Here's a problem I've been struggling with - Raw Cocoa tastes awful.
It may have tons of anti-oxidants, and be good for cardiovascular health but it tastes like the most bitter paste imaginable.
Here are some of the things I've tried to bring it into my diet.
1. Adding to protein shake - Consummate Fail. This made the whole shake taste awful and I had to throw it out.
2. Adding to morning coffee - Moderate Fail. The powder falls to the bottom so I had to constantly stir the coffee to make the powder stay in the drink. It also made my coffee more bitter, and drinking it started to feel like a chore instead of a pleasure.
3. Adding to cups of pudding - Moderate success - Two tablespoons of cocoa powder mixed with pudding did not alter the taste of the pudding too much to make it inedible. Problem with this is it was kind-of chalky and I just didn't feel like eating it very much.
Total Calories 150, Protein 3g Carbohydrate 27 g
4. Tofu Chocolate Mousse - this is a recipe that my friend/midwife shared with me before I got pregnant and was trying to lose weight - as a way to get a chocolate fix that would be high protein and low fat. Problem is once you crunch the numbers it's not that much protein and a lot of Carbs. I am trying today with mixing in the cocoa powder to see how it tastes. I used a small amount of cocoa powder the first time because I didn't want to have to toss the whole batch.
It takes the following
1. 2 containers Firm silken tofu
2. 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks
3. 2 tsp of vanilla extract
And this time 5 TBSP of cocoa powder
Makes 8 servings - each serving 270 calories, Protein 7 g, Carbohydrate 32 g
jury is still out on whether this will be successful.
Other suggestions from friends include mixing cocoa powder with milk and sugar - doesn't sound like it would work to me but I haven't tried it.
And mixing cocoa powder with chocolate ice cream - this sounds delicious but also very bad for you.
I am open to other suggestions.
Oh and another thing that worked but at a high dilution was adding cocoa powder to taco beef and chili, granted it was a very small amount of cocoa - but I got it in there.
Open to suggestions here if any body has some..
Hey, I love raw cocoa powder! I don't eat it by the spoonful, but I make hot chocolate with it (sweetened with stevia), or my favorite is to make freezer chocolates with it. I mix equal parts cocoa powder & unrefined coconut oil in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat, just until the coconut oil is melted, then turn off the heat and add some salt (to taste) and a few squirts of plain stevia, or powdered stevia "sugar". Sometimes I add in handful of coconut flakes or some raw cashews for crunch. YUM! Once it's all mixed up, i either pour it into my reusable tin chocolate molds (shaped like mini reese's pnut butter cups), or I line a small tall-sided baking pan with parchment paper and pour the (super liquidy) chocolate into it. sometimes i sprinkle flakey sea salt on it at this point. Then pop it in the freezer. In about 10 minutes it will be nice & hard. Break it up into chunks and YUM! I'll bring some to our prenatal visit so you can try it. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is Amber, by the way.
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