Our Best Advice

VEGAN CHOCOLATES & HEALTH

Monday, April 11th, 2011 | Our Best Advice | Comments Off

Many people see Easter as a celebration of Spring including Chefs we place in our clients homes. I say it’s always a good time to celebrate with Chocolate, and this year we focus on Vegan varieties and health. It’s well studied that chocolate and health is a match made in heaven but you need to watch what ingredients are used for the pairing. Chocolate has a long evolution as Chefs know, with a fast growing connoisseurship of vegan foods underway, including a book by Linda Long entitled Great Chefs Cook Vegan.

During Hollywood Golden Age chocolates were regularly gifted (and yes, could be sent on the seat of a car wrapped in ribbon), or as part of a health regiment studios maintained for actors (or making a peace offering too.) Below are some great vegan chocolate TIPS. The child comes out in all of us with sweets so make sure they’re good. Send Our Best Advice to others who’ll appreciate your sharing.

Many people perceive vegan chocolates are just a trend, but for those who have certain ailments (including grain, gluten, or dairy sensitivities), they’ve proven to be a tremendous asset when certain ingredients are omitted. For instance, Vegan is good for lactose intolerance. Be careful to get your proper health support from health practitioners, especially if you’re pregnant.

Natalie Portman announced she was returning to animal foods because her diet needed it for her baby. Tragically (and I cannot emphasize this enough since the film and music industries are undergoing a huge vegan foods surge), a baby recently died because the mother was feeding it solely a vegan diet, without realizing how dangerous that could be for her child. Please be cautious with all life style diets whether Eastern or Western in preference. Don’t do any food protocol without professional consultation to find out what’s right for you, which could include having blood tests to learn. We are each truly unique, and with babies that makes two or more!

TIPS  FOR  VEGAN  CHOCOLATE  TREATS

Cocoa Beans have been found in all sorts of interesting ways in archeological digs. A great selection of vegan goodies is offered by Vosges Chocolates which takes it to another level all together.

The Vosges vegan approach is one of decadence and lusciousness, combined with the rustic simplicity of the cacao bean added with rich coconut milk (instead of cream), agave nectar and dried fruit powder, offering two different truffles of “unparalleled allure”.

Each box contains 12 pieces: 6 Coconut Vegan Truffles, and 6 Acai Vegan Truffles, packaged in a lovely lavender and violet box. I’m passionate for Katrina’s confections and her “PEACE LOVE AND CHOCOLATE” haut mantra.

Here’s one of her sublime recipes as a fortifying tonic:

Blueberry Chocolate Tonic

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2

2 cups blueberries; cold
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups almond or oat milk; cold
2 tsp flaxseed oil
2 1/2 tsp agave syrup (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds. Drink immediately or the pectin in the blueberry seeds will make a pudding rather quickly. For extra health benefits add 1 tsp licorice root powder. Suggested pairing: Sip the blueberry tonic with Absinthe truffle (Chinese star anise + fennel + pastis + dark chocolate + cocoa powder).

I’ve got to also give credit to Allyson’s Gourmet because she was the first to open a vegan bakery and confectionery boutique, before others followed her lead. The award winner offers her organic vegan chocolates for Easter, paired with organic coffee blends that are fair-trade grown, freshly roasted, and packaged in “one-way velvet bag that’s delicious”, or send a gift basket and include the coffee sampler variety.

Meet Allyson, who completed her Chef’s training at The School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado. According to the faithful, Vegan foods are made without animal ingredients (no eggs, dairy, butter, or honey) See her LINKS page for other great TIPS, and send Our Best Advice to others who might find it of interest. Allyson also offers wonderful teas and cocoa.

Another nice selection is from Life By Chocolates. Their Vegan Spring Collection offers twelve gourmet organic vegan chocolates made with Dark Chocolate couverture (the highest quality) with wonderful ingredients sweetened only with light agave syrup, and no alcohol is used. But the best pairing is chocolate and health as a Foodies Yoga retreat that’s offered in Napa Valley in May 2011.

As Yeah David describes it: “A Yoga for Foodies session begins with my flowing yoga class whose message and music emphasize a more sustainable pace. When we move in a frenzied way through the day, we don’t eat, we “feed”. This high-velocity lifestyle diminishes the flavor and essence of life.” Check out his yoga + chocolate which he paired with Katrina Markoff from Vosges Haut-Chocolat, a friend made while waiting for a purchase. This was before cell phones, when strangers talked to one another and found common interests that lead to many friendships born in friendly curiosity (before people became tech addicts).

Our Best Advice is to take your obsessions and re-direct them towards health and longevity, especially when you have some lovely choices like these it’s easy to do. And If you’re sensitive to caffein, vegan sweets can be found decaffeinated too.

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