Agave Limeade

An interesting, healthy take on a summer drink I found this Limeade recipe which uses agave in the place of spoonfuls of sugar and because it is already in liquid form its very easy to mix in.  This was incredibly refreshing and considerably less calorific than the traditional alternative...

Ingredients

8 cups sparkling water
4-5 limes

A few mint leaves
3/4 cup agave
1/4 cup milk
Lots of ice

Method
 

Squeeze 4 limes using the Lime Juicer - Hint: if you put them in the microwave for 30 seconds, you will get more juice from them. Put all the sparkling water in a jug and then...

Add lime juice 

Add torn mint leaves
Add milk
Add agave 
Add lots of ice
Stir well and serve

The milk takes the bite off the lime and gives it a nice smooth texture. 

Don't use too much lime as this will overpower the taste - If you use too many, you have to add more agave to balance it. 

Once you have done the above then taste it and then tweak it from there to suit your preferences.

Italian Pine Nut and Agave Cookies

Agave can be used as part of a raw diet and these cookies are actually dehydrated rather than baked.  A really healthy alternative to the usual.  First off make a batch of the Almond Paste and then go on to make the cookies with this as follows:

Almond Paste

1 cup almonds, soaked, skin removed, and dried

Using a food processor, grind almonds into a powder. Add ½ cup agave and 1 teaspoon almond extract [adjust more or less to taste], and process into a paste. Knead the mixture a bit using a mortar and pestle or by hand.

Yields 1 ¼ cup almond paste

Almond Cookies
1 cup almond paste
1/2 cup pine nuts, reserve half
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
1/4 cup agave
Combine the ingredients

In a food processor, process 1/4-cup pine nuts and sea salt into a fine meal like consistency. Add almond paste and agave, process into a smooth paste. Using a rubber spatula, scrape out dough from the food processor bowl and transfer to a bowl or container. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hours.

Shape the cookies

Scoop out about a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll the dough between the palms of your hands to form a round ball. Place macaroons on a cutting board, you should have about 18 macaroons. Take reserved pine nuts and lightly yet with firm pressure; press 6-8 pine nuts into each macaroon while simultaneously flattening it a bit. Use a spatula to gently lift macaroons from the cutting board and place on the dehydrator tray. Place in dehydrator. Remember to turn the macaroons midway through dehydrating.

Dehydrate at 115 for 6 hours.
 
Yield 18 macaroons