So. I made this raw chocolate out of cacoa nibs, coconut oil and agave -- which is the basis of all raw chocolate, including the above which you can purchase -- but why bother, because it is a piece of cake (no chocolate!) to make.
The first day I couldn't stop eating it. I mean, this stuff is crazy.
And I didn't sleep for three days.
I am very sensitive to caffeine, and I have no idea what the caffeine content is in raw cacoa, but it must be mad crazy, because I was zinging for hours. So I had some at 7 this morning, thinking I'd be safe. (I looked it up and it says that raw chocolate contains very little caffeine. So I react to something else then! Cuz I wasn't dreaming I wasn't sleeping!)
But wowsa! I am so hyped up -- so, so ... HAPPY! I mean seriously, I can't keep my lips from turning upwards into a smile. It's kind of weird. In a good sort of way.
And I can't keep still! I have to DO something.
Anyway, the thing is, chocolate is good for you. At least THIS chocolate is. We're not talking Three Musketeers bars here, we're talking raw chocolate fresh from the nut.
The nut?
Yes, chocolate comes from a nut, which grows on a tree. A very odd tree. And another cool thing about chocolate is that it is ALWAYS in season. There is no chocolate nut season, the nuts grow all year long. The theory for this is that we NEED chocolate all the time!
I am hip with that.
So money doesn't grow on trees -- but chocolate does! Life is good.
This is the tree and the nuts are inside the fruit (pods). These trees grow in tropical rainforests in South America, Malaysia and Africa.
these are the nuts.
The cacoa pods take five to six months to ripen. On a typical plantation the pod is cut open with a machete and the beans are removed (there are approximately 45 beans per pod). The beans are then covered with banana leaves and left to ferment for five days, which reduces the bitterness and enhances the chocolate flavor. Then they are left to dry in the sun ... and that's it! Then they are sent off to cacoa buyers and processors.
ALL chocolate is made from these beans. But the chocolate bars that you buy, for the most part, contain not one iota of the cacoa bean. Unless you indulge in real chocolate, you are not receiving any of the following benefits:
Raw cacoa has the highest anti-oxidant properties of ANY food in the world! It has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties, it is a good source of magnesium, sulphur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, manganese and some B vitamins.
Sulfur helps build strong hair and nails, promotes healthy and beautiful skin, helps detoxify the liver and helps healthy functioning of the pancreas.
I could go on ... but the bottom line is, it's a superfood. Now ... you can find information out there that chocolate is a toxic and dangerous substance and that it will do harmful things to your body and become addictive. But I've only found one source claiming this and countless others touting the wonders and joy of chocolate.
Since I have been experiencing the mood-lifting benefits of the crazy cacoa wonder all morning, I am less inclined to believe that it is bad for me. I do know that if I eat too much of it or too late in the day I won't sleep. There is no argument from me that it is a stimulant. But what is wrong with feeling fabulous every now and again? As for addictive ... well. I can choose not to eat it and have since those sleepless nights!
But it sure does taste good.
Here is a raw fudge recipe that is super easy and will have you swinging from the chandelier and smiling despite yourself!
Raw Fudge
1/2 cup raw chocolate powder (raw cacoa powder)
1/2 cup raw coconut butter (oil)
1/2 cup raw honey
All of these ingredients can be found at a health food store or in most grocery stores.
Mix all ingredients in a pan (warm it slightly if necessary as the coconut butter/oil will be a solid as will the honey)
Press into a 5X5 container and then chill in the fridge for an hour.
And then ... swoon!
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