Make your own chocolate and have your "cake" and eat it too!
Just made some delicious and healthy sugar free chocolate with Stevia and xylitol. It's Very easy! All you need is some coconut oil/fat, high quality unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla (or diced hot peppers, cinnamon, orange/lemon zest, or whatever you like if you want some extra flavor). I recommend Coco paste or cocoa mass as well, so it's not as greasy as chocolate with pure coconut oil. All you do is put this on very low heat in a pot or make a double boiler and mix it all together with some stevia or xylitol for flavor. Coconut oil hellps raise your basal metabolic rate (metabolism) and control blood sugar, and chocolate is one of the best sources of magnesium and several powerful antioxidants, including resveratrol (an anti-aging compound!) Losing weight eating (Healthy) chocolate (in MODERATION)! Who knew?
Here's an update - by VERY popular demand, here is the recipe, but feel free to experiment with the taste, consistency, and spices. Oh, and you can add goji berries, crushed nuts, and so on! Get creative!
Recipe:
Organic traditions (or whatever) cacao paste (you COULD use bakers UNsweetened chocolates if you cant find cacao paste - it works too, but isn't as healthy or delicious), Stevia and/or xylotol, coconut oil (prob 2-3-4 tbsp (experiment with how soft you like the final product) per 224g bag of cacao paste), then add whatever you like - cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, whey/vegan protein powder, Purium LOVE or Purium Power shake. If you want "milk chocolate, " add almond/glax/coconut milk if you want. Then use a double boiler (or metal/glass bowl on top of a pot of simmering water) to melt it all and mix it up. Thin it down with more coconut oil or thicken it up with cacao powder (good quality stuff). For a semi-hard consistency when cooled, the consistency should be like a semi-thick pea soup. If the consistency is peanut butter-like, it will be very hard/firm when you cool it, but hey, some people like that! It's firmer without the coconut oil, but I like it a bit softer and it's so healthy that way! Pour it on a plate or mold and refrigerate for 60 mins (or freeze for 15 mins or so), then break it all up into pieces and you are done! If you find the consistency is TOO thin when you add the coconut oil, add some cacao powder to thicken it up a bit. If this happens after you cool it, warm up the broken pieces again and add a bit more cacao powder.
The best news is that you can use this recipe when on a candida cleanse - no sugar, and coconut oil and cayenne pepper, as well as Xylitol KILL candida. Delicious and helpful, AND diet compliant = awesome! You don't want to go crazy with chocolate on a candida cleanse/diet though, as too much caffiene (black tea/coffee especially) can exacerbate it. But, we do need to LIVE during the 2-3 months of cleansing. This recipe also works well for weight loss since it has zero sugar, and the coconut oil helps provide healthy fats for metabolism and hormones which means weight loss!