Coconut Secret: Chocolate Bars Product Review

Recently I received a package from Coconut Secret, asking me to review their new line of chocolate bars. Since chocolate and coconut and two of my favorite things, I readily agreed. The bars come in 4 flavors, Coconut Macaroon Bar, Almond Coconut Bar, Mint Chocolate, and Classic Coconut. All all vegan, except the Macaroon bar, and they are also all gluten free. These bars have very little sugar, and of course the sugar used is coconut sugar. I decided to try the Mint Chocolate bar first and all I can say is.....DIVINE. Real mint flavor with real coconut, raw chocolate, my taste buds were tingling with all the different flavors coming my way. To say I loved this bar would be an understatement. I also found the bars to be filling in just a few bites, and decided to save the rest for later. I think you could easily eat off one bar for a week, just savoring each bite. I highly recommend checking these out. I imagine they are available at Whole Foods, and if not, ask your local Whole Foods or nature store to carry them.

I also requested to try the Coconut Flour. I found a brownie recipe that uses Almond Flour and just switched it out. Delicious! The one thing about using the coconut flour, is that you either have to mix with other flours, or if used on it's own the recipe must include eggs. I plan on getting a book on coconut flour recipes so I can make more deliciousness.

Coconut Flour Brownies

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules(optional)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 7oz baking chocolate, divided OR 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  Method:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together the almond flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, melt together 4 ounces of chocolate or a scant 1/2 cup chocolate chips with the butter.
  4. White the chocolate is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules if using.
  5. Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking until fully incorporated. Don’t go too fast so that the raw eggs don’t cook upon contact.
  6. Pour the chocolate mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix completely.
  7. Pour the batter in an 8 x 8 pan.
  8. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate and gently press it into the batter.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before cutting in.
     
     
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The Milk Revolution: Reviewing Non-Dairy Chocolate Milks

 In honor of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and his battle to get chocolate milk out of schools due to high sugar content, I thought I'd see how non-dairy milks compare.

• Pacific Chocolate Hazelnut Milk 15g of Sugar
• SoDelicous Chocolate Coconut Milk 10g of Sugar
• Blue Diamond Chocolate Almond Milk 20g of Sugar
• Blue Diamond Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk 0g of Sugar
• Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate 22g of Sugar
• Rice Dream Chocolate Milk 28g of Sugar
• Silk Chocolate Soy Milk 19g of Sugar
• Silk Light Chocolate 14g of Sugar
• Organic Valley Chocolate Soy Milk 16g of Sugar
• Eden Foods Chocolate Soy Milk 14g of Sugar

Yikes! Looks like there is plenty of sugar in non-dairy milks as well, so don't assume this is a healthy snack. Check out this video demonstration of how much sugar the LA school kids get each week by drinking chocolate milk. Pretty scary.



Do you drink any kind of chocolate milk? What one is your favorite? Will this info influence how often you reach for the milk?

Hello, My Name is Shanna and I am a Sugar Addict

I dream about chocolate. I make chocolate plans. I start to twitch when chocolate isn't near. I think about it hours before I know I'll "need" it, plotting, planning, making sure I'm never in a position where I don't have easy access to chocolate. I'm a chocoholic. I know part of it is the sugar, that addictive white powder that destroys immune systems with a grin.

This summer I'm attending a Vipssanna Retreat.  This 10 day experience includes a vow of silence, 4:30am rising time, 15 hours a day of deep meditation, and simple meals. This doesn't faze me. However, my Ego started to freak a few days ago when I realized that I would be going through a sugar detox during my experience. NO SUGAR NO CHOCOLATE FOR 10 DAYS!!! Yikes!

This is when I realized I need to get  a grip. At some point I am going to do some minor sugar detoxes before the retreat, however, until then I am vowing now to buy any more sugar for cooking. I have completely run out, so from here on out my baking needs will be experimenting with Stevia, Agave Nectar, Yacon Syrup, the new coconut sugar, etc. I will write a blog detailing the pros and cons of each alternative later in the week. For now, I'm going to drink a green smoothie and forget about those dark chocolate bars, lurking in the pantry.

Banana Cake With a Delectable Chocolate Frosting

Banana Cake With Delectable Chocolate Frosting
(from Sinfully Vegan by Lois Dieterly)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups oat flour (or ground oats)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 medium bananas, mashed with a fork
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/ cup applesauce
3 tsp flax powder
3/4 cup water
2 T whipped tofu
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, plus another 1/2 cup for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 8-inch round cake or 8-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray. 
2. Mash bananas in medium bowl with fork. Add maple syrup, applesauce, whipped tofu, and vanilla. Make a slurry (a thin mixture of liquid, usually water, combined with a finely ground substance) with flax powder and 3/4 cup water. Add flax/water to banana mixture.
3. In another bowl, mix oat flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Add chocolate chips and stir again, just to mix. Do not over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes or until sides pull away from the edge of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Delectable Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup cocoa
1/3 cup whipped tofu

Directions:
1. Place tofu in food processor and blend until smooth
2. Add maple syrup and cocoa and continue blending until mixture is smooth and creamy