Food Makeovers – Chocolate Crackles

Good-Better-Best Series

 

We can’t always be good, let alone our best.  Sometimes it’s the guilty pleasure of ‘the real thing’ that we crave.  But we beat ourselves up over what the ‘best’ choice for us or our family is.  I am forever falling into this category.  So I compromise, improvise and tweak.  Sometimes I get is so right that you have that; I can’t believe I’m so smart moment.  But other times you find yourself saying… this, perhaps, is not my best attempt. 

What I have realized from this is that I want the option of good, better, best, but sometimes I find it hard to figure out what defines it and the time to search and compare.  This has inspired me to put together a collection of good, better, best scenarios that I hope give you a quick and easy reference guide to what you can do with the time and ingredients you have.  Often the ‘best’ option has ingredients that you haven’t heard of, don’t know what to do with or just aren’t in your budget.  The ‘better’ option might be more of a viable choice for you at this time.  And the ‘good’ is idea for when you need to show up with the original, because sometimes there is no substitute for ‘real’ Anzacs – and we need to know that its completely ok too.  Besides sometimes just ‘doing your best’ is actually perfect, not to mention; human.  This is what I love about people, the rawness of them just being people.

However, just because we have learnt something one way it doesn’t mean that we cant make it better for both our health and perhaps taste perspectives.

 

Lets start with a classic Australian childhood favourite; 

Chocolate crackles

 

The Original:

250mg copha

4 cups coco-pops

1 cup icing sugar

 

Melt and mix method.

 

The Better:

200gm organic butter or ghee (preferable grass fed!)

4 cups puffed rice (rice bubbles)

2 tbs cacao-powder

¼ cup raw organic sugar + 2 Tbs agave or honey (depending on how sweet you like it)

 

Add cacao and raw sugar together

Mix dry chocolate mix into to puffed rice, stir to coat all puffs completely

Melt butter over a low heat.  When completely melted add agave.

Take off heat and allow to cool slightly – but don’t let it butter cool so much that it re-sets.

Pour liquid over rice puffs, stir quickly avoid rice puffs going soggy.

Spoon into cases

Set in fridge for 1+ hours.

 

The Best:

200gm coconut oil

4 cups puffed quinoa/millet (or other puffed cereal)

2 tbs raw cacao powder

½ cup rice malt syrup or ½ cup dextrose powder or ½ cup coconut sugar.

Mix cacao powder into to puffed rice, stir to coat all puffs completely

Melt coconut oil over a low heat.  When completely melted add rice malt syrup (if using glucose or dextrose powder add it to the dry ingredients in step above).

Take off heat and allow to cool slightly 

Pour liquid over rice puffs, stir quickly avoid rice puffs going soggy

Spoon into cases

Set in fridge for 1+ hours.

NB; butter and coconut won’t set as hard as copha – so keep in fridge before serving if it’s a warm day. 

 

I hope you like the first in my mini series of the Good-Better-Best options to help make our common foods more ‘clean’ and thus, promote wellness.

 

Please let me know if you have any other foods that you would like me to find a Good Better Best option for and I’ll see what i can do!

 

Until then happy Better and Best eating.

 

E x 

Raw Choc Paleo Christmas Balls!

 

 

So you to can have your choc balls and eat them too..

These gems are like Powerball’s, full of protein and MCT (medium chain triglycerides) from the coconut oil, which is super great to help your body use fat as an energy source as it tells the body its ok to release fat and not store it.  It’s also awesome for you immune system and great for you skin…

Perfect after a work out or night time snack before bed as there is no ‘instant sugar’ so you body will continue to burn fat over night.  A much better option than smashing through a entire pack of chocolate Tim-Tams Mr. Hockaday! (reference to a friend who is slowly changing his eating habits and adapting to the paleo style extremely well!)

Ingredients;

• 3 heaped tablespoons of Coconut oil or butter
• 3 tbs raw cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• ½ cup almond or flaxseed meal – or any other nuts/seeds ground or chopped up
• 3 tbs Chia seeds
• Stevia, honey or rice malt syrup to sweeten.  If using honey/rice malt you only need about  1-2 tbs.  (NB rice malt doesn’t contain any fructose so it won’t impact your blood sugar like honey will)
• You can add dried fruit i.e. cherries/goji berries if you want.  Moulding the mix around a cherry would be nice.
• Optional; 1 scoop of green powder and/or protein powder.   I find that if i use a raw protein powered it adds a nice sweetness.
• Adding a few drops of peppermint essence makes it a bit more christmassy!

Add all ingredients in together and mix well so all dry ingredients are coated with the oil – depending on the temp in your house the oil may need to be pre-melted to mix best.

The mixture should look like the classic ‘rum ball’ mix.  If its too dry add more coconut oil. Roll in to a ball shape.

Top with a few large coconut shavings or macadamia nuts (see above)

Set in fridge or freezer. (love the retro plate)

If you time poor, I often just press the mix into a ice cube tray.  Pop the tray into the freezer for 15min.  They should just pop out into perfect cube shapes!

I wrap them in cling wrap and store them in the freezer, that way i have a easy on the go snack that will defrost by morning tea time.  Please note that coconut oil melts easily and in warmer weather they can lose their solid shape.

They are like Powerball’s, full of protein and MCT (medium chain triglycerides) from the coconut oil, which is super great to help your body use fat as an energy source as it tells the body its ok to release fat and not store it.  It’s also awesome for you immune system and great for you skin…

Perfect after a work out or night time snack before bed as there is no ‘instant sugar’ so you body will continue to burn fat over night rather than carbs.

I’ve been making these in big batches so I can bring them to various christmas parties and dinners to have after the meal.  That way I enjoy something ‘sweet’ and not feel like I’m missing out.  And I find that the other guests really enjoy them and always end up asking after the recipe… so my friends here you go!

Elissa x

 

Smooth Paleo Chocolate

Ok.  So if your like me you can prob go with out the soft drink, juices, mixed lollies and sweet biscuits, right?  But what you get unstuck with is the CHOCOLATE!  I sometimes just really need it.

So I’ve made my own.  It actually rather amazing! I use Nuilife’s Creamed Coconut.  This isn’t coconut oil or butter – but more like a silky smooth nut paste.  its got is own natural sweetness and I find that it holds its shape better – and for longer – than coconut oil.

What you’ll need

• 1/2 cup Nuilife Creamed Coconut (make sure its mixed well and the oil hasn’t separated to the top)
• 1-2 tbs (depending on how rich you like it) Raw Cacao Powder – I use Loving Earth brand.  
• Stevia – i use about 10 drops of the liquid (not essential)
• Vanilla powder or Peppermint oil to taste – or any other spice you like.  Grated orange rind would be lovely.
• You can also add shaved coconut, nuts and/or seeds to this. 
• 1 ice cube tray

How To:

• Mix everything together – Easy as
• Pour or spoon into ice cube tray and set in fridge.  

 

These will ‘pop’ out like set ice cubes would – I store them in a airtight container in the freezer and just take one out at a time.  

You can alternative make ‘drops’ on to baking paper and place that onto a chopping board to set flat in the fridge – then you can determine how big or what shape you want.  I just use a spoon like you do when making cookies.  Dust with more cacao powder to serve – 

 

These chocolates are so rich and smooth that they totally hit the spot.  And as they are sugar free, thus super satisfying, you won’t be hunting through your kitchen cupboards looking for another sugar hit! 

Alternatively you can pour some of the mixture before you set it over frozen berries – it will set like Ice Magic.  Your kids won’t know the difference, I promise.

 

Let me know your thought or if you’ve tried something similar…. 

 

Whole-foodie love Elissa x