Palatable Chocolate Fix

Palatable. No. I did not make it up. What a fun word to say.

Wholly Molley, this was simple. And delicious. This would normally be a short post since it only has 3 ingredients- but the benefits of each ingredient will take up some space! I wanted to let you know just what you are eating. Its dessert- but its soooo good for you! I'll get to the recipe first, then the benefits second. I hope you will keep reading though.. you will love it!

INGREDIENTS

6 dates

1/2 avocado

4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1-2 tsp water (optional) 
Serves: 2

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth

Add 1-2 tsp of water if mixture is not blending 

DONE!

Plop it in a bowl right after blending or put in the refrigerator (in an air tight container) and enjoy it later. I liked it cold but the choice is yours.

Ok- now onto the benefits! Hopefully you have stuck with me to this point- even if you do just read the UNDERLINED print (hint-hint). You will feel smarter and awesome for eating this DESSERT. ANNNNND to make you feel even smarter (if that’s possible, right?) I have linked some words to their definition.

The Benefits of Unsweetened Cocoa include:

ü  A healthier heart
ü  Relief from diarrhea
ü  Protection from colon cancer
ü  Improved insulin sensitivity
ü  Improvement of cognitive function
ü  Full of antioxidants (an antioxidant protects the body from cellular damage that free radicals cause)

Cocoa gives your brain a rush of dopamine to fire up your brain’s pleasure receptors. Good mood food. I like it.

Now, let’s not get crazy. Cocoa is used to make desserts and contains a lot of other sugary and fatty ingredients as well. Too much chocolate consumption can be damaging to your health.

Top 10 Benefits of Avocados:
ü  Prostate Cancer Prevention: Avocados have been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer.
ü  Oral Cancer Defense: Research has shown that certain compounds in avocados are able to seek out pre-cancerous and cancerous oral cancer cells and destroy them without harming healthy cells.
ü  Breast Cancer Protection: Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies.
ü  Eye Health: Avocados have more of the carotenoid lutein than any other commonly consumed fruit. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two disabling age-related eye diseases.
ü  Lower Cholesterol: Avocados are high in beta-sitosterol, a compound that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. In one study, 45 volunteers experienced an average drop in cholesterol of 17% after eating avocados for only one week.
ü  Heart Health: One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease than those who don't. The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are also great for your heart.
ü  Stroke Prevention: The high levels of folate in avocado are also protective against strokes. People who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower risk of stroke than those who don't.
ü  Better Nutrient Absorption: Research has found that certain nutrients are absorbed better when eaten with avocado. In one study, when participants ate a salad containing avocados, they absorbed five times the amount of carotenoids (a group of nutrients that includes lycopene and beta carotene) than those who didn't include avocados.
ü  Glutathione Source: Avocados are an excellent source of glutathione, an important antioxidant that researchers say is important in preventing aging, cancer, and heart disease.
ü  Vitamin E Powerhouse: Avocados are the best fruit source of vitamin E, an essential vitamin that protects against many diseases and helps maintains overall health.

Source: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-avocados.html

The Benefits of Dates:
ü  Constipation: Date is termed to be a laxative food. This is the reason that dates are beneficial for people suffering from constipation. For getting the laxative effect from dates, you need to soak dates for one full night in water. You should consume these soaked dates in the morning like syrup to get their actual advantages.
ü  Intestinal Disorders: The nicotinic content that is present in the dates is said to be beneficial for curing any kinds of intestinal disorders. Continuous intake of dates helps to maintain a check on the growth of the pathological organisms and thus, helps in the rise of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
ü  Weight Gain: Dates are said to be a part of healthy diet. They consist of sugar, fats, proteins as well as many essential vitamins. If the dates are consumed with the paste of cucumber, one can easily come out from the problem of over-slimming. One kilogram of dates contains almost 3,000 calories. These calories alone are sufficient to meet the daily requirements of a human body.
ü  Healthy Heart: Dates are quite helpful in maintaining your heart in a healthy condition. When soaked for a night and crushed in the morning and consumed, they prove to be quite advantageous for weak hearts. They help in fortifying the heart, if taken twice in a week.
ü  Sexual Weakness: Dates are even beneficial for increasing sexual stamina in the human body. A handful of dates, when soaked in fresh goat's milk for the night and then grinded in the same milk with the mixture of cardamom powder and honey, becomes a very useful tonic for increasing sex endurance and sterility caused due to functional disorders.
ü  Diarrhea: Ripe dates contain potassium. Potassium is beneficial for controlling diarrhea. They are easily digestible, which helps to cope up with the problems of diarrhea.
ü  Intoxication: Dates are known as an excellent remedy for alcoholic intoxication. Dates provide quick relief in the case of alcoholic intoxication. They should be rubbed and soaked overnight for getting more nutritious values from them.
ü  Abdominal Cancer: Dates are beneficial for curing abdominal cancer. They work as useful tonic for all age groups. They work as better as the medicines, and are natural and do not bear any side effects in the body. They can be easily digested and used for supplying extra and needed energy.
Source: http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-dates.html

Now. Arent you happy you read to the end? You should now feel smarter than before you read this blog post. You. Are. Welcome!

But seriously, this is a pretty good dessert. Make it for yourself or be nice and share with others.

Enjoy!

