Thursday, January 21, 2010

Beyond slacker, I am becoming shameless....

I just read on my neice Katy's blog Silly Tater Tot that her friend Katie (aka Chocolate Covered Katie ) is having a giveaway on her blog...and the prize is something I have ALWAYS dreamed of getting-- a vitamix (have you ever had frozen banana and almond 'ice cream' made with a vitamix--omg, to die for).

Anyway, I am shameless enough to do what Katie asks to get some extra entries in her contest. Post a chocolate covered recipe on my blog....so here you go, my favorite chocolate covered dessert or breakfast food depending on what you define as breakfast (definitely more healthy than a chocolate crouissant!) And this recipe is easy as pie so you might like it too.

First you have to start with good chocolate...that's a must and the darker the better, that is if you can stand DARK chocolate. Since I consider dark chocolate a necessary health food, I have no problem thinking this dessert, I mean breakfast is food! Read about chocolate sometime if you don't believe me--even raw foodist David Wolfe supports eating chocolate. In fact he even calls it a superfood . He's my kind of guy.

So to make this breakfast (aka dessert), which we have yet to name, you need only 4 ingredients...sounding better all the time right? And you don't even have to bake it.

Here are the ingredients I use...

--Dagoba chocolate bits --dark (though if I am making this for the kids I throw in some semi-sweet too so they will eat it--all dark is kind of strong)

--Organic unsweetened coconut flakes (superfood number two)

--Raw, unpasturized certified organic almonds from Anderson Almonds (a really sweet old man will sell them to you over the phone and they arrive nicely boxed and not irradiated just a few days later). Chop them well so they are nice little chunks--I do mine in the cuissinart.

--Chunks of coarse himalayan salt (or other good mineral filled salt)

To make: gently toast the almonds and coconut over low heat. I do them in separate pans because they take a different amount of time to toast. Then toss the nuts and coconut flakes together in a bowl. A raw foodie could skip this step and just ignore the fact that the chocolate has been cooked.

Melt the chocolate bits over low heat (I use about 1/2 -3/4 c. of chocolate to 2 cups of finely chopped almonds and coconut). You know right about using the lowest heat possible (or even a double boiler to melt chocolate so you don't temper it funny and change the taste).

Gently mix the warm chocolate into the nuts and coconuts and stir until the nuts/coconut mix is covered.

Place spoonfuls (your choice in size) of the choco-nut mix onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle with the coarse salt and chill.

I usually freeze them for about half an hour to an hour and then serve.

They go like hotcakes around here and since two of the four ingredients are superfoods, and the other two are healthful, I don't feel an ounce of pain eating them.

Now, if I only had a name for them, life would be complete. Any ideas?


2 comments:

  1. Little chunks of heaven? My mouth is watering and I don't think you're shameless at all, you are SMART!

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  2. Yum!
    Pattie's Pleasure Patty's? :-)
    Love your blog! Hope to see you this summer...

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