Agave substitute?!

[greengirl]

I'm going to be making a recipe for Banana Tiramisu that calls for raw agave nectar. Does anyone know what I could use as a substitute? I hate to go to the trouble of ordering some online (no raw at my co-op) when I only need 1/4 cup. :confused:

[Olive]

You can use honey, if you use bee products. It's a one-for-one exchange. Some people use maple syrup, if some cooked stuff is okay. I've also made date syrup. Basically, put equal parts of dates and water in a blender and whiz until smooth. Add a bit more water until it's the consistency you want. You can also strain it if you need something smoother. Hope this helps!

Oh, forgot to add that there's been discussion about agave being raw and if "raw" agave is any different than any other agave. Most agave sellers will tell you their's is thickened by evaporating in the sun, so to me agave is agave. Just an FYI!

[greengirl]

Olive -- you're a life saver!! Thank you! :)

[Mike]

I wrote an article about raw sweeteners.
I originally included a paragraph about the
benefits of raw honey but too many people
were emailing me about bee's.

You can read the article here->

http://www.therawdiet.com/sweet.html

Raw organic honey may also be used, rawfood.com
and therawworld.com have good honey. This is a
good info site->
http://www.synergy-co.com/pages/healing-honey.html

[Ireland]

Greengirl, I love tiramisu! I can't even imagine what a raw version would look like...what do you do for the coffee part?
Can I talk you into sharing your recipe? :o

[greengirl]

Several people have sent me private messages, wanting the recipe, so here it is! It's from Carol Alt's new book. It's kinda long, but it sure looks good!


BANANA TIRAMISU (serves 6)

"LADYFINGER" CRUST:
2 cups raw pecans
1/2 cup powdered dates or date sugar, sifted through a fine sieve

"ESPRESSO" GROUNDS:
1/2 tablespoon raisins
1/2 teaspoon raw carob powder

FILLING:
9 large ripe bananas (not overly ripe)
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
3/4 cup filtered water (at room temperature)
3/4 cup organic, cold-pressed coconut oil or coconut butter

CINNAMON DUST:
1/2 tablespoon sifted date powder or date sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
For the crust, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse pecans and powdered dates until the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Do not overprocess. Set aside 1/2 tablespoon crust mixture to add to the "espresso" grounds. Press 1/2 of the remaining crust into the bottom of a 9"x9" baking dish. Place dish in freezer. Set aside remaining half of crust mixture.

For the "espresso" grounds, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the raisins, carob powder, and reserved 1/2 tablespoon of "ladyfinger" crust until of uniform consistency. Do not overprocess. Set aside.

For the filling, slice 1-1/2 bananas and set aside. Blend the remaining bananas in food processor along with the agave and water until creamy (scrape down the side occasionally). While processor is running, slowly add the coconut oil or coconut butter until incorporated.

For the cinnamon dust, simply mix the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To assemble, remove the baking dish from the freezer. Pour half of filling on top of crust in baking dish, and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the "espresso" grounds over filling. Lightly dust with 1/2 of the cinnamon-date mixture. (For best results, hold a fine sieve high above dish and tap gently, covering entire surface evenly.) Chill in freezer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from freezer. Repeat layers, adding a single layer of sliced bananas after "ladyfinger" crust and before filling. Finish with remaining "espresso" grounds and cinnamon dust. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut into 3" squares and serve.