all the chocolate

When people find out that I follow a pretty strict diet for my Crohn's Disease, one of the very first questions they ask is always, "So...what DO you eat?" I'm planning to write a much more comprehensive post about my diet in the coming weeks, but today I wanted to tell you about the best part of what I eat: chocolate. Since chocolate is my favorite treat, I was determined to find a way that I could eat it without ruining my diet. I've tried plain very dark chocolate, cacao nibs, and cocoa powder. I've experimented with melting unsweetened chocolate and adding maple syrup and almonds. I've made hot chocolate with coconut milk, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla and 100% unsweetened cocoa powder. I've mixed cocoa powder into homemade protein bites and granola bars. I've added it to smoothies. Basically, I've tried it every way I could think of. 

But then.

Then my friend Kerri pointed me to the Minimalist Baker and her Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons and well...GAME CHANGER. 

The macaroons themselves are amazing, but my favorite part is the chocolate sauce. I could have just eaten it with a spoon. It's the perfect amount of sweet (I added 3.5 TBSP maple syrup) and it tastes exactly like chocolate should taste - much more chocolatey than sugary. I did have to special order the cacao powder and cocoa butter, but Amazon is a life saver and has everything under the sun, including weird ingredients like cacao powder and cocoa butter. Win!

I made a second batch of the chocolate sauce a few days later and added it to a mix of coconut milk and almond milk for another version of hot chocolate. And now I have a million other ideas for how to use this new method and recipe. If you try making the macaroons, skip the blender and use a food processor if you have one. I found that to be a lot easier and more efficient. Also, forget about sprinkling them with salt. Next time I make these, I plan to roll them in a mix of unsweetened coconut and coarse sea salt. The contrast of the salty and sweet is the best part. 

If you're looking for another excuse to eat chocolate, I would highly highly recommend the macaroons. They taste great and are chock full of healthy coconut and coconut oil. If you give them a try, let me know what you think! Happy Monday!