raw chocolate mousse...

Finally got around to using that Irish Moss in my cupboard and made some delicious Raw Chocolate Mousse from the Cafe Gratitude Cookbook, 'I Am Grateful.'. It was delectable and delightful. My temporary roommates are all now cacao-addicted. Here's the recipe:


1 oz. Irish Moss
1/2 cup water
4 cups almond milk (better if you make your own, though you can get some store bought)
1/2 cup date paste (you can make your own by blending pitted dates)
3/4 cup agave
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
3 TB lecithin
1 cup coconut butter

Directions:

Blend soaked Irish moss and water extremely well.(One of the reasons why a Vita-mix or other high speed blender is ideal.)
Add all the other ingredients, except the lecithin and coconut butter.
Keep blending until the mixture is smooth.
Add lecithin and butter and blend another 30-40 seconds.
Pour the mousse into cups and decorate with flower or cacao nibs.

Raw chocolate in the mall?

Yup, it's true. I had to run into the Westfield Center on Market Street to pick up something today, and got a serious craving for chocolate when I walked past CocoaBella, but alas, their chocolates are not raw and have sugar and dairy in them. I decided to write them a little note when I got home to see if we can change that. If you'd like to join me in requesting that they start carrying raw chocolates, or are a raw chocolate maker who wants to try to distribute through them, please contact them here. I think if they hear from enough of us, they might begin to carry some.

All was not lost though - I found a decent solution for when I am stuck downtown where there are fewer raw friendly places and I need my cacao fix. I went to the Bristol Farms in the basement food court to see if there was anything raw in the chocolate section. Pickings were slim - the only kind they carried was Righteously Raw, so I bought the Chocolate Maca Bar. Organic Cacao Butter, Cacao Powder, Dates, Hunza Raisins, Mesquite Powder, Maca Root Powder, Agave Nectar, Coconut Oil, Vanilla Bean and Himalayan Pink Salt and nothing else. No additives, just pure ingredients. It definitely did the trick. Because of the Maca, it didn't have a super chocolatey or very sweet taste - it had this complexity to it that was a nice surprise, and the way the shell cracked in my mouth to reveal the flavor lurking underneath made for a nice oral experience. I had some samples of their other bars - Caramel and Goji - at the SF Greenfestival, and remembered the caramel one as being really good, but will have to try it again sometime to describe it more accurately.

I think I might need to have a chocolate taste-off on here one week to showcase all the best raw chocolate products out there as there are so many tasty options. If you're a raw chocolatier who would like your product to be included in a taste-off, contact me directly at criticalpath [at] gmail [dot] com to arrange for delivery of samples.

If you want to find Earth Source Organics Righteously Raw chocolate bars in your own area, you can check here.