Sometimes you just need chocolate. Right?
One of the worst misconceptions of healthy eating is that it’s boring and no fun. It’s anything but. By my reckoning, I’ve eaten more chocolate and treat food since switching to a wholefood diet than I ever did before then.
The truth is, there are a gazillion sweet treats you can have that actually have some nutritional value, without the down side of processing, sugar and additives.
You can’t live off them alone. Even healthy sweets should be treated with respect. They might be packed full of goodness, but I don’t believe in eating them every day. Sweets are an every now and then thing because even too many of the good variety is not healthy.
But there are times when you just need chocolate!
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I don’t make a lot of this kind of thing, but sometimes I’ll whip up an experiment just to satisfy an urge. And yesterday I had an urge for a chocolate dip and thought I could treat the kids to an after-school surprise.
So I made this up – it was thick, and gooey and sticky. Oh so finger-licking-good. The type of sauce that sticks to the spoon, the roof of your mouth and your fingers. It’s nut free, refined-sugar free and dairy free. There is fructose in the dates, but they are loaded with fibre and nutrients, so that is the trade off for me.
Now I don’t measure quantities, I just throw the ingredients in, so you might need to adjust what’s here to suit your own tastes.
- 3 medjool dates, pitted
- 2 heaping tablespoons of raw cacao powder
- 2-4 tbs rice malt syrup (depending on how sweet you like it)
- A pour of coconut oil (I’m guessing about 3-4 tablespoons)
Pop it all into the food processor or blender and whiz away. This makes a small amount – enough to use as toppings or a little dipping treat for two kids and a mum! Let it settle after you’ve blended it before deciding if it needs more coconut oil. I really did just pour straight from the jar, so I can’t be sure how much went in.
I gave the kids apple slices to dip with, but I just snuck a couple of teaspoons straight from the bowl. You could add nuts, seeds or buckwheat grouts to add some crunch. Or add some shredded coconut and stir through for a coconut rough type of mixture.
As it has the coconut oil in it, I imagine it would harden up in the fridge – I didn’t get to test that as it was all gone before I could dish it up!
If you give it a go, do let me know what you think.
