Review: PASCHA Chocolate (Allergen Free!)

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I LOVE a good piece (or a few pieces, let's be real) of chocolate! Honestly, I think I have some every single day. Fortunately, in the past couple of years my chocolate palate has been refined as I have had the opportunity to try more and more of the best chocolates on the market. To think, my bar of choice used to be Hershey's Cookies n' Cream!! (No shame though, I think I would probably still inhale one of those if not for the gluten.)

With that said, when I first started cleaning up my diet years ago, I made the simple switch from highly commercialized milk chocolate (Hershey's, Dove, etc) to dark chocolate from slightly nicer brands such as Ghiaradelli, Green and Blacks, and so forth. After working through several elimination diets in efforts to heal my gut, I became acutely aware of the prevalence of soy lecithin in chocolate, and it was a while before I found some bars that used sunflower lecithin instead. Taking that one step further, I was happy to discover that there are some options out there that have no emulsifiers at all! While the small amount of lecithin doesn't bother me, I am happy to be able to recommend these brands to clients who are highly sensitive.

There are a few that I have come across (I am THAT girl who is always reading the labels on everything, simply out of curiosity), but the one I want to highlight today is PASCHA!

PASCHA Chocolate is a family owned company that is dedicated to creating the most delicious and purest chocolate on the market that is safe for people with all kinds of allergies. All PASCHA Chocolate products are free from the top 8 major allergens (gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, sesame) and are certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, paleo, fair trade, and the list goes on! Talk about credibility!

The company reached out to me to see if I would like to review some of their products, and I eagerly said yes. I had heard of PASCHA Chocolate before (they make sugar free 100% cacao chocolate chips!), but had never tried it. They generously sent me two bags of chocolate chips and two of their dark chocolate bars, and I eagerly dug in!

I know, tough work, right? Well, I'm happy to report that the chocolate lived up to the hype! It amazes me that some of the best chocolate on the market is also the purest. I tried the 85% bar first, and was impressed with how rich the flavor was. It was perfectly sweet for my preference with a clean taste and a smooth finish. The 85% chocolate chips tasted exactly like the bar, which is dangerous, because I can throw down a handful of chocolate chips in a hurry! The 70% bar was sweeter, but not too much, and is a perfect treat when I feel like something a little more playful than the 85%. Last but not least, the 55% dark chocolate chips were noticeably sweeter, and would be a perfect addition to your favorite baked good of choice! (I can also envision them making a top-notch fudge mixed with some of my favorite coconut butter...if I hadn't already used and washed every dish in my kitchen twice already in the past two days, I probably would already be whipping up a batch!)

If you'd like to try some out for yourself, you can pick up a bar at your local grocery (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Stop n Shop, and Jewel all carry them), or you can order online on their website or on Amazon. And be sure to head over to their Instagram page to follow some drool-worthy photos, as well as Pinterest for plenty of chocoholic inspiration!

Last but not least, don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY on my Instagram page, which will be up and running through Sunday July 2nd! There will be two winners, and each will receive coupons for three full sized bars of PASCHA Chocolate!

Thanks PASCHA Chocolate, for making such an incredible top quality product and making fine chocolate available to all of us with food sensitivities and allergies!

Macadamia White Chocolate Truffles (Low-Histamine, Low-FODMAP)

If you've been following me for any time at all, you know that I LOVE chocolate. My usual go-to is a hearty chunk of Eating Evolved Signature Dark bar. Unfortunately, cocoa powder is a no-go on a low-histamine diet. From my research, it is on the lower end of the spectrum of histamine containing foods, but for these first few weeks I am avoiding all foods that contain a noted amount. The good news is, cacao butter isn't on that list! Macadamia nuts are also on the "low-histamine" list, so I decided to get creative in the kitchen and come up with a fun sweet treat that I could enjoy. What I ended up with is a batch of macadamia nut butter "cookie dough" and some makeshift white chocolate. I originally intended to chop up the white chocolate and mix it in with the dough, but ended up making some "truffles" out of it instead!

Macadamia Nut Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts

• 2 tbsp brown butter (or sub coconut oil)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1-2 tbsp coconut flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Blend all ingredients except the coconut flour in a food processor until a smooth paste forms.

2. Add 1 tbsp of the coconut flour and process until combined. If the mixture still seems thin, add the second tbsp of coconut flour. 

3. Scoop into balls using two spoons or a cookie scoop onto a parchment lined plate and place in fridge to set. 

White Chocolate:

• 1 oz cacao butter

• 1 oz coconut butter (Artisana is by far my favorite brand!)

• sweetener to taste (I used 1/2 tbsp maple syrup and 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar)

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and well combined.

2. Transfer to small molds or a glass dish to later cut into chips.

To make the truffles, I put about 1/2 tsp of the white chocolate in the bottom of a silicone mold, a added a small ball of the macadamia dough, and topped it off with another 1/2 tsp of the white chocolate! 

Store any leftovers in the freezer. Enjoy!

Perfect Granola

I've always loved granola, especially the kind that is perfectly crunchy, dense, and full of extra goodies like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It's perfect on top of full fat yogurt, mixed in with a fresh batch of homemade almond milk, or let's be real here, just by the handful!! This recipe was inspired by one that I found on The Kitchn, and I have adapted and made it time and time again over the years. It makes a great gift too! 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned gluten free oats (I used One Degree Organics, Sprouted)

• 2 cups raw mixed nuts and seeds (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sunflower seeds are some of my go-to’s)

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup unsweetened mixed dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, golden raisins, currants, chopped apricots, and cranberries are some of my favs) 

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp cardamom

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or ghee)

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir in the salt and spices. Add in the oats and stir thoroughly to combine. 

2. Spread the oats out in a single layer over 1-2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

3. Bake at 350 for around 45 minutes (or to preference), stirring every 10-15 minutes.

4. When everything is starting to toast and is a light golden brown, add in the nuts and seeds. (This is usually at around the 30 minute mark for me.) Stir to combine, then pop back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

5. Pull it all out and add the coconut, then roast for 5 final minutes. Keep in eye on it, because that coconut will toast quickly.

6. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Be sure to let the granola cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Now just try not to eat it all at once!!

Tahini Fudge

This tahini fudge is such a creamy treat! It's naturally sweet without any added sugar, and totally hits the spot on these hot days. Even better, you probably have everything on hand already!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup coconut butter

• 2 tbsp ghee

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 1.5 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and warm slightly to combine. Pour into a small glass dish and let chill in the refrigerator until solid! 

It reminds me of peanut butter fudge...but better!

Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookies (AIP, GAPS)

I whipped up these coconut flour based shortbread cookies so that I could have an AIP and GAPS friendly treat, and they turned out so well! The flavor is true to the shortbread I was dreaming of, and they come together in a flash. 

The recipe is super simple:

• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup Tin Star Foods brown butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• pinch of salt
• optional splash of vanilla

Mix well, then place little mounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (They don’t flatten or spread at all, so if you want a more traditional flat cookie, be sure to spread them before you bake them.) Top with a dash of cinnamon (or not) and pop in the oven at 350 for 6-8 minutes. I got 9 bite sized cookies out of the batch!