Paleo Midnight Fudge and Really Good News About Chocolate!
Guess what! Chocolate’s healthy, and so is the date fudge recipe at the end of this post! That’s good news right before Valentine’s Day! I’m sure you know that, and hopefully you also know that I’m not talking about milk chocolate, which has way less than 50% cocoa! I’ve known for a long time that cocoa is full of antioxidants and neurotransmitters, but I found out the other day that it is also full of fiber and iron. Seriously, look at this label!
For one small bar of very dark chocolate (this is the box from Trader Joe’s that contains bars ranging from 60-72% cocoa) you get 24% of your daily fiber and 15% of your daily iron! It also has flavonols in it, which can help prevent heart disease and other nasty things! Yes, chocolate is high in calories, so it should be enjoyed in moderation, but even the fat in it can have some health benefits! Try placing a chunk of it on your tongue, and see how long you can keep it there. That way you can enjoy the flavor and richness, without eating all those calories! Here‘s an article about the health benefits of chocolate if you want more information.
Today I used dark chocolate to make my healthy date fudge. Here’s the recipe I used (slightly different from the other fudge recipes on this blog…a bit darker and simpler):
Serves 12
- 1 Cup Walnuts
- 1 Cups Pecans
- 1.5-2 Cups Dates
- 1/2 to 1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Tsp Vanilla
- 2 Tbsp Almond Milk
- 1 Tsp Organic Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup 63% Cocoa Dairy Free Chocolate Chips
- Raw Honey
(Optional, to taste)
Put all the ingredients in a food processor, except for the chocolate bars and raw honey. Process until very smooth. Taste it to see if it’s sweet enough. If not, add a tablespoon or so of raw honey. It should look like this:
Add the chocolate bars and process a few more seconds, allowing the chocolate to remain chunky. Press into an 8×8 baking dish. It may be greasy from the nuts at this point, so you can dab it with napkins if that bugs you. Freeze for about 20 minutes, and ENJOY!!! This is a great pre-workout snack!
