February « 2006 « ForkBytes

Creamy Chocolate Milkless Mousse

Note: this piece first appeared in the February 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

You won’t believe this amazingly simple, delicious dessert is actually good for you! Silken tofu is available in aseptic, shelf-stable packages in the macrobiotic/Asian section of natural foods markets. Grain-sweetened chocolate chips are also at natural foods markets (in the baking aisle).

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup chocolate chips (grain-sweetened if desired)
1/2 cup coconut, hazelnut, or almond milk
1 12.3-ounce package firm or extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or to taste)
1/4 cup cacao nibs (optional)
berries for garnish (optional)

Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut, hazelnut, or almond milk in a double boiler or in the microwave on a slow, reduced heat. Cool briefly. Add the tofu, melted chocolate, vanilla, and maple syrup to a blender or food processor and process until completely smooth. Place the mixture in a serving container and refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Serve topped with cacao nibs and berries, if using.

Try these delicious variations:
Mexican Chocolate Mousse: Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon before blending. Serve with cinnamon sticks.

Chocolate Mousse Pie: Chill the blended mixture in a prepared pie crust.

Double Chocolate-Raspberry Parfait: Layer the mousse and nibs with fresh raspberries.

Food Focus: Chocolate

Note: this piece first appeared in the February 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

No food is more celebrated, more luxurious, or more mysterious than chocolate. Its rich, deep color and complex, sensual flavor have enchanted men and women for centuries. The latest research on chocolate touts its health benefits, but early cultures were enjoying this amazing superfood long before there were scientists, laboratories, and research grants. A sacred beverage made from toasted cacao was enjoyed by the pre-Columbian Mayans, and some historians and anthropologists believe the Olmecs, an earlier pre-Columbian people, were the first to domesticate the cacao tree.

Pure chocolate contains several beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants that are preventive for cancer and other diseases. Consuming chocolate stimulates production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which in turn create feelings of happiness, pleasure, and satisfaction. Chocolate is our best source of magnesium, which is important for heart health and beneficial for hormonal support, especially for women. So be sure to get your chocolate every day!

The best way to eat chocolate is in its raw, unadulterated form. Our recipe of the month uses raw cacao and is amazingly delicious! If the raw chocolate is too intense for you, or if you want some other great options, look for organic, high-quality, refined sugar–free dark chocolate. Dairy products, white sugar, and hydrogenated fats can inhibit the absorption of the antioxidants in chocolate, so pure dark chocolate is best. Savor and enjoy!

Be Your Own Valentine: 5 Ways to Nurture Your Primary Relationship

Note: this piece first appeared in the February 2006 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Welcome to February! This month is all about red and pink and hearts and flowers. The focus is on love and taking special time to cultivate romance. But in this month of conversations about relationships, we often forget our primary relationship is with ourselves. Nurturing this relationship is as important if not more important than nurturing other relationships. Self-love and self-care are the keys!

I’ve shared my favorite tips for self-care and nurturing for a loving primary relationship below. Challenge yourself to try all five ideas this month — and let me know how it goes!

1. Indulge yourself. Think of one thing you could do in the next 48 hours that would excite and inspire you. What would be really juicy, fun, and nurturing for you? Maybe you’d like to relax in a candlelit bubble bath with your favorite essential oils and a glass of white wine. Maybe you’d love an invigorating walk through a beautiful park in the brisk, chilly winter air. Maybe you’d enjoy curling up in your favorite PJs with a soft blanket, a warm cup of tea, and a great novel. Once you’ve made up your mind, make a plan to do it!

2. Use the good china. Set a place for yourself at a table every time you eat, and use real dishes, flatware, and napkins. Your “good stuff” shouldn’t be reserved for company. You are worth it!

3. Wear your best underwear. In the same spirit as Tip #2, you are worth it! Even if you’re the only one who ever sees it, that fancy underwear can make you feel fabulous. (By the way, this applies to gentlemen as well as ladies!)

4. Journal. Journaling is the most effective tool I’ve found for draining out negative self-talk from your inner chatterbox. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or sentence structure. Just let the words flow.

