Nutrition Stop - Recipes - Healthy Gelatin Dessert

Healthy Gelatin Dessert

Would you like to make gelatin (Jell-o) for the children but don't want them to have all the sugar, food coloring, preservatives and additives? How about a natural gelatin known as Agar-Agar? This is a very versatile ingredient for summer desserts. It is an odorless, flavorless, colorless food which is actually a sea vegetable.
The basic formula is 2 to 3 tablespoons of agar-agar per quart of liquid, boiled gently until the flakes dissolve -- about 5 to 10 minutes. Pour into an 8 by 8 pan and refrigerate. One of agar's virtues is that, unlike gelatin, it needs no refrigeration to become firm, and usually sets up within an hour. Chilling will, however, speed up setting time. A package of agar-agar provides a summer month's worth of wonderful, low-calorie desserts based on the spectrum of natural juice flavors that you can find on Nutrition Stop's shelves. For instance, you can prepare a shallow pan of blueberry nectar gelatin, and one of orange papaya, and cut both into cubes. Pile in a goblet for a refreshing, jewel-toned parfait, or give to kids as a nutritious snack that's fun to eat. Working with agar is easy. It's very concentrated, but if your gelatin comes out too hard, just reboil it with additional juice and chill. If it's too soft, reboil with additional agar and chill.