-- All the Best

Chocolate Coffee Caramel Bars

Wow and holy crap are my describing words for this dessert. Try it and you will love it, I promise.

PREP: 15 minutes

Freeze time: 10 - 15 mins

Total: 25 – 30 minutes

Serves: 3 - 4 

INGREDIENTS 

For the crust

12 dried dates (or figs, if you prefer, stems removed)

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup Unsweetended Shredded Coconut

2 tablespoons Raw Honey

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt 

For the caramel

12-14 dates, pitted

5-6 tablespoons canned coconut milk

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

 For the topping

1 cup dark chocolate (I used dark chocolate chips), melted

1/4 cup canned coconut milk

2 teaspoons ground coffee

coarse sea salt, to top

DIRECTIONS

Layer one: Crust

First make your crust. Add all of your crust ingredients into a food processor and mix until well combined

Add the crust mixture to a bread pan and push down until the mixture is flat

Add your dates and pulse until dates are broken down (less than a minute)

Add your coconut milk tablespoon by tablespoon, along with the water, to the dates while the food processor is still running

Add your vanilla extract and pinch of salt

Process until you get a caramel. May take 3-5 minutes, Tops

Pour caramel over your crust and spread evenly 

Adding the Caramel

Layer 2: Caramel

Now, melt your chocolate. You could do this in a double boiler or just the microwave. I chose the easier route

Melt the chocolate and coconut milk together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds then mix well and reheat when necessary

Once your chocolate is completely melted, add your ground coffee and mix well

Pour melted chocolate over your caramel and spread evenly

Add coarse sea salt on top of the chocolate

Put in the freezer so the chocolate hardens -at least 10 minutes

Adding the Chocolate!

Final Layer!

EAT!

Enjoy!

-All the Best

Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabars

We were introduced to the LARABAR several months ago by a couple of friends. The very first one we ever got to try was the Banana Bread LARABAR. Holy cow- it was good. I decided I would venture out and find these so called healthy "energy" bars. I was disappointed to find they were almost $2.00 (US dollars)/bar. I don't know if you have ever seen a LARABAR- but they are small. The first few I bought were totally worth it- they are so damn good. After shelling out around $10 bucks for like 5 bars on several occasions, I decided I couldn't afford it. I looked at the label and realized just how easy it would be to make my own. 

I went out and bought a larger (i think 9 or 10 cup) food processor just for this reason. 

I gave a couple homemade bars to a couple (non-Paleo) co-workers to try and they loved them. They said they taste like Snickers and wanted more.

PREP: 20 minutes

Cool time: 10+ minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Makes about 30 1 1/2 inch x 2 inch squares

INGREDIENTS 

4 cups hole pitted dates

2 cups raw or toasted cashews
2 TBS almond butter

1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch straight sided pan with a piece of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the long edges. Set aside

Fit a food processor with a metal blade and add the almonds to the processor and pulse until they are uniformly finely chopped (think fresh bread crumb texture.)

About to get pressed in the pan

Add the chocolate chips and pulse again until the chocolate chips are also finely chopped

Pour the chocolatey nuts into a large mixing bowl and set aside

Add half of the dates to the food processor and process until a paste forms and clumps together 

Open the food processor and add in 1 tablespoon of the nut butter and half of the chocolatey ground nuts

Replace the lid and process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan

Repeat with the remaining dates, chocolatey nuts and nut butter

Ready for the fridge!

When all of the ingredients have been processed, press the mixture as evenly over the bottom of the pan as possible (try wetting your hands before pressing to prevent the mixture from sticking to you)

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing- OR for a quick fix- put in the freezer for around 10 minutes or until firm.

Store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container

Note: An unrefrigerated bar will be good for 48 hours, covered, at room temperature

Enjoy!

-All the Best

Bacon Wrapped Dates

I know you missed us! Our apologizes for being gone for so long. Lots has happened since our last blog post but now we're back on the wagon. The blog wagon.

Everything is better with bacon. I am addicted to these small delicious salty/sweet treats. Make them as  an appetizer or for dessert!

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Total: 35 - 45 minutes
Serves: About 5

Tools You'll Need:
Baking sheet with sides
Aluminun Foil
Toothpicks


INGREDIENTS

30 pitted dates (Or however many your heart desires)
1 lb of bacon (plan about a pound of bacon with just over a pound of dates)- Uncurred without MSG and other preservatives is best. Pasture raised is also an option. Check your labels!

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Wrap your dates with bacon. My method is to take a slice of bacon, wrap it around one date until the bacon just overlaps. Take that piece and cut with clean scissors - or you can use a knife - scissors work best though

After cutting your first slice of bacon- use that as a size cheat for the rest of your bacon

Cut the rest of your bacon. I think it goes a lot faster when you cut the bacon and then wrap the dates. Find your own rhythm and stick with it

Use a toothpick to hold the bacon

Line a cookie/baking sheet with foil. You will want to use a cookie sheet with sides. It will get messy with the bacon grease. Or make some sort of foil boat (not necessarily as perfect as the ones pictured- but you get the gist) 

Place each date on your baking sheet- do not let them touch or else they will stick together while baking. Not the worst thing to happen but still a pain!

Bake for around 20 minutes ** - or until the bacon has rendered much of its fat and begins to crisp up

** You may need to flip the dates half way through baking

I think they are a bit better still warm- they are still delicious cool though

Enjoy!!

-- All the best