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Wednesday 17 May 2017

For The Love Of Chocolate

It's only natural that I should have been drawn to York. Despite now residing an hour away from the viking city, my heart will always call itself a Yorkshire girl, my feet ever longing for the higgledy piggledy cobblestones streets of the Shambles (the inspiration for Diagon Alley dontcha know?) and my nose ever sniffing up at the air yearning to smell the intoxicating scent of chocolate that roams around the York streets like a little sugar fairy.

York is the city of chocolate. Forget Vikings, Romans, Richard of York's vain battle or the Minster, York is instead made up of a dizzying array of sweet treats. The Nestle factory sits just outside the centre, filling the streets with a deliciously bitter cocoa scent if the wind blows the right way. The old Chocolate Works, once owned by Terry's (of Chocolate Orange fame) is treated like some holy shrine to all things confectionery. The park is even named Rowntree Park after Joseph Rowntree who opened the Chocolate factory in York before it was taken over by Nestle.  And then there are more recent chocolate accolades: The Cocoa House, Hotel Chocolat and of course the York Chocolate Story. You could say York has an affection for confection.

I love chocolate. This declarative doesn't seem to convey the depth of feeling I have for the stuff. My favourite treat is a jar of Nutella, ever so slightly melted, with a spoon. Nothing else, just the glorious, liquid simplicity of the velvety smoothness of chocolate. However, I also love my health and whilst chocolate is the food of the gods, it's not exactly conducive to a slim figure if you eat it for every meal (which I would. I totally would).

If you've read my other posts, you'll know I'm doing The Body Coach's 90 Day Shift, Shape and Sustain plan, using his recipe books and work outs to help me. I LOVE this plan. I eat delicious food, never feel hungry and after 4 weeks, I've seen incredible results. My one qualm? There is a significant lack of chocolate (or indeed sugar) on the plan. Quelle horreur!

I'm not a girl to do things by half. I've stuck to the plan pretty rigidly and haven't had so much as a brick of chocolate in nearly 5 weeks...but that's not to say I haven't had cravings. My god, have I had cravings. At times I've walked down the sweets and treats aisle at the super market and left a puddle of tears in my wake (or was it drool?) So, not content with the meagre offerings of cinnamon on the plan (i love cinnamon...but it is chocolate's less interesting, somewhat overbearing cousin), I decided to create my own chocolate treats that don't break the rules (too much).

Chocolate mousse
This is delicious and filling and has a slightly fluffier texture than angel delight.



Ingredients:
Makes 2 good sized portions
1 tub250g of plain quark ( high protein, low fat, zero sugar cheese - just go with me on this)
2 tablespoons of cacao (you could use cocoa at a push)
1/2 teaspoon of agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

Method:
Tip all the quark in to a food mixer with a whisk setting, though a hand whisk won't kill you.
Whisk on a medium setting  until the quark starts looking fluffier (or until your arm feels achey).
As you whisk, add in the cacao and cinnamon one tablespoon at a time. Continue to whisk until all combined.
In a lower whisking speed, add the agave syrup and whisk until combined (don't worry if the mixture looses a little 'fluff')
Empty the mixture in to storage containers and refrigerate overnight.
Serve with raspberries.

Snickers Smoothie
I can't get enough of this. It tastes just like a snickers and feels like a real treat. It makes a great breakfast on the go!



Ingredients
250ml unsweetened Almond Milk
1 tablespoon of almond butter
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
handful of walnuts
1 tablespoon of cacao
1/2 tablespoon of agave syrup

Method:
Chuck it all in a blender and blend well.
Enjoy!

Bounty Bites
I love Bounty chocolate bars but I know a lot of people don't. If you're one of them, just leave out the desiccated coconut.



Ingredients:
300g Medjool dates
1 tablespoon cacao
1 tablespoon almond butter
100g flaked almonds
50g of coconut oil
100g desiccated coconut

Method
Put all the ingredients, apart from the desiccated coconut, in to a blender and blitz to create a sticky soil like texture.
Form golf ball sized spheres by rolling handfuls of mixture in between your palms.
Roll in the desiccated coconut.

Chocolate Pudding Oats
This seems like such an indulgent chocolate dessert. If it's a little rich for you for breakfast, why not try it as a mid afternoon snack?



Ingredients
50g rolled oats
2 tablespoons cacao
1 teaspoon of agave syrup
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds
250ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon greek yoghurt

Method:
Put all the ingredients apart from the yoghurt in a bowl and give it a mix.
Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes (check after 2 minutes). You want a gooey, pudding-y texture.
Top with a dollop of greek yoghurt.


If you decide to give these recipes a try, I hope you enjoy them! Leave a comment if you do or if you have any of your own chocolate hacks to share!

J








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