In love with a chocolate recipe | The darker side of chocolate

Oh, how I love these raw chocolate morsels. They contain basically walnuts, dates and cacao powder — no additional oils — and are so delicious, surely they are what is meant by the phrase, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." As I've previously mentioned, they come from the recipes of Jennifer Cornbleet. I found the recipe in Raw for Dessert, but it appears in different forms in her other books as well. I recommend buying this little cookbook (reviewed here), but in the meantime, I've found the recipe for you online. Jennifer makes the chocolate dessert as a cake, and as cupcakes, but my favorite way to use it is in small chocolate molds. I have two molds, each with 15 cups, each one-inch in diameter and one-half inch deep. Pressed firmly into each cup, the recipe makes exactly 30 morsels. You could also easily form it into balls. I added five to eight drops of liquid stevia to my mixture because I was afraid it might be too bitter for my guests, and I also upped the vanilla to one teaspoon. I didn't use frosting. To find the recipe, follow the link to the Chocolate cupcakes recipe page, and click on "chocolate cupcakes."

There are probably at least 100 similar recipes online for raw chocolate treats, but I love this one for its simplicity, amazing flavor, natural sweetener and lack of additional added fats. (There's already plenty of fat from the walnuts!)

And if that isn't enough, I'm including a video of Jennifer making a larger quantity (in her cookbook the ingredients are exactly doubled for a cake) and forming the mixture into a cake with raspberries on top.

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A few words about the darker side of chocolate 
(After reading through the lists, look for the update at the bottom of the page for another viewpoint.)

I used Dagoba fair trade certified cacao powder to make my chocolate. The growing, harvesting and manufacture of chocolate is fraught with corruption, slavery, and even murder. As a consumer, I want to make ethical choices to support companies that sustain, not damage and abuse their workers. But it's harder than I thought. If you read through the following information, you'll see that Dagoba is on the "not recommended" list because they source some of their chocolate from the Ivory Coast, the area most infested with abuses. In researching the chocolate issue, I've found other lists, and they don't all agree. It's complicated, but we can all make an effort to learn more about the food we eat, and try to make better choices, because our purchases have a global effect.

From: Care2 make a difference

- There are a number of fair trade companies that are serious about sourcing their chocolate ethically.
- The majority of organic chocolate is grown in Central and South America where slavery has not been an issue. Because of the limited supply of organic chocolate, most farmers receive a fair price.
- There are a select number of farms in West Africa who receive a fair price for their chocolate and are slave and child labor free.
If you’re confused now about which companies to trust you’re not alone. For some, refusing to buy chocolate from companies that source from the Ivory Coast – no matter their certifications or promise of due diligence – is the only option. Other consumers choose to buy chocolate from the select companies that are attempting to address the slave trade issue directly. These companies purchase their supplies from farmers or farming co-ops on the Ivory Coast who do not participate in the slave trade. Below you’ll find a list of companies in both categories, so the decision is up to you.

No matter what chocolate choices you make, remember that food is power. And as consumers our greatest weapon is what we “choose to consume.” Just because we’re used to grabbing items off the shelf without thinking doesn’t mean we should be. There is a story behind each item we purchase. From the underpaid migrant workers who picked the oranges piled high, to the children enslaved and maimed for each Hershey’s kiss. Do your research and take back your power to change these practices. (emphasis mine)

On the recommended list and fabulous.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fair-trade-chocolate a-myth.html#ixzz1sPb2Q4UM

Understanding Food Empowerment Project's chocolate list

Chocolate we feel comfortable recommending
- 365 Dark Chocolate Bar (Whole Foods Market)
- Alce Nero's dark chocolate
- Alter Eco
- Allison’s Gourmet
- Amano
- Angell Chocolate Bars
- Askinoise
- Café Gratitude
- Chocolate Ibarra
- Chocolates El Rey
- Chocolatl
- Chuao Chocolatier
- Cocolo (Australia & New Zealand)
- Coconut Bliss (they were recently bought by a dairy company)
- Coco-Zen
- Cotton Tree Chocolate (70% bar - only in Belize)
- Crispy Cat
- Dandelion Chocolate
- Denman Island Chocolate
- Eat Pastry
- Edensoy
- Endangered Species (Organic dark chocolate only)
- Equal Exchange
- Essential Living Foods
- The Fearless Chocolate Company
- Frontier
- Gnosis
- Gone Pie Vegan Bakery
- Go Macro's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Crunch
- Goss Chocolate (dark and special dark chocolate, nibs and cocoa powder)
- Justin’s Nut Butter
- Kakaw Belizean Chocolate (Belize)
- Kallari Chocolate
- Kopali Organics
- La Siembra - Cocoa Camino
- Live Superfoods (their name brand only)
- Love Street Livin
- Loving Earth (New Zealand)
- Lulu's Chocolates
- Madécasse's Chocolate
- Madre Chocolate
- Mast Brothers Chocolate
- Michel Cluizel (Dark Chocolate, Single Estate)
- Mindo Chocolate
- Nada Moo
- Nature’s Path
- Navitas Naturals
- Newman’s Own
- New Tree
- Nutiva (hemp protein powder chocolate shake)
- The Oakland Chocolate Company
- Obsessive Confection Disorder
- Organica (Venture Foods)
- Organic Fair
- Plamil
- Rapunzel
-René Rey Chocolates
- República del Cacao
- Righteously Raw
- Sacred Chocolate
- Salazon Chocolate
- SaviSeed
- Scarborough Fair (New Zealand)
- Scream Sorbet
- Shaman Chocolates
- Sjaaks (Eli's Earth Bars)
- Sunflour Baking Company
- Sunfood's Chocolate
- Sunridge Farms
- Sweet Earth Chocolates
- Sweet & Sara
- Taza Chocolates
- Temptation
- Theo Chocolate
- Turtle Mountain (organic only)
- Ulimana
- Ultimate SuperFoods
- Veganica Pty Ltd (Rawganic Chocolate & CocoLuscious Coconut Ice Cream) Australia
- Vivani
- Whistler Chocolate
- Wild Boar’s Dark Chocolate (Hagensborg Chocolates)
- Zenergy Powerballs

Cannot recommend
- Scharffen Berger (owned by Hershey)

Cannot recommend but are working on the issues in various ways
- Bonvita
- Callebaut
- Chocolove
- Chocoveda
- Deliss Chocolate
- Divine
- Go Max Go
- Guittard Chocolate Company
- Lake Champlain Chocolates
- LEDA Chocolate (Australia & New Zealand)
- Liz Lovely Cookies
- Mariposa Baking Company
- NOW
- Pangea
- Rescue Chocolate
- Svelte
- Sweet William (New Zealand)
- TCHO
- TradeAid (New Zealand)
- Terra Nostra
- Whittaker's (Australia & New Zealand)
- Xan Confections

Cannot recommend but at least responded
- Dagoba (owned by Hershey)
- Dr. Fuhrman’s Cocoa Powder
- Earth Balance
- Enjoy Life Natural Brands
- Lindt
- Lucy's Cookies
- Maisie Jane’s California Sunshine
- Missionary Chocolates
- Olive & Sinclair's Chocolate
- Peter's Chocolate
- Poco Dolce
- Ritter
- Smith Organic Chocolates
- Theobroma Chocolat
- Tofutti
- Valrhona
- Whole Food Market Chocolate Chips
- Wilbur Chocolate
- YisRoYal (gourmet vegan cookie dough)

Cannot recommend: companies that would not disclose (no transparency for customers)
- Clif Bar
- Glutino
- Imagine Foods/Hain Pure Foods (Soy Dream, Rice Dream, SunSpire and Tropical Source)
- Indie Candy
- Kinnikinnick Foods
- Moonstruck Chocolatier
- NuGo - Nutrition to Go
- OCHO Candy
- O’Natra
- Q.bel Foods
- Recchiuti Confections
- Salish Sea Chocolate Company
- Trader Joe’s
- VEGA
- Vosges

Cannot recommend: companies that did not respond
- Agostoni
- Ah!Laska
- Alternative Baking Company
- Amy’s
- Betty Lou’s
- Blue Diamond
- Chocolate Decadence
- Chocolate Inspirations
- Double Rainbow Soy Cream
- Eskal Noble Choice (Australia/New Zealand)
- Gelateria Naia
- Global Organics
- Good Karma
- Green & Black's
- Halo (Pro Bar)
- Heaven Sent
- LÄRABAR
- NÓI SÍRÍUS's chocolate (dark)
- Premium Chocolatiers
- Rose City Chocolatier
- Sanitarium (Australia/New Zealand)
- Santa Cruz Organic
- Uncle Eddie's
- Wonderfully Raw
- ZenSoy

Note: Last Updated April 10th, 2012

Here's another list:
Directory of ethical chocolate companies
from: slavefreechocolate.org/directory-chocolate/
"Generally, if the chocolate is organic, has a fair trade label or the cocoa is listed as being sourced from anywhere other than Ghana or The Ivory Coast then it’s slave free."

•  Chuao
•  Denman Island Chocolate
•  Divine Chocolate Co
•  The Endangered Species Chocolate Company
•  Equal Exchange
•  Green and Black’s
•  Health by Chocolate
•  L.A. Burdick Chocolates
•  La Siembra Cooperative (Camino)
•  Max Havelaar
•  Mayordomo
•  Montezuma’s Chocolates
•  Newman’s Own Organics
•  Original Hawaiian Chocolate
•  Plamil Organic Chocolate
•  Rain Republic
•  Rapunzel Pure Organics
•  Seed & Bean Chocolate
•  Shaman Chocolates
•  Sweet Earth Chocolates
•  Terra Nostra Organic
•  Theo Chocolate
•  Tony Chocolonely
•  Trader Joe’s Organic Chocolate Bars

UPDATE 4-20-12
After expressing my chagrin and surprise at Rescue chocolate not being on the "recommended list," an equally surprised friend said this, "Anyway, I read about Rescue Chocolate's stance on fair trade and chocolate sourcing on their FAQ page, and then I read more on the Food Empowerment's web site about what it means to be on each list, and then I emailed Rescue Chocolate and told them I was confused and to please explain. We'll see what they say."

Here's an excerpt from what they said, "I'm not quite sure how the Food Empowerment Project decides to put companies in its various slots. They used to have us in the un-recommended slot. I contacted them and explained how we use couverture from Callebaut, which really is completely responsible in its production processes around the globe. That prompted the FEP to move Rescue Chocolate up a notch, but not any higher. I can only theorize it is because my labels do not carry a fair-trade logo (for the reasons you saw on my website).

I would stop producing Rescue Chocolate in a heartbeat if I thought there were human beings harmed or exploited because of it. Even though Rescue Chocolate's mission is to help animals, I happen to believe that we are all part of the same web of life."


If your favorite chocolate is on the "wrong" list, write to them for clarification. If they believe they are being misjudged, they may give you the information you need to make a decision to continue to support them. In any case, they will know that their customers care about the integrity of the companies that get their money.

Quinoa stuffed peppers | raw chocolate bites | Cute neighbor

At a recent family dinner, I served something I haven't made in years, and consider a little retro — stuffed peppers. Do people still make these? Maybe I'm just out of touch because I'm not that fond of peppers, and don't cook with them very often, but I have to admit, they were good.

The peppers were served at a holiday meal alongside potato kugel, cranberry-apple sauce and a large salad, and preceded by smoky cream of broccoli soup. I also made the delicious Silky Chickpea Gravy from Appetite for Reduction.

I can't give exact measurements for the quinoa filling but will tell  you  everything that was in it, and how it was made; there's lots of room for improvisation. The leftover filling, baked in a separate casserole dish alongside the peppers, was used as a side dish, and tasted great on its own, minus the pepper.

I started with 1-1/2 cups of raw quinoa which was cooked in three cups of low-sodium broth. Several chopped carrots, a few ribs of chopped celery, many sliced mushrooms, and a large chopped onion were stir-fried until nearly cooked, then pulsed in the food processor until they were finely chopped but NOT puréed. The vegetables were mixed into the quinoa along with 1/2 cup of shelled, roasted but unsalted pistachios, about 1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives, salt and pepper. This should be enough for six large peppers.

The peppers were halved, seeded and gently steamed until they began to soften. The stuffing was pressed into the peppers, carefully filling all the cavities and mounding over the tops. The stuffed peppers were then loosely covered, and baked at 350˚F. They were garnished with a bit of ketchup because I hadn't gotten around to making the tomato sauce I'd thought about.

The quinoa tasted fabulous, and I will make it again as a side dish, or as a stuffing for collard leaves if I'm feeling more ambitious. I just don't like peppers that much.

For dessert we had fruit salad and raw chocolate morsels from a recipe in Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet. (reviewed here) The recipe I used was for Chocolate Cupcakes, and it was wonderful. Ever since I got my candy moulds, I've been obsessed with using them and this was the perfect recipe for making small-sized treats. (The moulds are fantastic, and if you are thinking about purchasing moulds, I recommend these.) After filling the moulds, I placed them in the freezer until the "cupcakes" were firm, then popped them out and stored them in a tightly sealed container in the freezer until serving time. They don't actually freeze, and are just right for eating right from the freezer. (More about these later.)

