Nourishing Raw Chocolate
Nourishing Chocolate you say? Chocolate that is ‘good’ for you? Chocolate I can feed the children?
Yep! I know many people think that us whole food, real food, ‘junk’ free types are missing out on enjoyment of food, but I can guarantee you that isn’t the case in our house! In fact, I think we enjoy food more than many, simply because we eat with a purpose of nourishing ourselves. This leaves us free to enjoy all the wonderful foods without the guilt that some people associate with food, without the side-affects that many get from eating processed food, without the addictive qualities that many foods have (especially with added sugar). Nothing but pure nourishment and enjoyment.
Now don’t get me wrong, gorging yourself with handful after handful of these chocolates is not what I am recommending! Too much of anything is usually not a good thing. But when you eliminate or reduce processed, refined sugars from your diet you find you appreciate the subtle sweetness of many fruits and vegetables, and foods sweetened with honey, maple syrup, rice malt syrup, pure liquid stevia etc don’t have the same addictive qualities of those sweetened with sugar.
There are three ingredients in these simple to make chocolates: coconut oil, raw cacao powder and your choice of natural sweetener.
Coconut oil is a healthy fat, perfect for ensuring we get our adequate intake of fats in a day, providing satiety, and fuelling those little bodies.
Raw cacao is considered a superfood due to the high density of essential nutrients it contains, very few side-affects and proven health benefits. It contains many vitamins and minerals.
Your choice of sweetener: Raw Honey, Maple Syrup, rice malt syrup or pure liquid Stevia.
These sweeteners are less processed, lower GI, have beneficial nutrients of their own, don’t mess with your blood sugar levels in the way that cane sugar does, and less addictive. All sweeteners however are still sweeteners, so use in moderation.
- ½ c coconut oil
- ½ cup cacao
- sweetener to taste: honey, rice syrup, maple syrup, liquid stevia...
- melt the coconut oil gently in a double boiler
- if your sweetener needs melting also, turn off the heat then add to the double boiler, stirring until melted
- add the cacao, stir til combined
- spoon into chocolate moulds, mini cupcakes cases or ice cube trays.
- Put in the fridge until set, then transfer to a container. Must be kept in the fridge as coconut oil melts quickly.
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