Tag cocoa

What’s The Difference Between Cocoa and Cacao?

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Some of you might believe that cocoa and cacao are the same thing, but that’s definitely not the case. Here’s the deal: if your chocolate bar is made with cacao, you’re about to dive into a true antioxidant-rich superfood. However, if it’s made with cocoa, you’re not getting nearly the amount of health benefits you would with the cacao-derived treat.

The big difference lies in the processing of the cacao bean. If the bean is high-heat roasted, then you have cocoa, NOT cacao. Cacao is never roasted, but kept in its raw state, then cold-pressed to extract its healthy goodness and preserve its nutrients. In addition, the intense dark brown color of cacao is quite distinctive from its much lighter cousin, cocoa.

Another reason why cocoa-based products get a poor nutritional score is because the big chocolate manufacturers throw in substances like soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup, and vegetable oil. Candy bars are notorious for this, and as a result they should be avoided like the plague. Your best bet is dark chocolate, because it has a high cacao content. The higher the cacao percentage, the healthier it is. Make sure you look for CACAO and not cocoa on the wrapper!

Vegan Brownies

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I want to thank Denet Lewis for sharing his amazing Paleo Coconut Brownie recipe to his TV viewers and to me. They are absolutely delicious! However, they are very calorie dense, so I decided to make these brownies with applesauce instead of whole eggs and was delighted at what I ended up with. These brownies are not too sweet, very chocolatey and have a great brownie texture while still remaining pretty moist. This is, however, a drier brownie, so don’t expect an extremely moist version. If you are not concerned about the caloric content and you like the flavor of coconut, I have added the option of flaked coconut to my version of Denet’s recipe.

This recipe is ideal for vegans, but it also slashes some of the calories that whole eggs would provide. Part of me struggles with the fact that the protein content drops significantly due to the replacement of whole eggs with applesauce, and of course there is the issue of an additional 56 grams of carbohydrates in the entire dish, but this is a nice option for those more concerned about calorie content. Enjoy!

brownies

IFBB Pro Stacey Naito’s Version Of Denet Lewis’ Paleo Coconut Brownies

1-2/3 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup coconut sugar
½ cup coconut flour, sifted1/3 cup coconut oil
½ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup 63% cocoa chips

OPTIONAL:
½ cup flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS:

Mix applesauce and sugar together, then slowly add in flour. Melt coconut oil and add cocoa powder slowly until mixed in, stirring constantly. Add oil mixture to applesauce mixture and stir, then add vanilla extract. Add chocolate chips to mixture. If desired, add coconut to mixture.

Pour mixture into greased baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.