Move over Carnation Instant! This creamy, delicious smoothy is chocked-full of calcium and other bone building minerals, including omega-3 fatty acids.
Author: Victoria Laine
Serves:: 1 serving
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Ingredients:
1-11/2 frozen banana
2-3 ice cubes
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp hulled hemp seeds
1 tsp tahini (sesame butter)
4 oz water, or unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 tsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp blackstrap molasses
Directions:
Pre-freeze bananas in a freeze-able container (Peel bananas, break into 3 or 4 sections, and freeze for several hours. Will keep for several weeks.)
I love the fudgy texture of these brownies! ...and then there are the optional additions like dried chewy cherries! Yum! So simple or elegant...your choice!
Author: Victoria Laine
Recipe Type:: Snacks, Treats, Chocolate, Dessert
Serves:: 8-12 Brownies
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Ingredients:
DRY:
½ cup oat flour
½ cup cocoa powder
⅓ cup raw sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp chia seed flour
½ tsp cinnamon
WET:
½ cup prune puree
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla
GANACHE GLAZE:
½ cup dark chocolate - (70-85%)
2 Tbsp plant-milk (almond, coconut, soy, etc.)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare an 8”x8” pan by lining it with parchment paper.
In a medium-large bowl, blend together all dry ingredients, including any optional dry additions.
Mix together the prune puree and water, and any optional wet additions or replacements.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry blending well.
Fold in chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, or nuts.
Bake brownies for 22-25 minutes.
Allow to cool completely. (They will become firmer and chewier.)
GANACHE GLAZE:
Melt chocolate bar, chips, or chunks either in a microwave (30-60 seconds) or over a double broiler, stirring well.
Continue stirring as you add in the milk. Spread the melted chocolate over the top of cooled brownies and allow glaze to “set.”
These frozen bite size treats are a delicious cold delight. A creamy center with a chocolatey crunchy outer for summer days!! Allergic to nuts? Use hemp hearts (hulled hemp seeds) instead!
Author: Victoria Laine
Recipe Type:: Treats
Serves:: 10-12 Frozen Chocolate Banana Buds
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Total time::
Ingredients:
2 ripe medium-large bananas
10-12 popsicle sticks
½ cup chopped nuts (hazel, walnut, pecan), or hemp hearts, or cocoa nibs
½ cup dark chocolate bar or chips
Directions:
Prepare several hours in advance of serving to allow for freezing.
Line a baking sheet or a freezer-safe flat plate with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Peel and cut bananas into 1” pieces. Pierce each banana bud with a popsicle stick.
Place each banana bud, stick side up, on the prepared sheet and place in freezer for 50-60 minutes or more.
Chop nuts with a knife or in a food processor. Place in a shallow dish and set aside.
Melt chocolate in a microwave using 30-60 second spurts. Or, in a saucepan with an inch of water and a bowl or insert. (Don't allow steam or water to touch chocolate.)
Remove banana buds from freezer and roll each bud in melted chocolate until covered. Roll in chopped nuts or seeds. Repeat for each bud.
Place the coated chocolate banana buds back on sheet in freezer until chocolate sets. (Note: The more frozen the bananas, the quicker the melted chocolate will set.)
This rich, creamy, hot chocolate “tonic” pays homage to the Aztecs who first consumed cacao as a beverage. I love the idea of this warm delicious drink as a “therapeutic” beverage. Certainly it warms the heart as well as the body, especially if you sip it with someone you adore.
Author: Victoria Laine
Recipe Type:: Blissful Chocolate Beverage!
Serves:: 4 servings
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Ingredients:
15 oz can (425 ml) coconut milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cocoa powder
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup, pure honey or dry sweetener
pinch salt
Optional ingredients:
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract or
1 vanilla bean
4 slices fresh ginger root
pinch chili powder
1⁄2 tsp (2 ml) ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
1⁄2 tsp (2 ml) ground cardamom or coriander powder
1 tsp (5 ml) instant coffee (or chai tea bag)
NOTE:
To reduce fat content, other nut milks or soymilk can replace all or some coconut milk, but coconut is the smoothest, richest and most delicious.
OPTIONAL TREAT for SPECIAL OCCASIONS:
Top with SILKY WHIPPED CREAMY TOPPING and sprinkle with cinnamon or cocoa powder!
Directions:
Whisk together the coconut milk, cocoa, salt and sweetener and any optional ingredients, in a small pan over medium heat until steaming.
Pour into your favourite mug and sip slowly and mindfully, enjoying every mouthful of pure pleasure.
(Remove ginger root, teabag and cinnamon stick before serving.)
For the past seven Decembers since my first book, Health By Chocolate was published I’ve introduced chocolate loving readers to a recipe that has become world famous! My Healthy Turtle Bon Bons (pg.91 for those who own the book.) are chewy, crunchy, and a delicious blend of caramel and chocolate with pecans. Sound familiar?
