Today I had a craving for onion rings. I enjoy these golden deep-fried rings once in a blue moon. That's roughly about two times a year! While I was waiting for the order to arrive I popped a chocolate nugget in my mouth and it was melting so sweetly when the crisp, hot, onion rings arrived. I waited just a few minutes for the rings to cool and then CRUNCH. I bit into the ring with chocolate still in my mouth! Truly everything DOES taste better with chocolate! What a delightful, tantalizing sensation -- my taste buds exploded! Too bad I didn't have another chocolate nugget with me. You have got to give this a try, dark chocolate covered onion rings ... really!
To get your very own chocolate nuggets, click on Healthy Chocolate located in the sidebar. Yummy!
About Me
- A Chocolate Practitioner
- Tampa Bay, Florida, United States
- A bar of chocolate, a soak in the bath, a nap in the afternoon, a leisurely stroll in the park ... these are a few of my favorite things. They make me happy. I am a self-confessed chocoholic ... a chocolate fiend. I need to (make that must) eat chocolate every day. I have strong opinions about chocolate but, of course, I have strong opinions about almost everything. There are some things I have no opinion at all, but if I have an opinion, it's a strong opinion. Grab a piece of chocolate, sit for a spell and be delighted by the taste, aroma and sensation of a way of life.
Showing posts with label healthy chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy chocolate. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
A True Leader - Dark Chocolate
The 2008 Election Day is fast approaching and there has been much discussion as to why our individual choice candidate for President should be elected. There are many to choose from, McCain, Barr, McKinney, Nader, Obama, Baldwin and many more! (Click on the following link to view all Presidential Candidates http://www.votesmart.org/election_president_search.php?type=alpha.) To make the best choice you first must know what is inside. Don’t let hype and fancy marketing fool you. Stay with the basics, and you’ll select the best every time.
I cannot tell you which candidate to choose but I can help you learn how to select the best CHOCOLATE. Choosing the best means knowing what's inside the wrapper. You need to pay attention to the ingredients and the processing. If you do that then you will be able to select the best chocolate every time. The first thing I do when selecting a chocolate is check the ingredients, all of which should be recognizable. If you cannot pronounce it then stay away from it.
Dark chocolate should have the following:
1) Cocoa liquor. Sometimes called cocoa mass, cocoa solids, cocoa, or chocolate. It is not actually a liquor and does not contain any alcohol.
2) Sugar. Cane juice, molasses, and other natural sweeteners are acceptable substitutes. AVOID aspartame - it's a killer!
3) Cocoa butter.
4) Vanilla. NOT vanillin!
5) Soy lecithin (optional). It's used to make the chocolate bind together better. It is sold as a health food supplement, although it is controversial.
6) Any add-ins, such as nuts, fruits, or natural flavorings. AVOID hydrogenated and/or partially-hydrogenated!
If the manufacturer sticks to the basics, and pays attention to where their beans come from (different flavors from different beans and growing conditions) it's a pretty good bet that their chocolate will be good. Look for Fair Trade and organic. You will pay a little more, but you'll be helping human-kind and the planet, PLUS you will get a better tasting chocolate!
That’s all there is to it! Simple, uh? Learning what is inside the wrapper is worth it! Check out the link on the sidebar - Healthy Chocolate. Now THAT is good chocolate!
I cannot tell you which candidate to choose but I can help you learn how to select the best CHOCOLATE. Choosing the best means knowing what's inside the wrapper. You need to pay attention to the ingredients and the processing. If you do that then you will be able to select the best chocolate every time. The first thing I do when selecting a chocolate is check the ingredients, all of which should be recognizable. If you cannot pronounce it then stay away from it.
Dark chocolate should have the following:
1) Cocoa liquor. Sometimes called cocoa mass, cocoa solids, cocoa, or chocolate. It is not actually a liquor and does not contain any alcohol.
2) Sugar. Cane juice, molasses, and other natural sweeteners are acceptable substitutes. AVOID aspartame - it's a killer!
3) Cocoa butter.
4) Vanilla. NOT vanillin!
5) Soy lecithin (optional). It's used to make the chocolate bind together better. It is sold as a health food supplement, although it is controversial.
6) Any add-ins, such as nuts, fruits, or natural flavorings. AVOID hydrogenated and/or partially-hydrogenated!
If the manufacturer sticks to the basics, and pays attention to where their beans come from (different flavors from different beans and growing conditions) it's a pretty good bet that their chocolate will be good. Look for Fair Trade and organic. You will pay a little more, but you'll be helping human-kind and the planet, PLUS you will get a better tasting chocolate!
That’s all there is to it! Simple, uh? Learning what is inside the wrapper is worth it! Check out the link on the sidebar - Healthy Chocolate. Now THAT is good chocolate!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Chocolate Trick or Treat!
Happy Halloween! Ghosts and gobblins, pirates and princesses, ghouls and pumpkins ... oh, my, what a cast of characters and creatures that knocked on our doors!
There are amazing health benefits of chocolate. First and foremost, chocolate is an extremely powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals, molecules that run amok in your body causing aging and disease. Antioxidants bond to free radicals and remove them from your body through digestion and other means. You may of heard of many of the best antioxidants such as red wine, green tea, cherries, pomegranate, and blueberries. Dark chocolate is far ahead of them in the race for the highest antixodiant rating. The USDA published a chart of antioxidant foods measured in ORACs (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Units). For every 100 grams, dark chocolate has 13,120 ORACs, and blueberries have only 2,400. Antioxidant-rich diets have been linked to a lowered risk of heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, cholesterol problems, arthritis, Alzheimer's and more. Being that chocolate is chock full of antioxidants, it's actually good for you. So why is it widely believed that chocolate is bad for you? It is the sugar and milk products along with the processing of the chocolate that is bad for you. Eating chocolate that has more cacao and less to no milk products, and made with natural sugars are better. Click on the link for Healthy Chocolate located in the sidebar for more information. You will be in for a delightful treat with no tricks!
There are amazing health benefits of chocolate. First and foremost, chocolate is an extremely powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals, molecules that run amok in your body causing aging and disease. Antioxidants bond to free radicals and remove them from your body through digestion and other means. You may of heard of many of the best antioxidants such as red wine, green tea, cherries, pomegranate, and blueberries. Dark chocolate is far ahead of them in the race for the highest antixodiant rating. The USDA published a chart of antioxidant foods measured in ORACs (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity Units). For every 100 grams, dark chocolate has 13,120 ORACs, and blueberries have only 2,400. Antioxidant-rich diets have been linked to a lowered risk of heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, cholesterol problems, arthritis, Alzheimer's and more. Being that chocolate is chock full of antioxidants, it's actually good for you. So why is it widely believed that chocolate is bad for you? It is the sugar and milk products along with the processing of the chocolate that is bad for you. Eating chocolate that has more cacao and less to no milk products, and made with natural sugars are better. Click on the link for Healthy Chocolate located in the sidebar for more information. You will be in for a delightful treat with no tricks!
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