dessert

Minted Chocolate

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I just got done with a whirlwind kitchen session.  There was a ton of the good kind of multi-tasking going on in there.

I made

Yogurt

Kombucha

Nettle tea

Lentils

Carrot Cake

Laundry Detergent (more on that tomorrow-the inaugural load is spinning right now!)

Salad

And MINT CHOCOLATE BARK!

I’m on a kick and although the kitchen has been mostly sugar-free in 2012 it has been full of chocolate!

This bark is pretty painless to throw together and really tasty.

In a bowl I combined 2 tablespoons local, raw honey with just under a 1/4 of a teaspoon mint extract.

In a double boiler I melted 4 squares (4 ounces) of unsweetened baking chocolate.

If I was not such a lazy cook I probably would have chopped and  tempered the chocolate for better results…but I didn’t.

I did make sure to take the pot off the heat before the chocolate was completely melted and stir it until smooth, that’s kind of like tempering right?

Anyways, to the chocolate I added the honey-mint mixture and a pinch of coarse salt and quickly stirred to incorporate completely.

Honey and chocolate have an interesting interaction: together they form a sort of dough.    Work quickly to smooth the dough onto a silpat or parchment paper with a rubber spatula or your hands (it won’t stick to your hands).

Looks like bark!

You can score it with a butter knife or just break it up once it’s cool.

Set in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to harden then break into pieces.  I store my bark in a mason jar in the cabinet.

I gave Tate a piece to Tate taste test without any hint as to the special ingredient.  His eyes lite up big and he said “whoa, what is that?”.  Super minty.  Super chocolaty.  Super sugar-free goodness.   My favorite part is the lingering mint breath.

Almond Delight

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When I broke up with sugar I had no intention of

A. never “going there” again

B. forgoing sweet treats, especially of the dark, rich, chocolatey variety

As for A, sugar and I hung out over the weekend at a friend’s birthday party.  It was kind of like getting it on with an ex, it felt good at the time but also made me realize I’m not missing anything without it.

As for B, I love a little sweet something nearly everyday (at least once a day) and when it comes to chocolate-the less sweet the better.

I am a huge fan of using cocoa to get my chocolate on, as evidenced in recipes for Sweet But Not Refined Chocolate Torte, Chocolate Ganache Pie, Coconut Oil Truffles, and Berry Bliss Tarts, just to name a few, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized I could also use unsweetened baking chocolate for a sugar free fix.

Sugar’s not the devil or anything, I just don’t want to eat it everyday and we’ve already established that I do want to eat chocolate everyday. So yesterday I made up these chocolates, which supply a lovely dose of Omega-3’s, lauric acid, and antioxidents.  As a bonus, the anti-microbial and anti-viral properties of both honey and coconut can help ward off colds and flus, which makes these some hard working chocolates.

These may remind you of another kind of candy, a trademarked kind…we’ll just call these little guys…coconut joy?

Or how about

Almond Delight

Makes ~8 little two bite sized chocolates

Gather your natural, whole food ingredients;

  • about a dozen raw almonds
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon good quality, local honey*
  • tiny pinch of salt
  • 2 squares unsweetened bakers chocolate

Chop nuts coarsely in the food processor or by hand and set aside.  Pulse coconut, chia seeds, salt and honey in a food processor until it becomes sticky and starts to clump together, about 2 minutes but you may need to scrape the sides a few times during the process.  Add the nuts and pulse a few times to incorporate.

With wet fingers, form 8 little squares with the coconut mixture.  Really squeeze it and mash it together here to form the inside of the candy.

Set squares on a plate or tray (or Silpat like mine) and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to make firm.

After the 10 minutes is up, remove from freezer and melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or microwave.  If melting chocolate in the microwave keep a close eye on it and remove when there’s still a little hard chocolate left then stir until fully melted and creamy.

One at a time, dip each coconut square into the melted chocolate and completely cover.  The best utensil here is your fingers so make sure they’re clean and don’t be afraid of a little hot chocolate.  Place each freshly covered candy on a Silpat tray or a plate with foil on it.

Once all the candies are coated, place the plate/tray into the fridge until the chocolate is cool and solid, at least 5 minutes.

My mind is swirling with ideas about what to coat in chocolate next…

P.S If you are interested in doing more (free!) yoga, Yoga Journal is kicking off a 21 day yoga challenge TODAY.  Everyday for the next 21 days they are sending participants a link to a yoga class and mediation practice, which you can do at home.  There are two tracks, newbie and not newbie so you can pick your level.  I received my first e-mail today for the not newbie track but I haven’t done the practice yet.  I believe they are all relatively short so that it’s realistic to fit it into your day, 21 days in a row!