It’s never too early for chocolate. Especially when there is a royal wedding to watch. Yes or yes? This chocolatey bowl of baked oats and Navitas Organics cacao powder is just what the doctor ordered on this chilly Saturday morning. Look for the dEATs on this bowl of yum below!

It’s a wee bit chilly this morning, but I’m determined to go to the Green City  Farmer’s Market this morning in Lincoln Park. While I’ve already killed one sage plant this year, I continue to retain the hope that this is the year my black thumb will turn green. Only time will tell! Stay tuned for my debacles in trying to keep a simple herb alive. How my bulldog continues to survive at life is beyond me.

Given the chill, I was yearning for something to warm me up this morning. During the week, I usually make a standard bowl of oatmeal with Quaker Oats original packets and some frozen fruit (wild blueberries are my fav), but I love that everything slows down a bit on the weekends so you can take a bit more time to indulge. Knowing that I’m headed to the Farmer’s Market and will likely pick up lots of fresh veggies & fruit, I felt a little less guilty about a chocolate indulgence for breakfast. But, this isn’t as indulgent as you may think since the chocolatey goodness comes from superfood cacao powder, carob chips and my specialty vegan chocolate sauce.

Not familiar with carob chips? Well, get familiar my friends! Also know as the “other chocolate chip”, these little bits of goodness resemble chocolate, but are vegan, dairy, nut and gluten free. Carob chips are made from the pods of the carob tree, which is in the pea family and native to the Mediterranean region. The pods are dried and ground up to make carob powder, which is then used to make carob chips. Carob has a natural sweetness and is less bitter than chocolate, but don’t expect it to be quite as rich and velvety as chocolate. Check out the additional health benefits of carob in this article from Dr. Axe, including reducing cholesterol, aiding upset stomachs and managing blood sugar.  Now, on to the cacao breakfast bake!

Cacao Breakfast Bake
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
– 1/3 C rolled oats
– 2 T almond flour
– 1 T cacao powder (like Navitas Organics)
– 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 1 T maple syrup (omit if Whole30)
– Pinch of salt
– 1/3 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 1 tsp coconut oil, melted
– 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 T carob chips
– Your choice of toppings (shown: strawberries, coconut flakes and vegan chocolate sauce)

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Coat an individual ramekin or oven safe bowl with coconut oil or cooking spray of choice.

Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl – maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla and coconut oil. Mix until combined. Fold in the carob chips. Reserve a few for topping.

Step 3: Spoon the batter into the greased ramekin or oven-safe bowl, topping with the remaining carob chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on preferred thickness.

Step 4: Remove from the oven and anxiously await the cooling process – approximately 5 minutes. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Recipe adapted from Running with Spoons.  Enjoy this cacao breakfast bake!

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It’s never too early to taco. Amiright? Kicking off cinco de mayo with these sweet potato pancakes stuffed with gooey peanut butter and banana, then drizzled with a rich vegan cacao sauce and carob chips (pancake tacos!). Excuse me while I face plant into these. 

Is there any food more perfect than tacos? Don’t think about it too hard. It’s an easy no.  Savory or sweet, crunchy or soft, breakfast or dinner and everything in between means a million ways to indulge in these carriers of awesome sauce. This particular Saturday I went the sweet route, but with a twist. Believe it or not, these fluffy folded morsels are made with just two ingredients: sweet potatoes and eggs.

I was skeptical the first time I made these golden stacks, but they were surprisingly light and deceptively…pancake-like. The trick is mashing well enough to get a smooth consistency. I’ve read that some people will even put the sweet potato in a blender, but I didn’t find that necessary. I also despise dishes, so I’m a seeker of simple recipes.

Seriously though, these pancake tacos are next level heaven. Get that spatula ready because these will be love at first flip.

Sweet Potato Pancake Tacos
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato Pancakes:
-1 sweet potato
-2 eggs
Optional: 1 tsp vanilla + 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
-1 banana
-2 T nut butter of choice

Vegan Cacao Sauce:
-4 T coconut oil
-2 T maple syrup
-3 T cacao powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Topping: carob or chocolate chips.

 

Directions:

Step 1: Wash the sweet potato and place on a microwave safe plate. Poke holes evenly around the sweet potato with a fork for ventilation. Heat for 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato. The potato is done when it is soft and easily pierced with a fork. Let cool.

Step 2: Mash the flesh of the sweet potato in a medium bowl. Discard the skin. Add the eggs to the sweet potato mash and mix until evenly combined and smooth. Stir in the optional vanilla and cinnamon.

Step 3: Heat a griddle on the stove with enough coconut oil to coat the surface. The griddle is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles. Add desired amount of batter and swirl with a spoon to create a smooth, flat circle. Heat for 2-3 minutes until browned on the first side. Flip and heat another 2-3 minutes until browned. Set aside on a plate.

Step 4: Make the cacao sauce by first heating the coconut oil in the microwave. Heat in 15 second increments until smooth and viscous. Combine the melted coconut oil with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until combined.

Step 5. Assemble the pancake tacos by slathering the center of each pancake with nut butter. Place 3 banana slices in the center of each pancake then drizzle with the cacao sauce and additional nut butter. If using conventional peanut butter, melt the peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds for a more fluid consistency. Option to top with carob or chocolate chips.

It’s fiesta time! Happy cinco de mayo, friends!

The post Cinco de Taco appeared first on The Shooks Life.

I dip you dip we dip…for vegan chocolate avocado mousse. Droppin’ strawberries like it’s a bad habit into this sweet treat with the rich flavors of  @navitasorganics cacao. Try to stop at one dip. I triple dog dare ya. Get the dEATs below!

So here’s the deal, no need to count those dips with this little delight. The base of the mousse is healthy fats like avocado and coconut cream, sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla, with a super rich chocolatey flavor derived from superfood cacao.

Hold up, chocolate is a superfood? Yes ma’am. But there’s a difference between traditional cocoa and cacao. Two different things, not a spelling error (hello, I was a journalism major).

So here’s the deal. Cacao is the purest form of chocolate, produced by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. It maintains a majority of the nutrients from the cacao beans while removing the fat (serious magic). In this whole form, it delivers an abundance of jam-packed nutrients such as magnesium, flavanoids (antioxidants that support the immune system), iron and phenylethylamine (PEA) – often called the “love drug” since it boosts mood and energy levels. Yes, please.

Cocoa looks like same, but don’t be fooled. Cocoa powder is raw cacao that been roasted at high temperatures, reducing the overall nutritional value (womp womp). In addition, many companies will add sugars to cocoa mixes, so watch those labels!

Now that you’ve discovered all the goodness of superfood cacao, dip on into this delectable mousse! P.S. Bonus points if you get the song reference from this post!

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
– 4 large, ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
– 1 1/2 C coconut cream
– 1 1/4 C Navitas Organics cacao powder
– 1 C 100% pure maple syrup
– 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Serve immediately with fresh fruit or store in the fridge.

Happy dipping, friends!

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