Chocolate Curry Chicken + Brown Rice Pilaf - Recipe Redux

I have been a fan of Pinterest for a couple months now.  It's a great place to pin all the great recipes I stumble upon to make at a later date.  However, once February hit, my Pinterest homepage was flooded with indulgent chocolate recipes in honor of Valentine's Day.  Decadent heart shaped cookies and cakes, chocolate pancakes and waffles, and a rainbow fruit smothered in caramel and chocolate.  I get it- chocolate is a must during February (and year round in my opinion) but isn't there room for cocoa without all the added sugar?  This is why this month's Recipe Redux theme, "Chocolate love is in the Air" is quite appropo.  I decided to incorporate chocolate into an already healthy recipe in order to bump up the nutrition even more.  

Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons

Before I begin the story of my culinary journey, I have to disclose that this is not a healthy recipe.  Yes, this is a nutrition blog, but it's also a place for me to explore the beauty of food and recipe development.  It's ok to indulge once in a while but everything in moderation!

I had never made macarons (pronounced Macaroni, without the I sound) before this experiment.  I had never even tasted a macaron.  The closest I had come to one was on the other side of a bakery window.  Macarons are known for two things: coming in pretty pastel colors and being made out of almonds.  I love the way they look but don't care for baked goods with almond flavor so that's why I've never tried one.

When I found about First on the First, a blog hop started by Kate @ Food Babbles and Carrie @ Poet in the Pantry, I was excited to get on board.  First on the First attempts a cooking or baking feat that is new to you and shares the results with the world.  February's theme is macarons and I really wanted to be a part of it but I knew I'd have to make some adjustments to these traditionally almond flavored cookies to make them my own.

Dark Spiced Hot Cocoa

Check out my first guest blog post on Kitchen Tested where you can find my recipe for dark spiced hot cocoa!  And if you haven't already read my post about the heath benefits of dark chocolate, read it here.  Happy New Year's to everyone and thanks for all your support!

The Low-Down on Chocolate

One of my favorite ingredients, chocolate has a way of being there for us whether we’ve had a stressful day, an insane headache, or a run of the mill sweet tooth craving.  So how can something that’s lifted our spirits time and time again have such a bad reputation?  Well, the problem isn’t in the cocoa, which happens to be loaded with lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help lower blood pressure and protect from heart disease. The culprits are the cream, sugar, caramel, and nougat found in many chocolate bars.

Ounce for ounce, dark and milk chocolate have about 150 calories and 9 grams of fat each but dark chocolate has more nutrients, specifically antioxidants, so it’s healthier overall.  Keep in mind that dark chocolate is still high in calories and should be consumed in moderation.  If you prefer sweet, look for dark chocolate with a 60-70% cacao content.  Anything higher is going to have a bitter aftertaste but a lower sugar content. Typically, higher-end chocolates will advertise their cacao percentage and are usually not alkalized.  For cacao content on a variety of chocolates click here. Personally, I'm a fan of Ghirardelli's line of dark chocolates with high cacao percentages.

It's important to avoid chocolate that has been Dutch-processed or alkalized.  This process makes the chocolate darker and gives it a milder flavor but it also destroys most of the flavonoids, stripping the dark chocolate of its healthy components.  Hershey’s “Special Dark” chocolate is alkalized and no better for you than Hershey’s milk chocolate so stop fooling yourself.  It will say in the ingredients if it has been alkalized.  Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder is natural and not Dutch-processed so I approve of it.

Natural vs Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

Chocolate makes us feel better because it contains serotonin, a natural anti-depressant.  It also stimulates endorphin production which leaves us feeling warm and tingly.  So the next time you’re feeling blue, snack on a couple squares of high quality dark chocolate, a natural pick-me-up.

Check out my guest post on Kitchen Tested for a decadent recipe for spiced dark hot cocoa.