From the national newspaper article …to the German doctor asking permission to republish it in his sports nutrition book ….to the latest email from a women I met last year in Mexico who writes “I’ve served your chocolate turtles to many happy eaters here!” …to the many unsuspecting samplers at book signings and workshops …chocolate lovers’ are always pleasantly surprised and then delighted to learn they can make these themselves in a matter of minutes!
Why have my Healthy Turtle Bon Bons become so popular?
flavor and texture …not only as good as their commercial counterparts …but many have exclaimed they “love them even better than the real ones.”
instead of feeling sugar-buzzed …you’ll feel calm, indulged, and maybe even a little sexy! (why not…that’s what sells now, right?!)
you can make up a batch and refrigerate…(in fact the coolness of refrigeration provides an even nicer chewiness to the carmel flavored dates.)
– there are many more virtues I could post about this Turtle Love…but I recommend trying them for yourself…then you can send me your own swooney email… (or better yet, post it down in the comments section here!)
So as the holiday approaches, do yourself and family a favor. Avoid the confectionary TURTLES[Ingredients: SUGAR, PECANS, GLUCOSE, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, COCOA BUTTER, COCOA MASS, MODIFIED PALM OIL, LACTOSE, SALT, SOYA LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVOUR] … and choose the delicious whole-food indulgence version instead. Your taste buds, your teeth, your hormones, …your whole body, will thank you for it!
HEALTH BY CHOCOLATE eBOOK! Then grab an eBook of Health By Chocolate to discover more whole-food chocolatey goodness.
JANUARY 2014! …And if you are ready to start the the new year overcoming your sugar addiction, join us for The Blissful Belly Healthy-Weight Day Retreat to learn more ways to easily swap out your favorites for just-as-delicious whole-food treats, enjoy optimal energy and health with a sustainable healthy weight…using food!
Chris Zdeb, CanWest News Service, National Post, Thursday, November 22, 2007
Chocolate has come to be demonized as the key ingredient in sinful desserts such as devil’s food cake. But for 95% of its 3,000 year history, chocolate was considered a health food.
In fact, it is very good for you and there’s a growing body of research to back that up, says holistic nutrition practitioner Victoria Laine.
Laine, who teaches an extension course on healthy food preparation at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, has written the book Health By Chocolate, which shows how to get the benefits of raw cacao — or raw chocolate — and the benefits of whole food ingredients, which are foods closest to their natural state.
She discovered the benefits of the dark side after depriving herself of chocolate for several years when she was in her twenties, and chocolate was thought to be triggering some of her health problems, including allergies and food sensitivity.
Studies have found that chocolate contains flavonols, compounds that reduce the stickiness of platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting. Chocolate also contains polyphenols, antioxidants similar to compounds found in fruit, vegetables, red wine and green tea, that help eradicate free radicals in the body thought to lead to heart disease, cancer and premature aging. In fact, it has a higher concentration of antioxidants than spinach, blueberries or green tea.
According to the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter, one study of the benefits of exercise found that men who eat chocolate in moderation live longer than those who eat none. Tannins in chocolate help prevent cavities, making chocolate better for teeth than other sweets.
Chocolate has the mood-elevating chemicals phenethylamine and anandamide, which activate receptors in the brain that cause feelings of excitement and well-being.
“It also boosts serotonin levels in the brain. Women typically have lower serotonin levels during PMS and menstruation, which may be why we typically experience craving for chocolate at that time,” Laine explains.
And contrary to popular belief chocolate does not cause acne, allergies, migraines or hyperactivity. It actually has much less caffeine than most people think, Laine says.
But all chocolate is not created equal.
For any health benefits, chocolate has to be at least 70% dark, Laine says. The higher the percentage of dark chocolate, the better. Chocolate’s bad rap comes from the highly refined sugars and poor-quality fats with which it’s partnered to make tasty confections such as commercial chocolate bars.
Laine is trying to improve chocolate’s street cred by mixing it up with natural healthful sweeteners like dried fruit — dates, prunes, apricots and avocados — that provide vitamins, minerals and fibre, a little maple syrup or honey, whole grain flours, nuts and seeds. But after adding all of these decidedly non-decadent items, it still tastes good? “Ooh, yes!”
Mmm, you love Turtles! But those tasty little creatures are packed with sugars and fats. Here’s Laine’s gooey alternative that offers the same satisfaction. Healthy Turtle Bon Bon Recipe
Hi, I'm Victoria Laine, whole-food educator, author, and health blogger.
My website is the home of all things delicious and nutritious, celebrating the pleasure of food and well-being.
You'll find recipes, menus, books, and courses, as well as private nutrition counseling for Celiac disease, inflammatory conditions, allergy eating, plant-based lifestyles, and more.
I'd love to hear from you if you have questions or suggestions!
