Real Food Lifestyle

Sinful Healthy Chocolate

Sinful Health Chocolate

My friend Lori Pederson posted this last Thursday on Facebook. "Save the Earth, it's the only planet with Chocolate."

I do so love chocolate.  Last year someone shared this recipe for healthy chocolate.  I've played with it and modified it, so I'm now claiming it as my own but truthfully there are several similar ones I found on the internet. So here's a recipe for totally healthy and totally sinful chocolate.

1 cup extra virgin organic expellar pressed coconut oil/raw
1/3 c organic raw almond butter
1/4 c almond meal – when I didn't have it I used ground flax seed meal and it worked great
6 Tbsp palm sugar or raw honey
1/4 c organic unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp liquid stevia or 1 tsp powdered stevia
1 tbsp organic vanilla
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 c raw cacao powder (chocolate)

½ cup walnuts

These days some folks are staying away from almonds because they are legally required to be treated with a chemical.  If you are, then substitute raw cashew butter or cashew and macadamia butter.

You can get truly raw almonds by buying them from the farm.  Walker Farms is at the Pasadena Farmer's Market.  Then, I recomend soaking the almonds in sea salt and sprng water (1 lb to 1 TBL sea salt) for 7 hours or so.  Afterwards dry them in a dehydrator until they are crispy.  My recipe for almond butter is also below.

Crispy Almond Butter

1 cup crispy almonds  (process in food processor until they start to let go of their oil - different for different almonds.  They will begin to come together as a mass rather than looking like ground nuts.  Once this has started add

1TBL coconut oil

1 tsp celtic or Himalayan sea salt (or to taste if you like things less salty)

Blend in processor until it's the consistency of almond butter.  If it seems too dry, add a touch more coconut oil.

Direction
melt coconut oil over very low flame until liquid
whisk in almond butter, cinnamon, stevia and agave
then vanilla
stir in cacao, almond meal or flax seed meal, coconut, hemp protein, one at a time
batter should run off the spoon
spoon into ice cube trays or candy trays

chill in freezer for about 15 min.
pops out and ready to eat!

Protein Wrap HOT DOGS?

It's not popular to admit it, but one of my favorite foods is the hot dog.  I remember getting foot long hot dogs at the King Kone in Richlands, Virginia.  Man, were those hot dogs amazing -- really they were chili dogs and I liked mine with tons of mustard and onions.  It was a total shock the first time I ordered a hot dog at a Howard Johnsons about 50 miles away and was served this bare bun with a naked weenie staring back at me.

There used to be a place in Old Town Pasadena that had build your own hot dogs, but they are gone.  I tried Pinks over in Los Angeles and while they were okay, the could not match the King Kone's Chili Dogs.  I just heard of a new place, Let's Be Frank that has grass fed beef hot dogs with no hormones, or any of that other bad stuff.  I've not had a chance to sample them, and I'm pretty sure they don't have chili, but I do think they have sauerkraut which is another fav of mine.  They are located at the Helms Bakery Complex in Culver City. The day I went by, I got there too late, so if you are interested, check the web link above for their times. 

Soon I'll check them out an let you know.  But, now, to my new invention, the Protein Wrap Hot Dog.

At In and Out Burger and other restaurants, you can get a protein wrap burger --if you want to cut the bread or be gluten free. 

Yesterday I created a protein wrap hot dog using these huge broccoli and cauliflower leaves growing in my back yard.  What a treat.  This beautiful green leaf, with a natural all beef hot dog, mayo, mustard, onions, and a touch of chili or sauerkraut.  Wrap it up and it's a divine and healthy lunch.  No bread, no gluten, just protein, veggie and a little organic mayo.  Try it and let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear all about your versions of my new invention.

Joys of a Winter Garden -- Fresh Mixed Greens with Pomegranate Vinaigrette for Lunch

I'm supposed to be doing 5 other things.  My whole schedule is askew.  After what seems like days of rain, there's sun out there and so I ventured into my backyard garden.  Everything has grown inches in the last few days.  Ever noticed how much better rain works as compared to a garden hose? 

As I looked at everything, I started picking some flowers from the arugula so it wouldn't bolt, and then a leaf or two from the nappa cabbage just to see what it tasted like in a salad.  Nibbling on raw leaves as I went, I also gathered some swiss chard, wild dandelions, and mustard green leaves.  Glancing around I saw that the rabi was flowering and bolting as well, so I picked the flowers from that.  One huge leaf from the cauliflower and one from the broccoli and I was content, for the moment,with my mixed greens. Then I came in and immediately washed and tore them up into one of my handmade pottery salad bowls.  The stems from the cauliflower and broccoli leaves seemed a bit large for the salad, so I just began to much on them while I continued to create.  As I was writing just now I realized how wonderful they would be with peanut butter or almond butter, but in the moment I just used a vinaigrette that I had made earlier in the week. 

A taste of that regular vinaigrette told me I wanted something more special for the salad.  So I modified a recipe I had for a pomegranate vinaigrette.  Wow!  What a lunch! 

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1 tbl lemon juice

3 tbls pomegranate juice

1 tspn pomegranate molasses

1 small clove garlic minced

1/2 tspn salt

liberal grind of mixed peppers from Trader Joes

4 tbl virgin Olive Oil