May 11, 2012
RAWKIN’ RECIPE: Dark Mexican Chocolate Crunch Bark
what’s Mexican chocolate without the chili? Coming back from Bali with my raw cacao haul had me engaged full throttle in chocolate alchemy. My resident Vitamix blender cranks out to live for chocolate elixirs with different superfoods and whenever I feel up to it, chocolate cups with almond butter, chocolate bark in all sorts of flavors. There are days I feel like having cardamom, some days mint, some days a generous sprinkling of buckwheat crunchies, and some days, I like it unadulterated pure dark chocolate. And today, I like it hot and crunchy…muy caliente! Loving to have more buckwheat crunchies (rice crispies is basically devoid of any nutrition and obviously not raw so I choose to use buckwheat groats instead. Please see link below to see the health benefits) and inspired by my favorite cup of hot chocolate (thick hot chocolate made with tablea with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne), I made this bark to share with fairies tomorrow. SOFTWARE: 250 g raw cacao butter (or 1 1/4 cup melted cacao butter or virgin coconut oil) 1 1/2 cups cacao powder 1 1/3 cups buckwheat crunchies 3/4 cup coconut sugar seeds of 1 vanilla pod 1 tablespoon lecithin 4 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4-3/4 teaspoon cayenne powder, optional 1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt HOW TO: Shave or shred cacao butter and melt it in a double boiler, making sure the temperature is comfortably warm to the touch until it melts to a pool of liquid. This is very important especially when working with raw cacao butter to preserve enzymes. In the clean super dry blender, add everything (except for the buckwheat crunchies) and blend until smooth, stopping after every three to five minutes of blending, rest for three to five. Blend in stages. Make sure the temperature stays comfortably warm. Blending the mixture continuously will generate a lot of heat. Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper or use 2 dehydrator sheets with teflex. Divide the buckwheat crunchies and chocolate mixture onto two sheets. Make sure all buckwheat crunchies are coated with chocolate and spread the mixture to the sides. Put in the freezer for a few minutes. Once the chocolate hardens, break into shards and keep in an airtight container to keep moisture out. Keep in the freezer if you live in a tropical country. Enjoy!... read more
May 10, 2012
Thoughtful Thursday: Is there such a thing that’s truly ours?
photo from xaxor.com Today I went through the massive repository of photos with quotations which at certain points in my life sparked bundles of cells inside. This time, it’s Steve Jobs, the visionary behind Apple and Pixar–more importantly, he was a devoted father and adoring husband. I love Steve Jobs. Not because he developed the iPhone, iPad, iPod, etcetera but because he was an ever seeing eye, observing so many simple things invisible to most people. He was also one of the rare kids who survived adulthood. Steve always saw the connection between two points and brings it to life so we can all purchase it at $300 a pop at an average. In his last days on a hospital bed, he continued to design products to give hospital patients the best of the Apple experience. He is by virtue, a connector of truths delivered in packages people make cults out of.So, what is my point? If one of the greatest visionaries in the world said creative people didn’t really do anything but just saw something, then why do we give so much value on receiving credit and giving credit when it’s due? At the end of it all, it’s not his or hers or ours, it has always been something that was already there long before anyone recognized its existence. The only credit we ought to give and receive is for seeing, not for creating. After all, how can you create anything that already exists? So what if someone copied your invention? Someone else is bound to invent it anyway. So what if someone took your post and posted it without your permission? You just penned down what you saw, not what you own. So what if they didn’t mention your name? You know you did that anyway. So why fuss? Smile. Know and be grateful that you’ve seen as most hearts take... read more
