Sometimes I want to eat chocolate. Just
chocolate… Nothing else… And A-LOT of it. Yep, I’m definitely human! When I’m
sitting there eating my chocolate, I think about the creamy richness. I think
about it melting away to nothing in my mouth, and then I think about having
another one… And... Another one.
I used to feel bad about enjoying
chocolate. I knew that while I was ‘self soothing’, I was also feeling guilty
about that huge load of refined sugar, fat and additives that I DID NOT NEED… And then there were these things called HIPS that liked to appear out of
nowhere and say “HELLO!” (that’s code for: “HELL-NO!”) every time I indulged!
It’s a continuous cycle: With that first
bite, everything is just glorious and chocolate (or should I say SUGAR) is the
star! The sweet stuff becomes the life of the party. At the end of the
celebration, you feel like you’ve been ‘gate-crashed’ and all you want is for
that low-energy-crappy-feeling to LEAVE!
But WHY? Does it really have to be that
way?
Can’t we just POP A CHOC when we feel like
it and survive the aftermath?
I’ll be honest…
"Yes" (In Sean Connery’s voice)
"Yes, You can". (With Sean Connery’s
‘serious face’ too)
"Do it now… Go forth and POP A CHOC!"
Because I have the perfect solution… My
Vanilla Maple Pecan Delights!
These little beauties are filled with:
-
Pecans: lowers heart disease
risk, are high in fibre, contains unsaturated fat and over 19 minerals and
vitamins.
-
Cinnamon: stabilizes blood
sugar, contains highly potent polyphenol antioxidants, is anti-fungal and
anti-bacterial.
-
Vanilla: contains numerous
anti-oxidants including vanillic acid and vanillin.
-
Maple Syrup: manganese, zinc,
iron, calcium and potassium.
-
Coconut Oil: stops sugar
cravings, boosts metabolism, supports immunity and aids digestion.
-
Unhulled Tahini: protein (more
than milk), rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and calcium.
!!! Jackpot !!!
VANILLA
MAPLE PECAN DELIGHTS
Dairy free, Gluten Free, Grain Free,
Refined Sugar Free.
Makes 16-18 mini cupcake-sized chocolates.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Setting Time: 30 minutes
Fat & Calories: Who cares when you’re
eating fantastically healthy! Come on!
Ingredients:
1 whole vanilla pod deseeded
½ cup of organic cacao butter
1 teaspoon of organic ground cinnamon*
1 ½ cups of pecans roughly chopped
½ cup of organic virgin coconut oil*
½ cup of organic cacao powder*
1/3 cup of organic 100% unhulled tahini
3 tablespoons of maple syrup (can add more
according to preference)
Tiny sprinkle of Peruvian Pink Salt*
Method:
1.
Remove the seeds from the
vanilla pod. Run the knife from one end of the pod to the other, so that the
pod is halved lengthways. Take one vanilla pod half, and scrape the blade along
the inside edge of the pod to collect the seeds. Do this with the other half.
Cut the deseeded pod halves across the middle, so that you also have 4 pod
strips.
2.
Place the vanilla seeds and pod
strips into a glass jug.
3.
Along with the vanilla, add the
cacao butter and cinnamon to the same jug.
4.
Melt the cacao butter over the
stove by placing the glass jug in a saucepan of simmering water. The vanilla and cinnamon will infuse into the
cacao butter as it liquefies.
5.
Leave the butter to melt,
stirring occasionally.
6.
Roughly chop the pecans. Line
up your chocolate moulds on a tray. Evenly distribute the chopped pecans
amongst the moulds. Save some whole pecans for decorating at the end.
7.
Return to the jug of melted
cacao butter. Remove the vanilla pods from the jug.
8.
Add the coconut oil, cacao
powder, tahini, maple syrup and pink salt to the melted cacao butter mixture.
9.
Continuously stir all
ingredients while the jug baths in the simmering water. Everything should be
completely dissolved and evenly combined.
10. Pour the chocolate mixture into the chocolate moulds.
11. Decorate the tops of the filled moulds with whole pecans.
12. Place the tray of chocolates in the fridge to set for at least 20
minutes.
13. Keep chilled until ready to eat. Remove the moulds and drizzle maple
syrup over the top (optional) before serving. Tastes and looks DIVINE! You can
also store these beauties in the freezer.
Now you can indulge for all the right
reasons! No guilt allowed!
Enjoy lovelies,
Candice. Xx
WHERE
TO FIND THE INGREDIENTS:
*You’ll find some of these wonderful
ORGANIC ingredients right here at the NourishMe Whole Heartedly online shop. YAY!
Like
this post? Visit our beautiful website – You’ll love it!
Nutritional Sources:
