 cup ZSweet®, ground to powder, for rolling mints in

*Note: If you leave out the cocoa, be sure to add a pinch spirulina or 1 teaspoon ground mint leaves for green color

Equipment you will need:
bowl
wire whisk / 2 forks / pastry cutter
wax paper lined baking sheet
flexible molds or a rolling pin
small container (to shake mints in)


Mix 1 cup ground ZSweet® and cocoa together in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in cream cheese with a wire whisk or a couple of forks (or a pastry cutter, if you have one). The resultant mix will be dry and crumbly. At this stage, mix in the mint oil to taste and knead the mixture with your fingers until it starts to clump up into a dough (the heat from your hands helps to further soften the cream cheese).

Once you have one big ball of dough, pinch off pieces to put in your flexible molds and fill them, one at a time, mashing them in well, and scraping off the excess. If you do not have molds, you can also roll out the dough onto wax paper with a rolling pin till about .25" thick and cut into 1" squares with a butter knife.

Take the small container and put the 1/4 cup of powdered ZSweet® into it. Pop out a few mints at a time into the container and shake until well-coated, and tap each coated mint against a flat surface (I use the container lid) to release any extra ZSweet®. Lay each mint onto the wax paper-lined baking sheet in rows. When all the mints are finished, cover with a dry cloth and let sit for 24-48 hours to dry out completely. Put in a sealed container and store in the fridge (if they have not dried out yet, the container will get condensation on the inside of the lid). They will last in the fridge for a couple weeks, or can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Recipe Author: Paula Bishop, North Carolina

March Whole Foods Raw Vegan Cooking Class

Stop by any of these local Southern California Whole Foods Markets to sample ZSweet® this month & be sure to attend Kelly Keough's Raw Vegan Cooking Class on Wednesday, March 31st at 6 pm. She'll be teaching students how to make Chocolate Hemp Ice Cream Smoothies & Wheat Grass Pineapple Sorbet!


3/1 Mon: 11-2 pm - 2201 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica - Demo
3/3 Weds: 4-7 pm - 3751 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena - Demo
3/5 Fri: 11-2 pm 7871 West Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

3/7 Sun: 2-5 pm - 331 N Glendale Ave, Glendale - Demo
3/8 Mon: 4-7 pm - 19340 Rinaldi St, Northridge - Demo
3/24 Weds: 11-2 pm - 740 N Moorpark Rd, Thousand Oaks -Demo
3/25 Thur: 4-7 pm - 24130 Valencia Blvd, Santa Clarita - Demo

3/29 Mon: 11-2 pm - 239 N Crescent Dr, Beverly Hills - Demo

3/30 Tues: 11-2 pm - 11666 National Blvd, Los Angeles - Demo

3/31 Weds: 6 pm - 21347 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills - CLASS