As many of you know from my last newsletter, I've been on a serious kick of making my own chocolate. Every batch is a new chance to try a new flavor. It's been totally delicious, even when the recipes didn't come out as great as I had hoped! A friend got me a yummy orange emulsion and just had to share my latest chocolate recipe with it with you.
Orange-Infused Homemade Chocolate
Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder (or cacao)
2 tablespoons smooth almond, cashew or coconut butter (I actually use sunflower seed butter and it's great for this recipe)
2 - 3 tablespoons grade B maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon orange emulsion
2 - 3 dashes of cinnamon
crushed pecans
2 dates, pitted and sliced very thin
orange zest (and/or grated ginger)
chunky sea salt
Directions:
Mix the top ingredients well by hand and pour into the bottom of a baking sheet or bread tin. Sprinkle with crushed pecans, sliced dates, orange zest (and/or ginger) and just a bit of chunky sea salt. Place in freezer until hard. Take a knife and carefully jab into chocolate and let it break into random chunks. ENJOY!
There is a blurb in Food Rules by Michael Pollen where he said, "Eat all thhe junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself." I love this and abide by it a good 95% of the time. So, remember those decadent fudgsicles you enjoyed as a kid? Can you imagine what the heck were in those things to make them so dang good? Lots of nonsense but think no more, because here they are again - made over in a quick and healthier fashion.
Chocolate Hazelnut Popsicles
Ingredients:
2 bananas
1 "sippy" carton of unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon cocoa (or raw cacao) powder
1 small pouch of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
Directions:
Blend all ingredients until super smooth. Pour into BPA-free plastic popsicle molds (or small paper cups), leaving a bit of room at the top, and freeze for fudgsicles. (If using paper cups, put a wooden popsicle stick into each cup.) If any is left over in your blender, enjoy it right then and there!
Notes: I love keeping a pack of unsweetened coconut milk "sippy" cartons in my cupboard for recipes like this, or for baking/adding to sauces in small quantities. Even better, next time you crack open a can of full fat coconut milk, pour remainder into an ice cube tray and use as needed.
Hershey's Air Delight - I don't know about this, but I'd like to say a few words about it. I'm sure we've all seen the bubbly commercial about Hershey Kiss's new Air Delight chocolate. I'll admit, they look divine...but I squealed out loud the first time I saw it! As if people don't already have enough of a problem just eating one Hershey Kiss to begin with - I think that selling a bag of aerated bites of chocolate will only further encourage mindless, over-eating. This whole idea is genius for Hershey's because it's a way to get you to eat more of their chocolates by adding some air to each morsel so that there are less calories, and so that you blow through the bag thinking it's a smarter choice than the regular Hershey Kisses. This is a recipe for disaster...
Unfortunately, when you add sugar, milk and other additives that you can't pronounce to chocolate...it's no longer chocolate, it's candy. Forget about all of the health benefits of chocolate when eating these types of products, those other ingredients cross it right out! Let's also not forget, Hershey's is one of the major companies out there that refuses to label their products are non-GMO because they use genetically modified organisms in their ingredients. I don't care how pretty or yummy those Kisses look in this commercial, that is NOT something I want to sit down and indulge in.
So, just a few words about the chocolate we should be reaching for and how we should eat it, because believe it or not, dark chocolate is a part of a healthy diet!
Go for 70% Dark
Chocolate
You should look for pure dark chocolate or
dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with
caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat
which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate. Be sure to
look for a brand that contains at least 70%
cocoa.
Choose Fair Trade
The cacao trees are very delicate; generally
they use small children to pick the pods.When purchasing chocolate you want to make sure to look for the fair
trade symbol.This signifies that this
is non-GMO and sustainability for environment as well as child labor laws.
Skip the Milk
It may taste good but some research shows that
milk chocolate, or washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could
prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.
Taste the Chocolate
Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece. Keep in mind, when you're enjoying a piece of real dark chocolate, you'll want to make this moment special and take the time to savor and enjoy it. A practice in mindfulness for sure!
But On The Negative
Side...
1. Chocolate may trigger headaches in migraine
sufferers. Sorry guys. Reach for CAROB!
2. Chocolate is considered dangerous to
animals because it contains a stimulant called theobromine, which they can't
digest. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate are even more dangerous because
they contain higher concentrations of the substance. This applies whether
chocolate is in candy bar form, or an ingredient in cake, cookies, puddings or
ice cream. If a pet becomes ill after eating chocolate, take it to the vet
immediately.
