Agave Nectar

I don’t know why I’ve had my head in the sand regarding the Agave Nectar craze, but it’s out now. Agave nectar has such a luxuriously soft mouth feel, “nectar of the gods” is what comes to mind-not in the reference to wine way, but in the wow, this is good enough for the gods way. I ordinarily don’t sweeten my cappuccino; but, not because I don’t want to, mainly because I try to cut out refined sugar where ever possible (to make room for cake, haha). But, it seems as though I’ve been hearing about agave nectar left and right; so, when I passed by it in the grocery store, I backed up and stopped to take a looksee at what all the hulabaloo is all about. Offhand, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would use it in a recipe (that’s on deck), so I grabbed the vanilla flavored bottle, thinking I would use a little in my daughter’s milk to replace her favorite Starbuck’s treat. Of course, I had to test it out first. I drizzled a little over my cappuccino, took a sip, took another sip, then drizzled a lot more over the top. Amazing! So, I swirled some over the top of oatmeal, and S. loved it, too. Although, he thought it was maple syrup.



Here’s the lowdown: Agave syrup is a natural sweetener. The carbohydrate in agave syrup has a low glycemic index; so, unlike refined sugars, it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar or produce a sugar rush (followed by a crash). Its sweetness comes from inulin, which is a fructose that occurs naturally in fruit. It’s a winner. I see a whole new frontier for carbonated beverages.