chocolate « crunchy bits

bonbons @ the cinema

May 20th, 2010

A few days ago, we had a family outing to the Parkade Cinemas in Manchester to see Avatar. Luke and I had gone to the Buckland Hills IMAX 3-D to watch this movie in all it’s cinematographic glory. All the other IMAX movies we’ve seen have been at museums with a true IMAX screen — the big, 5 story screen that covers your entire field of vision. The dinky screen at Buckland left us underwhelmed to say the least.

Dante wanted to see it on the big screen, therefore so did Lucia, so we found the plain ole 2-D non-IMAX version playing at the Parkade Cinemas. I went along to cover Lulu’s eyes or give a cuddle during some of the more intense scenes. The kids loved the flora and fauna of Pandora, and are now distraught that they will never fly their own “bird dinosaurs” as the characters do in the film.

We like this theater because the prices are reasonable ($6.75 adults, $4.75 children, seniors, and any show before 4pm every day), and since it’s a second-run theater we get a chance to catch things we missed.

We’ve seen a number of movies there, but haven’t had a chance to check out a small shop nearby that I’d read about online. This time, we arrived with a half hour to spare, so I drove on into the Stop n Shop plaza parking lot on West Middle Turnpike and cruised the strip mall til I found my target. We all piled out of the car and into a treat for the tastebuds — Divine Treasures chocolates. All of their chocolates are made right in the store, using no corn syrup, refined sugars, or trans-fats, while they do use organic Belgian chocolate and offer dairy-free and gluten-free treats.

They have a case of sugar free chocolates that are made with whey, but since we’re avoiding dairy, we turned our gaze to the larger cases of vegan chocolates. We oohed and aahed over the huge selection, and learned that they sell ice cream too. Vegan ice cream. Made with cashews and almonds! It’s rare to find a place that we can get ice cream out and about, so we split a sundae, opting for the chocolate instead of cherry ice cream, and had hot fudge and caramel sauce on top. We also ordered a few pieces of chocolate — Dante picked one that looked like a gift package that was filled with pomegranate jelly. Lucia went for a sea shell shape that was filled with chocolate ganache. I opted for the toffee bits embedded in a bar of chocolate, and Luke picked the Health Bar, which I think is supposed to be a healthier version of a heath bar and seemed like my choice with some finely shredded chocolate on top. I also got a Thai chocolate but can’t recall what it has in it — perhaps coconut, perhaps chilies, I forget and we haven’t eaten it yet.

So next time you’re in Manchester, indulge yourself! Head to the strip mall for some organic chocolate, and then head to Parkade for that movie you missed last month!

Comments ( 7 )

chocolate, movies

Chocolate Mousse Pie

February 25th, 2010

Last weekend we were going to a birthday party for my 5 year old’s friend. I had been wanting chocolate pie for a few days but felt I probably shouldn’t make it and eat it all by myself so this was the perfect excuse to get my fix!

This recipe came from my friend, Brigid and it is always a hit and one of the fastest desserts to eat. I won’t lie, I do like it for breakfast, too.

This is one of those desserts that is so fun to adapt and decorate as well. So, be creative and go for it!

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Crust:

2 3/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/8 tsp sea salt

Run the food processor until it the nuts become a nice dense texture.
Put in a pie pan and push down into crust shape.

Filling:

2/3 cups dates, pitted
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1-2 TBS coconut oil
few TBS agave nectar
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup water
1-2 TBS psyllium husk powder.

Mix ingredients in food processor.
Pour into crust.
Decorate with berries, coconut flakes, seeds, nuts, fruit slices, etc if you wish.

Ta-da! You’re done!

For the crust, I usually use a mix of about half mac nuts and half cashews. The cashews add a bit more creaminess and the mac nuts are so rich and decadent!

For the filling, I follow it using the full 2 TBS coconut oil and tend towards the 1 TBS psyllium husk powder. The more powder you put in, the thicker the mousse is. I also use raw honey instead of agave.

It looks pretty topped with fresh berries or coconut. This time, I used goji berries and goldenberries to decorate the top and add some superfruit power!

My kids also like the mousse made alone and eat it like pudding. My husband has been known to eat a slice or FIVE! This is definitely a hit with all who try it.

Sioux adds — this pie doesn’t last long in our house either, my kids love the pudding, and Luke and I will eat the entire pie if left alone in a room with it for more than 20 minutes. Even after 20 minutes, don’t expect much to be left…especially if we know we’ve only got 20 minutes!

Comments ( 3 )

cashews, chocolate, goji, macadamia nuts, mousse, pie

Be Prepared

February 3rd, 2010

…with chocolate, I say!

This is one of my favorites. It was my best friend as I was making the transition to raw and is always a hit at a gathering.

I got the recipe somewhere while searching the masses of raw recipes on the internet. This recipe is from Chef Jana Adjani and is by far the yummiest fudge I have made.

Chocolate Fudge

1/3-1/2 cup raw cocoa beans (to taste)
1 cup raw almond butter
4 TBS Virgin Coconut butter
1/4-1/2 cup agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Put the raw cocoa beans in high speed blender or food processor until it is a powder.
Put the rest of the ingredients in and process until thick cake like batter.
Pour batter into a square glass baking pan, cover and freeze for about an hour.
When ready to serve, leave on the counter for a few minutes to thaw to make it easier to cut with a knife. Enjoy!

My side notes…
I use raw cocoa powder instead of nibs and grinding them as the directions suggest. It is hard to get those little nibs to a very fine powder. I use closer to the 1/2 cup since I am starting with the powder. I also throw everything except the coconut oil in to the vitamix blender first to get it incorporated a bit first. The coconut butter melts because of the little bit of heat being produced by the blender. Otherwise, this is a very easy straightforward recipe.

The author also recommends you play around with it a bit. Feeling free to add in extras like coconut, chopped walnuts or dried fruits. I second that. Of course, I haven’t ever done that but rather opted to go for the straight up chocolate but it would make a nice option for a dessert platter at your next party or for your Valentine sweetheart!