3. Even though it may be healthy, dark
chocolate can be very caloric. Savor and enjoy a piece a day,
Even the thought of them make me smile. But, Nestle's raisinets are far from being anywhere near healthy. When visiting my parents, I notice every once in a while a bag of dark chocolate raisinets from Nestle. They offer them to me thinking they're doing good since the bag clearly reads, "dark chocolate." I've indulged a few times but always walk away feeling bloated and wake up the next morning with a sugar hangover. Blech!
I appreciate that Nestle made a dark raisinet, I do. However, not when the ingredients look like this (see right). Umm, hi, that's not dark chocolate. It's still loaded
with milkfat, nonfat milk, lactose, and too much sugar. Soy lecithin is an emulsifier (to make things spreadable) and is actually made from the sludge left over after soy has been processed. Thanks, but no thanks.
I took my craving for those delightful morsels into my own kitchen and the results were so yummy for both my tastebuds, belly and peace of mind! I love Enjoy Life's products. They make their products in a dedicated nut and gluten-free, casein-free, vegan and kosher facility. Holler! I use their mini chips for baking often. Ingredients: evaporated cane juice (FYI: a fancy name for sugar), chocolate liquor, non-dairy cocoa butter. Three ingredients compared to the nonsense in Nestle's.
Spread chips in a saucepan and heat on low, or use a double boiler method on the stove. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. When chips look wet and are clearly hot, turn off heat and toss in raisins. Mix with spoon to coat. Toss in more raisins if there is more chocolate to coat. Spoon out chocolate covered raisins onto cookie sheet and separate with fingers (or utensils if hot). Place cookie sheet into fridge for a bit to cool and harden. Once they're dried they should pop right off of the parchment paper. Store in glass container in the fridge and enjoy when you need a sweet morsel of goodness!
If you're interested in the benefits of dark chocolate and a little bit about it, check out my old blog post: Dark chocolate = healthy chocolate.
This divine treat isn't as sinful as it tastes! Can you imagine?! If you don't have a panini maker, a George Forman grill will do the trick. If you don't have one of those either, cook the sandwich in a skillet, using a second heavy pan to flatten them as they cook. Experiment with flavored dark chocolate for some extra yumminess!
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana, sliced in half (or mashed if you prefer)
2 slices of your favorite bread (I love Ezekiel)
4-6 squares of dark (70% or higher) chocolate
1 tsp all natural peanut butter
drizzle of honey
Directions:
1. Gently coat outsides of bread with some butter. I swear by Kerrygold Butter!
2. Arrange banana slices (or mashed banana) on piece of bread, then spread peanut butter and honey. Place chocolate squares over banana and top with other piece of bread.
3. Preheat panini maker or plug in your George Forman grill (this is what I prefer). Cook panini 3-4 minutes per side. A George Forman grill takes less time, so keep an eye on the chocolate to see how it's doing, it will start to ooze. Cool just for a minute or two and ENJOY!!!
Benefits of Dark Chocolate:
True dark chocolate is usually anything at or above 70% cacao. The higher the percentage of cacao, the more benefits and better nutritional value the chocolate contains. Studies have shown that dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL). It contains serotonin, a natural mood-boosting anti-depressant. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which act as antioxidants.
Even with all these great benefits, be sure to enjoy dark chocolate in moderation.
I'm preparing a nutrition seminar on all of the health benefits of chocolate and it's all I've been thinking about, studying and eating lately! I've never been a chocolaholic, but I do enjoy a good bite of dark chocolate each day for my health.
Recent studies say dark chocolate -- not white chocolate or milk chocolate -- is good for you! What is it about dark chocolate? Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body. Dr. Andrew Weil has dark chocolate included in his anti-inflammatory food pyramid!! How exciting is that?! Taste the Chocolate Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece. Go for 70% Dark Chocolate You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate. Be sure to look for a brand that contains at least 70 percent cocoa. Skip the Milk It may taste good but some research shows that milk chocolate, or washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body. But On The Negative Side... 1. Chocolate may trigger headaches in migraine sufferers. Sorry guys.
2. Chocolate is considered dangerous to animals because it contains a stimulant called theobromine, which they can't digest. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate are even more dangerous because they contain higher concentrations of the substance. This applies whether chocolate is in candy bar form, or an ingredient in cake, cookies, puddings or ice cream. If a pet becomes ill after eating chocolate, take it to the vet immediately.
3. Even though it may be healthy, dark chocolate can be very caloric. Savor and enjoy a piece a day, not a bar!
