Posts tagged cacao nibs
THESE ARE THE COOKING ADVENTURES OF JEFF NIMOY, AN LA WRITER WHO, WHILE DOING RESEARCH FOR A SCRIPT, STUMBLED UPON WHAT’S CALLED THE CAVEMAN DIET, ALSO KNOWN AS THE PALEO DIET. BASICALLY, IT’S EATING WHAT THE CAVEMEN ATE. HE TRIED IT OUT, AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN STAGGERING! THIS BLOG SHOWS EXACTLY HOW AND WHAT JEFF EATS. IF YOU’RE NEW TO THE BLOG, PLEASE START WITH THE “ENTERING THE CAVE” PAGE TO GET A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.
Paleo Mint Chocolate Chip “Ice Cream!” I never liked this flavor much before I went paleo, because the mint always tasted to me like chemical food dye and perfumed “mint flavoring.” But I love this, using fresh organic mint, raw organic cacao nibs, and frozen organic bananas, all whipped up in the food processor until smooth. Check out MY VIDEO on how to create any paleo “ice cream” flavor using frozen banana as a base. Perfect for those who are lactose intolerant too!
Paleo Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The ice cream part is frozen organic banana, and the chocolate chips part are raw organic cacao nibs. The bitter cacao nibs go perfectly with the sweet banana. Ultra-healthy dessert, and pure paleo (warning: unprocessed cacao nibs are nothing like the sweet processed chocolate you’re used to)! Ugga-Bugga! Here’s a video on how to make more flavors!
Finally, a Paleo Chocolate I Can Endorse!
If you don’t remember this article I posted last month, here it is again. Don’t worry, it’s short. Read it and then I’ll be right back:
“Lots of people consider me a paleo expert. But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep learning. Last year I found out that vanilla bean isn’t a bean at all, it’s actually the seed of a fruit (and therefore paleo). Today I found out from Nell Stephenson, The Paleoista, that cacao beans aren’t beans either, they’re also the seeds of a fruit (she actually didn’t tell me that, I looked it up myself, but her latest article inspired me to do some research)! So although I still cannot endorse dark chocolate, which is usually highly processed, I can endorse 100% raw organic cacao nibs, made from crushed cocoa “beans.” Full of antioxidants! As Nell warns though, ‘Remember… we’re talking about the real deal, not an ultra processed, adulterated version of something that used to be healthy it its original form.’
I’m gonna buy some myself to see if I can get my chocolate fix from time to time. Can’t wait to mix it into my frozen banana ice cream! Here’s a link to Nell’s full article:
http://paleoista.com/news/paleo-chocolate-alkali/”
Okay, I’m back. You might be wondering what the difference is between cacao and cacoa, and cocoa, and cocao. There is no difference, just a lot of misspelling. Cacao beans are the raw form of chocolate. Cacao nibs are crushed cacao beans, and cacao powder is pulverized cacao beans. It is very bitter and NOT sweet at all! The dark chocolate you’re used to is highly processed, and has sugar added. Many people consider that stuff paleo, but I can’t bring myself to accept it, even as a mini-cheat.
So I bought a bag of 100% raw organic cacao nibs recently and gave them a try. They smell like dark chocolate, and as you know, smell is a major part of taste! So I mixed some into my frozen banana ice cream, and the smell, and crunch, reminded me completely of dark chocolate chips! Like Nell assumed, my taste buds didn’t take long to adjust to the bitter flavor (as long as it was mixed with something sweet like banana).
Then I mixed the cacao nibs with some almond butter, and a drop of honey, and it tasted just like a dark chocolate peanut butter cup! YUM!!!! The math at that point was simple. I used to go to Steve’s Ice Cream and get peanut butter cups mixed into my ice cream, and it was outrageous! So I got rid of the honey, and mashed together frozen banana, cacao nibs, and almond butter. Caveman Minions, I now present to you… Dark Chocolate Chip/Almond Butter Swirl!
I have had this every night for a week, and I’m totally addicted! Be warned, the nibs are very bitter on their own, so it needs something sweet like bananas or honey. But if you like dark chocolate, and haven’t had it in ages like me, you will go Ugga-Bugga for this! Enjoy!
