Tuesday, June 19, 2012

400th Post (For Real!)

Hey everyone! Today is my real 400th post! Sorry for the confusion last time :X This is for real this time, I promise! It seems like the post was published before but it was just a draft. Very weird. This is the real post, a little early. This is your Wednesday post this week... onAnyway, I wanted to make this post fun so I have a recipe to share with you! It was supposed to be a dehydrator recipe but I wasn't 100% happy with that aspect of it so it has transformed into something different. It is still delicious though!

Curious? This experiment was inspired by this post by Gabby. Check out those delicious looking flavored almonds she has! I went to the company website and saw that they had a Mexican Chocolate flavored almond and knew I had to try and make my own!


Check out this yummy, decadent treat! They are rich and chocolatey, but still not too terrible for you! Definitely a great way to cure a chocolate craving :) These are mostly raw because I used cocoa powder but you can always use raw cacao powder if you want to make them completely raw.


I tried to make them in the dehydrator because I thought they would crystalize kind of like the raw buckwheat cereal. It didn't really crystalize or even harden like I thought they would.

Basically what I did was make the syrup (recipe to follow) and used it to coat 1 1/4 cup of soaked almonds. Then I dehydrated the almonds at 104 degrees for 16 hours. They were still a little sticky after 16 hours so I turned the dehydrator off and waited to see what happened. They hardened up a bit and then I popped them in the fridge to store. 

These things are amazing! Like I said, they have a rich chocolate flavor with a kick of cinnamon. You can't taste the cayenne at all but you can feel the heat just a little in the back of your throat. It is so good! 

I figured that since the syrup is so versatile, I'd give you the recipe for that! I bet you can all dream up some yummy ways to use it :)

Mexican Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp raw agave (it is a bit sweet, you can use 1 tbsp if you like it less sweet)
2 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
3/4 - 1 tsp cinnamon
pinch cayenne (optional)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together into a thick syrup. 

Suggested Uses:
1. Drizzle over banana soft serve for a sweet and spicy treat!
2. Mix with your favorite plant milk for Mexican Chocolate Milk.
3. Use instead of melted chocolate in your Mess Free Banana Splits!


4. Coat your favorite raw nuts with it ;) Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until it sets!

I plan on experimenting with different flavors of those nuts as well :) If they come out good I'll definitely share with all of you.

Hope you all have a great day! I'm looking forward to the next 400 posts :)

22 comments:

  1. First of all, CONGRATS SARAH!!! 400 posts is really something to be proud of:) so awesome! That's a lot of hard work right there! And those almonds look so delicious! i don't think I'd be able to make them fast enough! Thanks for sharing! have a great day tomorrow!

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    1. Thank you so much Caralyn! It is hard work but it is a lot of fun too :) I'm so blessed to have such amazing, encouraging and supportive blogger buddies like you!

      Thanks! The almonds are yummy! I'm going to try and come up with some savory nut recipes that you'd be able to eat :)

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  2. Yay 400 posts! That is a serious accomplishment! CONGRATS x 100000!

    This sauce looks to die for. I'm so glad you were inspired by my purchase to recreate your own. I am hoarding my chocolate coconut almonds so I'm definitely going to follow your example and attempt to recreate them.

    Sending so much love to you today :)

    Gabby @ the veggie nook

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    1. Thanks so much Gabby! The sauce is pretty incredible. Those chocolate coconut almonds are definitely on my list to recreate too! I'll have to take a look and see if I can find the ingredients so I at least have a starting point :)

      Thanks Gabby! :)

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  3. Happy 400th post to you! Celebrating with chocolate is a good way to go. I love the idea of a little heat in the chocolate. I got a jar of chocolate sauce as a birthday present from my brother one year and it had some hot pepper in it, and I really liked that combination! Speaking of heat, stay cool as we brace for the first wave of the season!

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    1. Thank you Rachel! The heat is great and very subtle. You can feel it but not taste the cayenne. I love that!

      Stay cool! It was so hot today and will be worse tomorrow!

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  4. It's official! Hooray! I don't think I saw all of the suggested uses for this super delicious syrup, and they look so incredibly delicious. I can't wait to see the other flavors you create!

    Writing posts is a labor of love, and I am looking forward to your next 400!

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    1. Yay thanks! I want to try it on banana soft serve! Yum! I'll have to start brainstorming more syrup flavors :)

      Thank you! Me too :) I can't believe that I've written that many and I feel like I have a lot more to share! I'm looking forward to sharing more and learning more from all of my blogger friends!

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  5. Congratulations on 400 posts! I'm so glad you're here and look forward to perusing your daily eats :)

    The almonds look wonderful. I love a sweet & salty combo and if the sweet contains chocolate even better!

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    1. Aww thank you so much Nikki, that is really sweet :) The almonds are yummy and have a sweet heat taste. The heat is so unexpected and delicious. Definitely a perfect way to indulge and not feel too guilty!

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  6. WOO HOO!!! Congrats on reaching 400 posts! That's quite an accomplishment. I've really enjoyed reading your blog and being inspired by your healthy lifestyle. I also love it that you're busting the stereotype that vegans eat nothing but lettuce.

    Thanks for the recipe. These look delish. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate. I gotta add dehydrator to my wish list.

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    1. Aww thank you so much Sage! You are very sweet and I love reading your blog! I feel like I've learned so much from you :)

      The dehydrator is awesome! It was definitely worth the wait :)

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  7. Congratulations! Thanks for sharing all of your fabulous recipes, including this one! These look superdelicious!
    Cheers!

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    1. THank you so much! I'm glad you like the recipes :) Give these a try, they are yummy!

      Thanks for stopping in!

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  8. Happy 400th post! I've had almonds similar to this before and I agree, they're so good. Sounds like you nailed the recipe!

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    1. Thanks Molly! The sauce was really yummy I'm very happy with the way it came out :) Definitely a great treat!

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  9. Happy 400 posts! I love following your blog - and the Mexican Chocolate Syrup sounds divine! I would love to drizzle it on strawberries. :)

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    1. Aww thank you Jesse! I love following your beautiful blog too as well as your Pinterest page! Oooh I bet it would be amazing on strawberries! Great idea!

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