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By Food Babe
When I was little, one of my best friend’s family owned a candy store. I was always so jealous of her access to all the best candies all the time. She could have anything she wanted, whenever she wanted and when I would go visit the store with her, it was like I entered a magical wonderland. Little did I know at the time, that the majority of candy I was eating was filled with toxic ingredients like refined sugars, ingredients made from petroleum, and other very harmful ingredients. Also, I was a very sick child, making every excuse not to go to school because I had low energy, low concentration, and eczema all over my arms, legs and face.
Thank goodness I figured out that all the conventional candy and a lot of other foods I was consuming made me feel and look that way and I’ve now reversed all of that. Even though I’ve stopped eating the candy I used to, I still love candy and try to find ways to enjoy something sweet without exposing myself to all the toxic chemicals.
This Raw Cacao Crunch Candy is one of the ways I do that. It’s deeeeelicious and nutritious! I got the idea for this recipe when I tried something just like it at a trade show recently. This candy totally cures my chocolate cravings in a fabulous healthy way. I love making desserts with raw cacao because it gives you a blast of serotonin, endorphins and other neurotransmitters which all work together to give you an overall sense of well being, bliss, pleasure and pure happiness! Try this candy and you’ll be consuming the highest concentrated antioxidant on earth and flying high! This candy makes the perfect travel snack and it would go perfect wrapped in cute little bags for those Easter baskets.
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup almonds (or any other nut of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs
- Put sugar, water, sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla in a medium sized skillet and warm over medium-low heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.
- Add nuts and keep stirring until the sugar mixture is very thick and the almonds are well coated, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cacao nibs.
- Pour onto piece of parchment paper and spread out into single layer and allow to cool completely.
- Break up pieces into desired sizes and store at room temperature in an airtight container.
One note: Don’t feel pressure to only use almonds in this recipe – you can use any nut or seed you like! I plan on using pecans next, yum!
If you know someone who could use a little pep in their step, please make them some of this candy or share this recipe with them, I know they will appreciate it!
Xo,
Vani
P.S. If you are looking for other healthier candy options check this post on chocolate and this post on how to avoid GMO candy. You’ll love the options!
Source: The Food Babe: https://foodbabe.com/2014/04/14/raw-cacao-candy-crunch/
Thanks Vani!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons cognac
- 1 (3 1/3-pound) whole chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 40 garlic cloves, peeled (about 4 whole heads)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl.
Discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil and butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until butter melts. Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with salt and pepper. Add chicken pieces to pan; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove chicken from pan; place in a 4-quart electric slow cooker.
Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute or until garlic begins to brown. Stir in broth mixture, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Boil 2 minutes or until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup. Pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with thyme. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or until chicken is done. Serve sauce and garlic with chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Serves: 5 | Serving Size: 4 ounces chicken + 3 tablespoons sauce + 8 garlic cloves
Per serving: Calories: 265; Total Fat: 10g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 80mg; Sodium: 264mg; Carbohydrate: 12g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 1g; Protein: 30g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 485mg; Iron: 9%; Vitamin A: 1%; Vitamin C: 12%; Calcium: 4%
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 to 3 1/2-pound beef chuck roast
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- 2 small turnips, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- 1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut in 2-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut in eighths
- 1 can (14 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 envelope (1 oz.) dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Brown beef on both sides.
- Meanwhile, place half of the carrots, turnips, rutabaga and onion in bottom of slow cooker crock.
- Place beef on top of vegetables in crock. Arrange remaining vegetables around beef.
- In a medium bowl, mix cranberry sauce, soup mix, cranberries, cornstarch, cinnamon, thyme, pepper, allspice and cloves. Pour over beef and vegetables.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
- If you have a slow cooker with stove-top safe cookware, substitute the cookware for the skillet in the directions above. After browning beef, place cookware in slow cooker base, arrange veggies and beef, then continue with Step 4.
