World Chocolate Day is tomorrow and there is no reason you can’t indulge even if you are on a diet. Today we have some World Chocolate Day – Healthy Chocolate Options courtesy of the nutritionists at the leading training and nutrition app, Freeletics. These recipes are exactly what you need to indulge your sweet tooth without the guilt. Share the images of your favorite southern sweets on social media with the hashtag #blacksouthernbelle
World Chocolate Day – Healthy Chocolate Options
Is chocolate your weak spot? The food you hate to love? The thing is, if you cut out the sugar found in chocolate products, it’s not actually so bad for you. Great news for every health conscious chocolate lover.
The healthy recipe: First melt ½ cup coconut oil. Then stir in ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix until it’s well blended, pour into mold and chill in the freezer for an hour. If you want extra flavour, add orange zest, peanut butter or even chili to the mix before you freeze it.
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Frozen bananas and creamy avocados give this decadent dessert its silky smooth texture. It‘s also totally guilt-free and good for you.
Our tip: Make sure the avocado and banana are perfectly ripe for maximum flavour.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 1 frozen ripe banana, peeled
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
- 1 chilled, ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth, stopping when needed to scrape down the sides. Add more almond milk if you find the mixture too thick.
- Spoon the mousse into a bowl and garnish as desired – we recommend sprinkling with cacao nibs, coconut flakes or crushed macadamias.
Snickers PorridgeYou can’t start your day without a big portion of crunchy chocolate muesli for breakfast? Watch out, this is a real sugar trap. If you want to keep it sweet, try our Snickers Porridge. Here’s how it works:
Ingredients:
- 50g fine oats
- 200 ml almond milk (unsweetened)
- 1 tbsp (de-oiled) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp natural peanut butter
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 pinch salt
- 200g soy yogurt (unsweetened)
Heat up almond milk with a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Stir in oats and cocoa then leave to cook on low heat for approx. 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to form a thick puree. Take saucepan off stove and stir in the peanut and banana. Mash banana with a fork while folding it into porridge. Serve porridge alongside the soy yogurt.
The 5-rule-guide to clean cacao
Enjoy chocolate without having to compromise on your healthy diet, with these 5 tips.
Cacao beans are the source of all happiness. Chocolate, cocoa powder, cocoa butter: these are just some of the delicacies whose life begins as a cacao bean and ends in our favorite dish. We would like to say this love is based on all that natural goodness, but as usual, somewhere along the production line, additives like sugar and chemicals end up cancelling that goodness out. Lucky for you, we’re helping it make a comeback. Below you’ll find a 5-rule-guide to keeping your cacao clean and tasting mean:
#1 Keep it real, keep it raw
Didn’t know there was a difference between cacao and cocoa? You’re not the only one. Most people think cacao and cocoa are the same thing, but the difference lies in their nutritional value.
Cacao is raw and the purest form of “chocolate” you can find. It contains several vitamins and minerals like iron, antioxidants and calcium, which are known to lower blood pressure, protect against cell damage, regulate insulin levels, strengthen bones and even put us in a better mood.
Cocoa on the other hand, starts the same way cacao does – harvested from the cacao plant’s seed – but during processing, is heated at much higher temperatures, affecting the beans and degrading their nutrient content. It may be cheaper and easier to get your hands on, but you’ll struggle to find cocoa without added sugar, artificial sweeteners or high fructose sweeteners.
#2 Sugar-free please
Always check the ingredients list and ensure there is no added sugar to your cacao powder – it’s a no brainer.
#3 No foul play – fair trade only
Always choose fair trade. Especially with cacao, it’s not uncommon for child labour to be involved in the process. It might not affect the taste or nutritional value, but it’s an important movement we should all be backing. #playfair
#4 Always do dark
Calling all chocoholics…from now on, curb your cravings with dark chocolate. Why?
Firstly, because dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cacao and a lower percentage of milk compared to milk or white chocolate. In case you didn’t know, dairy limits the body’s ability to absorb the phytonutrients found in chocolate. And second, milk chocolate and white chocolate tend to have a higher sugar content.
Extra tip: When it comes to baking, try swapping chocolate chips for cacao nibs. They are by far the healthier option.
#5 DIY – do it yourself
If reading this is enough to make you stressed at the thought of how much time you’re likely to spend reading labels in the confectionery aisle, we have a solution: simplify things and make your own. All you need is raw, high quality cacao powder and coconut oil. You can also add dates, honey or another sugar alternative if it’s not sweet enough for you. Melt together in a pan over medium heat (amounts depend on your desired consistency – for thickness add more cacao powder and vice versa) and stir constantly until smooth. Drizzle this over your favorite fruit or sugar-free cake, or refrigerate and eat later on just like your favorite chocolate bar.
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