Prepare instead of cocoa beans

Lovers of cocoa and chocolate have the opportunity to try a much healthier alternative that is carob. This is basically the carob pods, which is commonly referred to as locust beans. The rooster is a evergreen tree that grows most in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

Its pods were used, for example, to feed cattle, but also to produce brandy. Interestingly, the kernel seeds were used in the past as weights in jewelery, with one seed corresponding to one carat.

Dried grainless pods are also ground into carob meal, which, unlike cocoa, does not contain any stimulants and does not cause allergies.

Why give preference to carob

It is claimed to be a healthier alternative to cocoa especially for children and for people suffering from food allergy or celiac disease. Karob smells beautifully, has a distinct sweet taste over the bitter cocoa, which often has to be thawed. It is used in exactly the same way as cocoa, ie. cooking, baking or preparing hot drinks. His health benefits are in the absence of fat, alcohoides and caffeine.

On the contrary, it contains many minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium, and three times more than cocoa which carbs vitamins A, B and D. Another advantage of carob is the content of important amino acids and fiber. On the contrary, it is significantly poorer in calories, so it is suitable for diets and contributes to lowering the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, much more than cocoa. It also helps to relieve coughing.

Prepare a homemade carob beverage
You will need it:

2 teaspoons of powdered carob
125 ml of milk
half a teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of cardamom
Pour all of this with boiling water. It depends on the individual taste so that milk can give everyone what they want. One option is to pour the powder and the ingredients with just a little boiling water to dissolve the mixture and add the rest of the mug to the milk.

Carob powder can be obtained in any healthy food store, whether in cheaper or more expensive bio-variants.