Saturday, September 20, 2008

Raw chocolate

So I got so many questions about the raw chocolate that I decided to do a little tutorial for you all.
And OF COURSE it is VEGAN!! Never doubt it! Raw too!


Ok, so you need about 1/2 cup solid cacao butter, 1/8 cup coconut butter, 1/2 cup raw cacao powder, 1/4 cup raw agave (or to taste), pinch of salt, 1 T vanilla. These are approximate measurements as I usually just wing it.
Make a double boiler using two different sized thick glassed bowls or dishes. Pyrex is perfect. Chop up the coconut butter so it melts faster. If you pour boiling water into the bottom bowl and stir frequently your butter will not get to hot. Keep an eye on it though.
Once your cacao butter is almost melted add coconut butter and wisk until smooth.
Add cacao powder, agave, vanilla, and salt... Wisk well
Once your chocolate is smooth and your desired sweetness you are ready to temper it. Pour it into a plastic wrap lined dish or chocolate molds and place it in the freezer.
There are limitless possibilities to layer or fill your chocolate. Tonight I used a peanut butter cup mold and put cashew butter in the center of a dozen chocolates. In this picture I am using raisins to fill some chocolates. I made a cashew cream last time and layered it between several thin layers of chocolate in a shallow dish, then cut into bars. Just freeze to solid between each layer.
YUM!

Friday, September 19, 2008

I'm BAAAAAAAAAHHHHHCK

Hi,
I know its been awhile. Today I am officially ONLINE. I have been absent quite sometime and it feels really overwhelming stepping back into things. I am not quite ready to RAWFU just yet, maybe tomorrow, today I am taking it slow.
Some of you may know that my boyfriend and I "borrow" wireless Internet from our neighbors. It has always been a bit "hit or miss" but for the last several weeks NOTHING! We finally took the plunge and are PAYING for Internet. What the F!? Internet should be free to all, right? Like food and housing.
I was also gone for a week with family in beautiful sand point idaho, where the commercial says "the idaho man: Father, husband, gun owner, fisherman..." haha, despite the fact that half the men in the grocery stores are wearing camo, idaho was still a fun and beautiful place. Plus I got to go on roller coasters at silverwood theme park.
Here are some photos of my food endeavors while I have been away:

Salad wraps

Strawberries and bavarian cream

CHOCOLATE and CASHEW BUTTER Candy bar!

Salad Wrap Platter