Add to FavoritesThere are many health benefits to including carob in your diet. Carob is great for persons with high blood pressure because it is naturally high in fiber and has no caffeine. It’s also a pleasant dietary addition or chocolate substitute for folks who want to lose weight because of its low-fat content. Carob syrup was used in ancient Egypt as a sweetener. Today its widely used in the middle eastern region.
Carobella has a similar consistency and taste to “Dulce de leche”, a Brazilian favorite made with sweet condensed milk. This dessert convinced my friend to turn vegetarian for a month. In 2018, I went on a trekking trip to Patagonia with a few friends. My friends opted to turn vegetarian for the duration of our journey as I promised to cook all our meals. On the fourth day of trekking, after we returned from an extended 20 km walk, we washed up, did our collective meditation, and started preparing dinner.
I suggested that I make a vegan version of “Dulce de leche”. One of the students, Lucas, challenged me, saying that if I succeeded in making a vegan version of Dulce de leche taste exactly like and as good as the traditional versions made in Brazil, he would turn vegetarian for 30 days. At the end of the meal, I introduced this dessert as the grand finale. Everyone gave the dessert a rousing “horah” and agreed that the dessert was a very convincing substitute for dulce de leche. As a gentleman, Lucas kept his promise and went vegetarian for 30 days.
Carob is used as an alternative to chocolate in many spiritual communities as the caffeine in chocolate is considered a stimulant. Carob provides you with many health benefits as it is naturally high in fiber without the effects of caffeine. The high content of polyphenol-rich content can reduce high blood pressure by reducing high cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. The low sugar and fat content also make it a great dietary addition for weight loss. The high levels of vitamins, such as vitamins A and B-2, are good for your skin and eye health. In the southern parts of Portugal, raw carob fruits are fed to horses to keep them healthy. It is also a powerful protein supplement for athletes.
Try this at home for your kids and you will certainly enjoy it, as have my friends who have made and been super impressed with Carobella. Once they have tasted the goodness it won’t keep too long as your kids and sweet-toothed partner will find it and finish it!
Carobella
Carobella has a unique and tempting flavor. Hazelnuts, also called cobnuts or filberts, contain a notable measure of antioxidants polyphenols or phytonutrients reliefs oxidative stress on cells which help to prevent heart diseases, cancer and neutralize harmful free radicals. You can eat hazelnuts raw or roasted. When roasted, it will take on a mellow, sweeter character. However, it is high-fat like other nuts, which makes it go rancid pretty quickly; thus, it's best to refrigerate after purchase.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of hazelnuts with skin
- 1 cup Carob powder
- 1 cup of coconut milk or coconut cream, or 1 cup of coconut milk powder
- 1 cup of rice syrup, coconut sugar or dark brown cane sugar, or molasses
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin coconut oil and 1/4 to be able to blend the hazelnut into a creamy consistency
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Roast the hazelnuts in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the skins by placing the nuts in a clean tea towel and rubbing them till the skins flake off. This is an optional process. The flavor does not change much, I prefer to keep the skin as it also has health benefits.
Blend in a strong blender until you have a smooth, creamy paste. You will need to stop and scrape the powdered nuts from the sides of the blender back to the center a few times.
Next, add the carob powder and rice syrup or any of the other suggested sweeteners to the blender.
Blend until the mixture is smooth, thick, and creamy.
Next, add the coconut milk, or cream and blend until the mixture forms a homogenous cream.
Transfer to a glass jar and keep it refrigerated to allow the cream to get firm as the natural oil cools.
An alternative is you can also keep it outside so carobella remains creamy to spread on toast, and pancakes, or use as a topping for cakes and as a dip for cookies. basically, you can use it as any nut butter.
Roast the hazelnuts in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the skins by placing the nuts in a clean tea towel and rubbing them till the skins flake off. This is an optional process. The flavor does not change much, I prefer to keep the skin as it also has health benefits.
Blend in a strong blender until you have a smooth, creamy paste. You will need to stop and scrape the powdered nuts from the sides of the blender back to the center a few times.
Next, add the carob powder and rice syrup or any of the other suggested sweeteners to the blender.
Blend until the mixture is smooth, thick, and creamy.
Next, add the coconut milk, or cream and blend until the mixture forms a homogenous cream.
Transfer to a glass jar and keep it refrigerated to allow the cream to get firm as the natural oil cools.
Alternatively, you can keep it outside so it remains creamy to spread on toast, and pancakes or use as a topping for cakes and as a dip for cookies. Basically, you can use it as any nut butter.
Notes
To make this recipe it is important to have a strong liquefying machine to blend the roasted nuts to a creamy consistency. Another easy alternative to this recipe is a 3-ingredient Carobella: 1/2 cup carob, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or other options), and 1/2 cup coconut milk. Blend into a smooth paste, and there you are.
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