5. Make a play date. Remember how much fun you had in art class in elementary school? Why not make some construction paper cutouts, crayon drawings, or finger-paint masterpieces? Or, enjoy a special excursion to a playground for some quality time on the jungle gym. Spending time with your inner child is incredibly nurturing and healing!

Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

Note: this piece first appeared as the February 2006 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 1 to 2

This delicious, energizing smoothie is better than any cup of coffee! It’s smooth, creamy, and sweet, but it’s completely dairy- and refined sugar–free. A perfect dessert, afternoon pick-me-up, or breakfast! A high-speed blender is best for this recipe, but a regular blender will work as long as it can crush ice.

Raw cacao nibs are seeds from the actual cacao tree. Larger natural foods markets carry them, or you can buy them online at rawfood.com. Agave nectar, a delicious alternative sweetener from the agave cactus, is also available at natural foods stores in the baking section with other sweeteners. Nut milks are available in natural foods stores and many larger grocery stores.

2/3 to 3/4 cup plain hazelnut or almond milk
3 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar
pinch sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 a frozen banana
15 to 20 ice cubes
fresh mint and/or whole cinnamon sticks for garnish

Combine nut milk, cacao, agave, sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and banana in a blender and process until completely smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary. Add ice and blend again until smooth and frosty. Pour into glasses and garnish with mint and/or cinnamon sticks. Serve immediately.

See step-by-step photos of this dish!

Mexican Cacao Smoothie

Step-By-Step: Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

For written instructions, see the original post: Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

This delectable and healthful recipe was inspired by raw foods chef extraordinaire Claudine Stone — although my version is not 100% raw. Feel free to experiment and adjust to your tastes and needs!

Start with 2/3 to 3/4 cup nut milk (I’m currently really into this hazelnut milk, but almond milk is also very delicious!). You can use rice or soy milk if you prefer — just be sure to use a plain version without refined sugar. Place your nut milk in a blender. A high-speed blender (such as a Vita-Mix, K-Tec, or Blendtec) is preferable, but a regular blender will work, too, as long as it can crush ice.

nut_milk

Next, add about 3 tablespoons raw cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are pieces of the chocolate bean or seed from the cacao tree. You can buy them at rawfood.com. These things are amazing — a real chocolate experience like no other! Real cacao will really satisfy your chocolate cravings without any commercial dairy, sugar, or other undesirables found in standard candy bars. Now, if you really don’t want to get some cacao nibs, you can also try some grain-sweetened chocolate chips, such as Sunspire. But trust me on this one… the cacao is worth it!

cacaonibs

My favorite sweetner for this smoothie is agave nectar. Agave has the consistency and sweetness of honey, but it’s much lower on the Glycemic Index and therefore causes less of a blood sugar rush (translation: no sugar crash an hour or two after eating agave!). Sweeten to taste (for me, this is about one to two tablespoons agave).

agave_nectar

If you’d like, you can add some maca powder (I use about 1/2 a teaspoon). Maca is actually a root vegetable — very strengthening and grounding and wonderful for stamina. It’s available as a supplement in powdered form in your health food store or from rawfood.com, so you can pick some up to try when you get your cacao nibs!

maca_powder

Add a pinch of sea salt, 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (my secret ingredient!) to the blender and process until completely smooth. Observe as the mixture turns a deep chocolate brown! Taste and adjust as necessary (not sweet enough? Add more agave. Not chocolatey enough? Add more cacao. Can’t taste the cinnamon? You need a little more!).

blending

Add about 15 to 20 ice cubes and blend again until smooth and frosty. Keep adding ice and blending until you reach your desired consistency.

iceblending

Garnish with mint leaves and/or cinnamon sticks and serve immediately! Enjoy!

smoothie

Quote of the Month

“Don’t forget to love yourself.”

—Søren Kierkegaard

ForkBytes

Grab life by the fork

Creamy Chocolate Milkless Mousse

Food Focus: Chocolate

Be Your Own Valentine: 5 Ways to Nurture Your Primary Relationship

Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

Step-By-Step: Cinnamon Cacao Smoothie

Quote of the Month

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