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Cute neighbor

Here's a cute photo of our cute neighbor, Lucy, curled up on our bed. Did I say "cute" too many times? Lucy comes to visit often, and seems to think she lives here. What she doesn't know is if she lived here, she wouldn't be allowed to roam around outdoors. She's the nicest cat anyone could wish for — so loving and sweet. And very cute.

Raw for Dessert | Raw pineapple cake | Meeting the Urban Housewife

Here I am, the dessert queen (just joking, here), back to review another dessert book. (The last review was for "More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts," by Fran Costigan.) This review is for "Raw for Dessert," by Jennifer Cornbleet. I reviewed another of Jennifer Cornbleet's cookbooks, "Raw Food Made Easy," and found cooking from her recipes a deliciously pleasant experience, so I was looking forward to trying this book, too.

First let me clarify that I'm not a raw foodist. I eat a lot of raw food, (more in summer, less in winter) but it's usually in, or close to, its natural state. Soaking, sprouting and drying just don't happen much in our kitchen. For example, last night we had small bowls of cooked lentil soup, and huge mixed green salads piled with shredded carrots. For dessert we each had a satsuma, and I also had a date. I may occasionally make dried fruit and nut balls, a raw cashew cheese or other specialty item, but it's not a frequent occurrence. Our desserts are usually raw — but not creative. In the warmer weather we might have fruit salad or raw ice cream made in the Vitamix, but more often than not, it's plan old fruit. For company, dessert is usually baked. You get the picture.



I tend to balk at complicated food prep procedures, or those requiring days of planning and soaking, unless it's for a very special occasion. This probably applies doubly to desserts. And I'm going to admit this, though I don't want to offend anyone, raw desserts scare me a little. I've had gorgeous-looking raw desserts that tasted like bites of solidified coconut oil, and which I couldn't eat. So many fancy raw desserts are so dense with fat, I don't enjoy them, and they upset my stomach. But still, I was up for discovering something new and wonderful about making raw desserts, so I approached the "Raw for Dessert" book with an open mind. And I think I found a raw dessert book to enjoy.

The book starts out with a chapter on stocking the pantry. If you are a serious raw dessert maker, the pantry list is an excellent guide to what to keep on hand to make any dessert in the book, with the addition of only fresh fruit and mint. If you are a casual raw dessert maker like me, the list might seem overwhelming and expensive, but useful as an overview to what goes into raw desserts. There is also a helpful equipment list, and suggestions for serving ware. The chapter continues with basic techniques for soaking nuts and opening young coconuts, and proceeds with explanations of cutting terms, and directions for cutting fruits. I personally found the directions for cutting a fresh pineapple very helpful.



The first cooking chapter covers all the basic creams, sauces, toppings, frostings, and crusts that combine with other ingredients and recipes to create the desserts. Things like date paste, pastry cream, lemon curd, caramel sauce and praline are found here. It was in this chapter that I found the shortbread crust that went into the pineapple upside-down cake, and within this collection, you might find the perfect topping or filling for a dessert you are planning.

The next chapter is filled with luscious-sounding fruit desserts, from simple assemblies like strawberries in orange juice to more complex creations like caramel apple stacks and mango-raspberry crumble. Next, in the sorbets, ice creams and sundaes chapter, you'll find everything from a no-fat-added bitter chocolate sorbet to knockout brownie sundae, or cookies 'n' cream ice cream.

The cookies, cakes and bars chapter has temptations like chocolate lava cake, lemon-cranberry pistachio cookies, and one-bowl brownies, and the pies and tarts chapter gives you treats like key lime pie, cherry custard tart with sliced almonds, coconut cream pie and chocolate truffle tart. There's even an intriguing recipe for pumpkin pie that's made with carrots. The last two chapters cover creamy desserts and candy, with recipes like milk chocolate pudding, dark chocolate truffles and pine nut caramels. The desserts are relatively easy to make and sound so delicious.

The recipes depend mainly on nuts, dates, fresh and dried coconut, and fruit. There are so many tempting choices I had trouble deciding what to pick, but I was fixated on the shortbread crust, so I chose a recipe that used it — pineapple upside-down cake. The first challenge was finding the correct size six-inch round baking pan. None of the stores I looked in had one, so I went to a specialty kitchen store downtown where I found a seven-inch pan. (The six inch ones were out of stock and wouldn't be in until the end of January.) I'm thinking of getting the six-inch, too, because I think the cake might have turned out better with the right pan. I made the cake for a family dinner, and everyone seemed to enjoy it — some even had seconds — but I found the shortbread part a little too wet and mushy. Maybe it was spread too thin in the too-large pan. I decorated my cake with dried cranberries, though that's not part of the recipe. You can find this recipe plus other sample recipes, here. It's a variation of jumble berry upside-down cake, substituting 2-1/2 cups of thinly sliced pineapple for the other fruit, as directed in the book. For the pineapple, I purchased a half pineapple, and it was exactly the right amount.



