Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’
Brown Rice Almond Crispies- Gluten Free Treats
I got home earlier than usual after my acupuncture appointment today I decided to make my husband something for 
dessert. He is omitting gluten for two-weeks after years of my nudging. He has a number of digestive problems (we are perfect for each other), but his seem to be related to running and the jarring effect that it has on his intestines. Anyways, I just have always thought that it was worth him giving it a try. And talk about a change in lifestyle for a man who considers himself a foremost authority on bagels.
These treats are a much healthier alternative to the classic recipe. You could really add any nuts or dried fruit that you like, and even pieces of dark chocolate!
Brown Rice Almond Crispies
- 1 tsp virgin coconut oil
- 1 C Brown Rice Syrup (I like Lundberg
- 4 Tbs Almond Butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 C Unhulled Sesame Seeds
- 1/3 C Almond Meal
- 6 C Brown Rice Cereal- Gluten Free (make sure you check b/c they often contain barley malt)
Put coconut oil in Large Pot on the stove on low heat. Add Syrup and almond butter and melt together. When fully combined, add in Sesame Seeds and Almond Meal. Turn heat off , add Vanilla, and stir well. Add in Cereal and mix to coat thoroughly. Wet hands and pat mixture into 9 x 13″ pan. Cool at room temperature to let set. Cut when cool.
For a more decadent dessert: melt dark chocolate in a double boiler (place bowl over pot of simmering water). Pour dark chocolate over the rice crispies and let cool to set up.
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For the Love of Chocolate
Dark chocolate is my favorite dessert. Often I have a double whammy of my homemade cocoa with a few squares of premium chocolate. The irony is that I never liked chocolate until after I discovered that I was allergic to gluten. I’m not sure why, I just hated the waxy consistency and felt like it was over-dominant and overly sweet. Even as a child I always gravitated to the more subtle flavors like cinnamon or vanilla.
Actually what made the difference was all the chocolate research and tasting that I did for my cookie recipes. I became obsessed with chocolate production, with cocoa mass content, with the purity of the ingredients and with the absence of soy lecithin…. something that I very much contribute (along with low quality milk solids) to the waxiness of my childhood Halloween candies.
It’s no secret that cacao is a superfood. The bean is high in antioxidants and a delicious source of minerals… including IRON. Next time you are shopping for dark chocolate, look at the nutrition label and check the iron count. The brands vary, but all the bars that have a high cocoa content should supply a really decent amount of iron! It by far my favorite iron-rich foods… pumpkin seeds are second!
So, I thought I would share some of my favorite eating and baking chocolates…. (a note of disclaimer: the darker the better for me!) And although there are some lovely raw chocolates, they don’t have the complexity of flavor that I find from some of these amazing chocolate gurus. Here are my faves in order for least intense to most hard-hitting.
1) Sweet Earth Baking Chocolate- 65% Big Baking Chips
Small chocolate producer in the Bay area. These are the big chips I used in the Sift Bakery Double Chocolate cookies. They are organic and Fair Trade Certified, vegan and soy free! They have a number of other quality items too. These were my snack during long days at the bakery!
Just the right amount of bitter bite and smooooth. When this goes on sale at New Seasons, I buy a case full. This bar is truly astounding. Organic with just three ingredients: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, raw cane sugar. They have an Allergy note on the website, saying that the machines are cleaned to a very high standard. I have never had a problem with these and I am very sensitive. There are many other chocolate bars that I’ve tried and won’t eat again because of reactions, but these feel very clean to my system. Chock it up to German fastidiousness.
3) Theo Chocolate’s Venezuela 91% Bar
This company is from Seattle and it rocks. The Origin Bars all have distinct flavors, like fine wines or coffees where you feel you are tasting the nuances in the soils from different regions of the world. hmmm. And 91% is just hardcore, but not bitter. I love it. The higher the cocoa content, the less I feel like I need to satisfy the jones. No soy, no dairy, it’s beautiful!
4) Michel Cluizel’s Noir Infini 99% Bar
OK, I admit that 99% cocoa content sounds extreme, and maybe it is… but this bar is sweeter than expected. The first time I bought a tiny square of it at Portland’s chocolate boutique (HEAVEN) Cacao, I was expecting it to taste like chomping on a square of baker’s chocolate. Was I wrong! The Noir Infini is an intense experience and not for the mainstream snicker’s addict… but it is a cocao-lover’s dream. In addition to a tiny amount of sugar, it contains bourbon vanilla, a hint of orange and undisclosed spices. Lucky for me I can’t taste the orange, I just taste intensity.
Here’s my cocoa recipe again:
1-2 TBS Raw Cocoa (I love Nativas Naturals)
pinch celtic sea salt
2 packets stevia (I love NuNaturals)
6-8 oz Hot H2O
2 oz Coconut Milk (like SoDelicious- I use the unsweetened)
optional: sprinkle of cayenne or cinnamon or both!
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Sweet Sweet Cacao
Awe, my addiction has a new outlet…. of course, I’m talking about chocolate. Ian thinks I’m crazy- it’s too bitter for him (he hates coffee and IPA and Kombucha too). But, somehow my tastes just keep getting more extreme. I’ve been munching on 99% cacao bars from Michel Cluizel! They are stocked by our local gourmet chocolate boutique named Cacao. I guess you could say I’m like a kid in a candy store there. Cacao presents chocolate like fine wines, olive oils, or coffees. Maybe you could call them the Chocolate Stumptown. They specialize in thick, unbelievably rich “drinking chocolates” that almost resemble hot pudding. My favorite is made with coconut milk and exotic spices that feeds my need for cayenne laced coco-ness.
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Lastest Addictions
