I've made Sarsaparilla tea that tasted like root beer but never made root beer. Like Bumblebeez, I tend to use liqueurs rather than extracts, and my favorites are Frangelico, Amaretto, Cointreau, Godiva Chocolate liqueur, and several versions of Kahlua, including Mocha (my favorite) and hazelnut. I really like Mocha Kahlua on ice cream but am almost out and am having trouble finding it again. I think they may make it only at Christmas and New Year's. The liqueurs are not as strong as extracts and work in a lot of drinks as well as recipes. I use them a lot with ice cream but also in other creme anglaise recipes such as Bavarian Cream. For extracts, I only have vanilla (Cook's brand, which is okay) and almond (brand unknown). I seldom use the almond extract since I generally substitute Amaretto instead. I've noticed that Indian markets sell a lot of extracts, but I have not used many of them yet, including several that I have in my pantry. Lars

You know there are certain things that you can sub in recipes and no one will know....but for a little different taste. Doesn't effect the tecture or size or much else. Things like chopped dried apricots for raisins or for dried peaches, pecans for walnuts, milk and a bit of lemon for sour cream....but with something like this....I wouldn't try it. If, as I suspect, it turns out to be a dense soggy "thing"....you will have wasted almond flour, tangelo juice, cottage cheese and about 3 eggs. I would save the experimentation for something where the outcome is more promising and the potential for high dollar waste isn't so great. But....if the prospect of tossing all that stuff isn't an issue....then go for it and perhaps we all can learn.

"Healthier" is so subjective....so you'll have to define that for yourself. Yep, you can use coconut oil. I use it all the time in baked goods. Without a peek at the entire recipe you could probably start with reducing the amount by 25%. When I first started using coconut oil (in the 90's) the label suggested you could generally reduce the amount of vegetable oil in a recipe by 25% if you substituted it with coconut oil, and get the same results. If a quick bread recipe calls for 1 cup of fat/oil I'll generally reduce it by 50%, but more reduction than that and I may need to add something like flaxmeal, chia seeds or chia seed gel, unsweetened applesauce, agave nectar, or kefir/yogurt/buttermilk, to help maintain moistness. Low-fat or fat-free baked goods tend to dry more rapidly. Your other option is to choose low-fat recipes. ZUCCHINI LEMON BREAD (Note: I have also used this recipe for muffins and reduce the baking time.) 1 c. all-purpose flour (I substitute freshly-milled spelt) 1-1/3 c. whole wheat flour 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. ground ginger 1/4 t. ground nutmeg 2 large eggs 3 T. vegetable oil 1 c. sugar (I use 3/4 c. palm sugar or 1/3 c. agave nectar) 2 T. lemon juice 1 c. packed shredded zucchini (1 med. zucchini) 1 T. grated lemon peel 1. Heat the oven to 350-degrees F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. 2. In a large bowl, mix both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. 3. In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and lemon juice until well blended. Stir in the zucchini and lemon peel. 4. Add the zucchini mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. 5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out onto the rack and cool completely. Makes 16 slices. Per slice: 148 cal, 3g pro, 26g carb, 4g fat, 27mg chol, 143mg sodium. I make this recipe a lot in the summer when zucchini are plentiful. MICROWAVE ZUCCHINI BREAD RING (source: Pillsbury \- Summer\-Sational Side Dishes) 2 T. dry bread crumbs (I use almond flour.) 3/4 c. Pillsbury's BEST All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I use spelt) 3/4 c. Pillsbury's BEST Whole Wheat Flour 3/4 c. sugar (I use palm sugar or 1/4 c. agave nectar) 1 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. salt 1/4 t. nutmeg 1/8 t. cloves 1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. margarine or butter, softened (I use 1/4 c. coconut oil) 1\-1/2 c. (1 medium) shredded zucchini\* 2 eggs Grease 6\-cup microwave\-safe ring mold.\*\* Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In medium bowl, combine flour and all remaining ingredients. Blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased and crumb\-coated ring mold. Place in microwave oven on inverted microwave\-safe plate. Microwave on MEDIUM for 10 minutes, rotating 1/2 turn halfway through cooking. Rotate pan 1/4 turn. Microwave on HIGH for 2 to 5 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and bread begins to pull away from sides of ring mold. Set stand directly on counter top 5 minutes; unmold onto serving plate. 16\-servings TIPS: \*If zucchini is very moist, drain on paper towels before using. \*\*A 2\-quart microwave\-safe casserole can be substituted for ring mold. Place heavy\-bottom drinking glass, 2 to 2\-1/2 inches in diameter, in center of casserole. Nutrition: 150 calories, protein\-3g, carbohydrates\-19g, fat\-7g, cholesterol\-27mg, sodium\-190mg, potassium\-80mg Hope that helps you out... :\-) \-Grainlady

Sally- (LOL) I've PURCHASED all the books. Others, with "alphabet soup" lists of degrees behind their names, have blazed this trail before me. I'm just an information freak with an insatiable need-to-know, and I like to study whatever interests me. But as a friend once told me - knowledge isn't knowledge unless you share it. I've also taught foods and nutrition classes and 3/4 c. of granola is three servings of grain and could be as many as 300 calories (or more - depending on ingredients). I follow the old "Basic-4" for menu planning, rather than the too high-in-carbs for us Pyramid, and hubby and I only consume 4 grains a day. So 1/4 c. Nutola (recipe below) and kefir/yogurt does it for us. A friend did a nutritional analysis of my (lower-carb, low-glycemic) recipe "Nutola": 1/4-cup serving -protein: 3 g -fat: 10 g -net carbs (fiber subtracted from total carbs) - 10 -calories per serving: 147 NUTOLA 1/8 c. sesame seeds (I also like to substitute them with kasha - 4 less calories per serving) 1/2 c. walnuts 1/2 c. cashews 1/2 c. pecans 1/2 c. almonds 1/2 c. sunflower seeds 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut (large shred) 2 c. oatmeal Mix all together in a large container. In a glass 1-cup measuring cup, stir together: 3 T. coconut oil, melted (or 1/4 c. cooking oil) 1/4 c. Agave Nectar 2 T. maple syrup Add liquid ingredients to the nut mixture and stir to coat evenly. Place ingredients on a jelly roll pan. Bake in 300F oven for 30-40 minutes, stir with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes, or so. Cool, keep refrigerated in an airtight container. -Grainlady