Quick And Awesome Honey Recipes

By Esther George

It has been a well known fact since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans that honey boosts the strength and endurance of athletes. Honey, which is a powerful antioxidant, offers many benefits that we're losing out on thanks to refined sugar being easier to use in most recipes.

Flavonoids and phenolic acids contained in honey helps to fight off free radicals, something we all need today. Honey recipes are so easy to prepare and maintain the same flavor, if not better, than the processed food with refined sugar that we grab at the store without even thinking about the ingredients.

For instance, consider honey barbeque sauce. How do you know if there's really any honey in that bottle you bought last week for your barbecue? There are better honey recipes to use instead, such as this quick and easy recipe for barbecue sauce. Combine 1 can condensed tomato soup, 2 tbsp salad oil, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp mustard, cup honey and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Mix all together in a saucepan, bring to a boil, simmer and remove.

If you have a sweet tooth that just has to be fed, buy some frozen yogurt or custard and make up a honey caramel sauce fit for a four star restaurant. You will receive far less calories than ice cream loaded with chocolate syrup and a host of vitamins from your treat. Mix 1 cup honey, cup heavy cream, 1 TBSP butter, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook the first two ingredients to 238 degrees F, remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Your sauce will thicken and be absolutely luscious.

Tasty snacks made from honey recipes can be prepared weeks in advance and stored for your convenience. Granola is a healthy substitute for candy and chips, and can even be eaten as breakfast cereal with milk. Salty and sweet can be mixed to your taste from a variety of honey recipes, but here's a simple one you'll be sure to enjoy:

Mix 2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, 4 cups rolled oats, and 1 cup raisins into a large mixing bowl. Blend together and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine cup melted margarine, cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. After mixing together, bring to a boil, allowing to cool for 1 minute. Remove and pour over oat mixture, stirring until blended. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet, then bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring every 5 minutes. After it cools, crumble for a delicious treat.

If you make an effort to replace your granulated sugar with a small amount of honey sugar, it won't be long before you don't even notice that absence of refined sugar. Test your regular recipes with honey sugar, taking care to account for the liquid measure. Remember to reduce your liquids by a quarter cup per each cup of honey, and add half a teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used in baked goods.

As we take a long, hard look at natural foods, comparing organic and homemade to store bought and chemically 'improved,' we begin to realize how our bodies are affected by the empty calories we get from fast food and processed sugar. Honey recipes are easy to use and give us all the flavor of sugar, with honey sugar being so much better for us. Be creative and try making your own honey recipes to serve your own family. - 29887

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