Pineapple upside-down cake (reprinted with permission)

• 2-1/2 cups thinly sliced pineapple
• 1 tablespoon dark agave syrup, or maple syrup
• 2-1/2 cups Shortbread Crust (see below)

Place the pineapple and agave syrup in a medium mixing bowl and toss to combine. Let sit for five minutes.

Line a six-inch cake pan with a parchment-paper round. Place half of the pineapple on the paper. Top with half of the Shortbread Crust, distributing it evenly. Press down with your hand to compact. Repeat with the remaining pineapple, and then cover with the remaining crust. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours before serving.

Covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake will keep for two days.

Shortbread crust (reprinted with permission)
Yield: 2 1/2 cups (enough for one 9-inch pie or tart)

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 pitted medjool dates

1. Place the coconut, walnuts, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process until finely ground.
   
2. Add the dates and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Don’t over process.
   
3. Stored in a sealed container, Shortbread Crust will keep for one month in the refrigerator or for three months in the freezer. The crust doesn’t need to be thawed before using.

Disclaimer: The cookbook was sent to me without cost, and I was not compensated for the review.

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Brunch at Highline and a book signing
On Saturday we met Spotted Devil Cat's Vegan Assistant blogger, Bethany and her husband at Highline vegan bar for brunch. (Here's a good review of Highline, if you're interested.) This was our second time at Highline, and our first time for brunch. Bethany insists that brunch is far superior to other Highline offerings, but I disagree. On our first visit, four of us went for lunch, and had sandwiches and sides. All the sandwiches were huge and delish — especially mine — though I think the other three would say the same. I had a "fish" sandwich, the "fish" of which seemed to be made of layers of yuba, wrapped with nori, and fried. It had excellent coleslaw on it, and if it had come without the extra coating of mayo and the heavily buttered bread, it would have been perfect. (Is it possible to grill bread without all the grease?) Brunch is an entirely different menu.



Anyway, I had just experienced a couple of days of big eating, and was looking for something on the lighter side. I know, I know, wrong place to do that. But, I found a coconut milk yogurt parfait with granola and fresh fruit listed on the menu, and that sounded really good to me. It tasted just like the coconut milk yogurt I get at the co-op, and was about the same quantity as in the little cups. It was topped with about a tablespoon of a not-so-creative granola, and surrounded by some, but not a lot of, fresh fruit. It cost $9, and while the sandwiches are a bargain, this seemed a little over-priced. And maybe some seasonal fruit would be nice.



My husband had scrambled tofu and greens, though the menu description led him to believe there would be more greens and less tofu. He left a lot of it so I ate some of the greens and I thought they were tasty, but I didn't like the tofu at all. He agreed with me that the sandwiches we'd had were so much more exciting.



Bethany had an omelet with a side of hash browns, and now that I think of it, I don't know if she liked it or not, since we weren't talking about the food, but of other things. Her husband had something covered with gravy, and I (cough, cough) decided not to photograph it. Trust me, you wouldn't want to see it. He seemed to like it, though.



The real reason we were in Capital Hill on Saturday, was to go to a book signing with Melisser Elliot, who recently wrote the excellent "The Vegan Girls Guide to Life," which I reviewed, here. You probably all know Melisser from her blog the Urban Housewife, and she is just as sweet and delightful as you might expect from reading her blog, and seeing her smiling face. Melisser has a life-size tattoo of her two-pound dog, Strummer, on her arm! Melisser's signing was at Cakespy, a charming shop owned by Jessie Oleson, cake spy, artist and writer.



We had walked from the restaurant to Cakespy, because parking in Capital Hill is hard to come by, we already had parking spots, and exercise is always a good thing. On the walk back to the car, we saw a dog observing the scene in Capital Hill from an open window.



Maybe I got on the dog's nerves a little because I was calling to him/her so I could get a better shot, but I think he's giving me a scowl. I spoke nicely to him but he seems a bit irritated. (Click on the photo and you'll see what I mean.)



We also passed a work of urban art on a fence — this image is made entirely of bottle caps.

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More recipe testing for Urban Vegan


Kale with raisins and chana dal


Chocolate covered matzo


Pumpkin maple muffins