Mesquite pod powder

[Eilene]

I just bought some. Does anyone have any suggestions for recipes with this? Smoothies?

[Veganforlife]

Yes! I've been adding them to my smoothies, just to take that "bite" off the bitter greens. Good stuff...
It's a sweetener.

[Veganforlife]

(Prosopis juliflora)

Used as a staple food for centuries by Native American desert dwellers, this high protein meal contains good quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, and is rich in the amino acid lysine as well.

Algorroba is a leguminous plant found in South America that was spread to arid zones around the world, including the southwestern U.S, where it is known as mesquite. Algorroba trees growing wild in desert areas of northern Peru are extremely well adapted to adverse weather and soil conditions and indigenous populations in the Americas have long used the seed pods of Prosopis (Mesquite meal) as a dietary product.

The pods have traditionally been dried and ground into flours or processed into a sweetener or sweet beverage. Desert dwellers have used mesquite pods as a staple food for centuries and bartered with them to neighbouring tribes.

In addition to its great taste, the major benefits of mesquite meal include high dietary fibre content, high protein and a high lysine content. It's also a good source of potassium and zinc. The result is a food with the ability to stabilize your blood sugar levels. This is very good news for diabetics, weight watchers and for those who want to eat healthier. For anyone who uses a meal replacement drink and finds they are hungry long before lunch time will love mesquite meal. Just add a tablespoon of mesquite meal to your drink. It will help you stave off hunger for about 4 to 6 hours!

Why it works for Diabetics…

The sweetness of mesquite meal comes from fructose, which the body can process without insulin. In addition, soluble fibres, such as galactomannin gum, in the seeds and pods slow absorption of nutrients, resulting in a flattened blood sugar curve, unlike the peaks that follow consumption of wheat flour, corn meal and other ‘common cooked staples‘. The gel-forming fibre allows foods to be slowly digested and absorbed over a four to six hour period, rather than in one or two hours, which produces a rapid rise in blood sugar.

Scientific studies have shown that many of these desert plants eaten for food have

fibres that are mucilaginous or like gel, a characteristic that allows them to keep some water in their dry environment. Other studies have shown that when such fibres were consumed the digestion was further slowed because it took more energy to break them down. Sugars would then enter the bloodstream at a steady rate for about four to six hours. During this time the pancreas of a person who has diabetes may be able to make sufficient insulin to handle the sugar. The gel from the plants turns into a barrier between carbohydrates and the enzymes that disintegrate them. In a symbiotic relationship these slow acting carbohydrates and soluble fibres work together to keep the body sensitive to insulin and keep blood sugars from greatly rising after one has eaten.

Recommendations…

It has a sweet, rich, molasses-like flavour with a hint of caramel which blends well into smoothies or other drinks, especially those made with Cacao and Maca! Great with all raw chocolate recipes, to add texture to smoothies and stave off hunger!

[Veganforlife]

Here's a recipe:

http://www.acne-advice.com/articles/diet/recipies/chocolate.shtml

[Ama]

I ran out but used to put it in my smoothies along with maca and cacao.

[juliebove]

I just bought some and made candied walnuts with it. I posted the recipe...well sort of a recipe...I didn't exactly measure. I did use maple syrup in it though.

[Eilene]

Well thank you...that definitely answers my question. :-) I'll try it in my chocolate milkshake today!

[rawOrchid]

Gabriel Cousins uses this in many of his recipes. If you have Rainbow Green live-food cuisine, you can browse his many yummy recipes..