Chocolate Is Healthy

Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie is one of the most informative, interesting books on chocolate and its history. If you want gorgeous photos, recipes and a deeper understanding of the health benefits of chocolate, this is the book for you. It’s not only for chocolate lovers, chefs, or raw foodists, but anyone who wants to feel more energized by the foods they eat and optimize their health.

A great gift! You can purchase the book at David’s Sunfood Nutrition site here: Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe

This lovely recipe by Patricia Biesen for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars is free of dairy, wheat, eggs, soy and peanuts and would be a hit at any vegan or non-vegan Thanksgiving celebration.  It’s just as easy to make as any homemade brownie recipe and we love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups garbanzo bean flour

1 TBS pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup of coconut oil (walnut or canola oil works well too)

1 ¼ sugar

1 TBS flax seed meal

3 TBS water

2 TBS vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 12-oz bag of vegan (dairy-free) chocolate chips

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13″ pan with foil and leave an overhang of foil on the sides.

In one big bowl whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In an even bigger bowl, mix oil and sugar, then add the vanilla, water, flax seed and pumpkin puree. Add in the flour mixture and chips.

Spread evenly in your lined pan. Bake until sides are slightly golden. Approximately, 40 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. You want to see if you can pull a clean toothpick from the center.

Cool in pan completely and lift using the overhang of foil. Cut and serve.

Photos and more after the jump!

Thanksgiving, holiday, chocolate, vegan, chocolate, lactose intolerant, pumpkin – Chicago Eats Allergy-Free.

If you care about what you put in your mouth, you should be concerned about what you put on your skin. Skin products are directly absorbed into the bloodstream and a growing number of body care products feature healthful, organic ingredients that are entirely beneficial to your skin.

Organic body products means their ingredients are genetically pure, not modified. No harmful pesticides are used and farmers employ sustainable farming practices.

More and more, we’re finding chocolate and cacao making their way into skin care and body products. Not only do you find cocoa butter in lotions and sunscreens, but it’s a central component of many new body care products.

One product,  Neroli Orange & Chocolate Mint Body Lotion 12 fl oz, features certified organic chocolate mint floral water and chocolate mint oil. Certified vegan, this product don’t perform animal testing or use animal by products.

We also like the cruelty free Voluptuous Body Lotion Chocolate Orange 7 fl oz.  In addition to having certified organic cocoa blossom, this product features organic red tea blended with jojoba oil.  It’s packed with richness and antioxidants.

Even larger chocolate makers are embracing the “bean-to-bar” philosophy.  In the same way that winemakers consider the “terroir” of their grapes, chocolatiers scour the world to find the right cacao to create their own balance of flavors.   Like grapes, cacao flavors differ
based on where it is grown.  Cacao grown in Venezuela tastes differently than that grown in Bali.    The unique chocolate flavors and nuances being created mean continued fascination with cacao from around the world.

“Many of these chocolatiers follow a bean-to-bar philosophy that includes working with cacao farmers and roasting and blending their own “origin” lines, made from cacao grown in a single, specific tropical valley in Venezuela, Madagascar or one of the other equatorial regions in which cacao thrives…”

“Real chocolate, he says, is redolent of not just terroir, but the very air in which the beans are fermented. Klassen calls it endemic microbiology 101 — each valley has its own airborne wild yeasts and active bacteria that launch the fermentation process. The resulting confection, he says, is meant to be savored like wine, not gobbled in a blaze of sugary glory.”

Artisanal chocolate is about more than candy – San Jose Mercury News.

You’ve probably come across various ways to consume raw chocolate. Most common are cacao nibs and raw chocolate bars. But have you tried raw chocolate powder?

Many people aren’t quite sure what to do with raw chocolate powder but it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient. It’s made from raw chocolate, and because of this, it doesn’t contain high levels of caffeine you find in processed chocolate powder. It’s typically vegan-friendly and organic, and a great source of minerals such as magnesium, copper, and calcium.  It’s also rich in antioxidants.

Raw chocolate powder should have a rich, smooth effect on any recipe. You can mix raw chocolate powder into smoothies, yogurt or ice cream. Use it to make a raw chocolate (or non-raw chocolate) cake, or raw chocolate bars
or truffles.

Look for raw chocolate powder made with premium cacao beans and grown with sustainable farming methods. You can buy raw chocolate powder in 1lb and 5lb bags at your local health food grocery store, or check out
Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Powder at this online health food sellers.