Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/621909
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 2016 35 Food taurants. If you aren't keen on drinking the stuff, try it in baked goods such as cakes and éclairs. Flour? Which kind? A growing interest in healthy food has led importers to broaden their range of products and local shoppers are thanking their lucky stars. One such improvement has been the introduction of dif- ferent types of flour. The home baker is no longer forced to use plain old white or wholemeal grain flour. Chickpea, spelt, kamut, rice, millet, buckwheat, hemp and soy flours have all been spotted on shelves, a welcome change for the health-conscious and those with restricted diets. Another pleasant development is that these products can be found in a growing number of supermarkets, not just dedicated health food shops, making shop- ping even easier. Sugar is the enemy We've long been aware of the dangers of refined sugars and know they should only be present in our diets in very small amounts, if at all. Of course it's hard to actually follow this advice, what with proc- essed and pre-prepared foods re- maining a convenient option. But as the foodie world became more interested in the quality of its food, so more alternatives to refined sugar have been made available. Honey, agave syrup, maple syrup and date sugar are all options the home cook can turn to if white sugar doesn't quite sound so sweet any more. The 'boring' veg share the limelight Some vegetables are born to be stars – think sweet potatoes, broc- coli and other bright fare that adds contrast and colour to a dish. Until recently, no one thought too highly of veg like cauliflower and zucchini; they were considered a supporting act, at best. But a recent movement saw a new interest in these vegeta- bles and novel ways of preparing them that exploit and enhance their natural attributes. 'Spiral- ised' zucchini made for a healthy alternative to carb-packed pastas and cauliflower has undergone a veritable renaissance, appearing on menus and dinner tables mashed, roasted, toasted or as a gluten-free, waist-line friendly pizza base. Organic foods People are becoming more inter- ested in where their food comes from. They are no longer happy with the perfectly polished, uni- form options available at the su- permarkets that have travelled half way across the world. They are trying as much as possible to buy local and to buy organic. Or- ganic certification is difficult to achieve in Malta because of other farmers who use pesticides in the vicinity. Still, shoppers are look- ing for vegetable growers that use little to no pesticides or are resorting to imported organics. 'Spiralised' zucchini made for a healthy alternative to carb-packed pastas and cauliflower has undergone a veritable renaissance Cheaper to run and able to travel to where the party's at, keep your eye out for more quality food coming off the back of a truck. If you aren't keen on drinking Matcha tea try it in baked goods such as cakes and éclairs