The Vegan and Vegetarian Secrets Blog …

Chocolate, well what can I say, it’s one of the most delightful exciting senses for us mere mortals on the planet – wouldn’t you agree? It’s something that one can quickly and easily fall in love with that’s for sure.

According to popular research, chocolate is one of the number one foods craved by women, let alone the rest of the population. And Switzerland leads the way in chocolate consumption at a staggering 19 pounds per person per year. That’s some chocolate right.

And so this brings me to my next note, how can one find great quality luxurious dairy free, vegetarian and vegan chocolate quickly and easily? Well getting a hold of dairy free and vegan chocolates these days is a breeze compared to say 10 years ago. Being vegan myself and a lover of chocolate from way back it was one of my ventures as a vegan to source out and find some of the best vegan chocolates I could find, and if I couldn’t find them make my own recipes. So that’s what this essay is all about . . . Dairy-free Chocolates and Vegan Chocolate for those living an alternative healthier lifestyle.

Those people living with lactose intolerances and on a vegan or raw food diet may have in the past found it a bit challenging to find great tasting dairy-free, vegan or raw food chocolates to satisfy their cravings. I know from personal experience when I first went vegan many years ago, I gave up my favourite food (chocolate) as I couldn’t find any suitable options on the market that had a great taste, and I didn’t know about sourcing such things from other countries at that time either. So I gave it up – until I found vegan and non-dairy options by accident that is. So now no matter if I’m living vegan or as a raw foodist I can and do have many choices in today’s world. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of dairy-free and fully vegan chocolate bars, candies and recipes to choose from.  What a delight for our tastebuds.

So let’s start by discovering where chocolate comes from . . . the ‘Cacao Bean’ (today people use such words like cocoa, coco, chocolate, cacao interchangeably to describe chocolate). And so from the Cacao Tree (which flowers and produces fruit all year round) comes the cacao beans from which chocolate is made. Once the flowers on the Cacao Tree are pollinated, they soon develop into pod-like fruits. These fruits can grow up to 18-20cm in length and contain approximately 20 to 50 ‘cacao beans’ inside – this is the natural, raw form of chocolate. Cacao beans taste just like dark chocolate – and that is exactly what they are in pure form!

Next from the cacao beans come the processing methods (to make a long story short) to extract out into ‘chocolate liquor’ which eventually after a few more methods finally becomes cocoa powder, butter, oil etc. Thus what Chocolatiers use to work their magic and make the sweet chocolate treats we buy and eat today.

“Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine (Quote by Geronimo Piperni)

Now let’s get started with one of the quickest easiest chocolate recipes I know to date.

Delish Quick Chocolate Bites

No cooking, no having to melt any cacao butter, just add ingredients, mix and set. How easy is that for a quick chocolate hit. This recipe takes seconds really and well worth trying at least once (but take note my friends you may just get hooked and keep going back for more).

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  4 Tbsp chocolate powder
  2 Tbsp Agave nectar
  2 Tbsp of Maca powder
  1/2 cup cashew nuts

Method: Put everything into a small processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour into moulds and freeze to set. These chocolate bites should preferably be kept in the freezer as they are raw chocolate bars and don’t set like traditional chocolate.

Now if you don’t have time to make your own chocolate treats and sweets, then don’t worry as here I’ve put together a list of some of the most irresistible well known non-dairy and vegan chocolate brands for your convenience. So purchasing dairy-free and vegan chocolate, is now as easy as pie.

Check out some of these brands when next on the gander for a satisfying chocolate hit . . .

• Plamil Chocolates
• Vegan Sweets Brand of Chocolates
• Green & Blacks Chocolate
• Sweet Williams Soy Milk Chocolates
• Kaoka Chocolate
• Tropical Source Chocolates
• Organica Chocolate
• Booja Booja Chocolate
• Artissee Organic Dark Chocolate
• Chocolate Decadence
• Denman Island Organic Chocolate
• Chocoreale Organic Vegan Chocolate Spreads
• Tree Huggin’ Treats
• Organic Chocolate Nuts & Chews Assortment by Sjaaks
• Newman’s Own Organics Sweet Dark Chocolate
• Organic Chocolates by Allison’s Gourmet
• Terra Nostra Organic Rice Milk Chocolate Bar
• Sunspire Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar
• Health By Chocolate Organic Bars
• Dagoba Organic Chocolate Bars
• Rose City Chocolatiers
• Endangered Species Chocolate Company
• Whizzers Chocolate
• Alpha Confectionery
• Constant Craving Chocolates
• Plus many more

So as you can see if you are looking for dairy free chocolates or vegan chocolate to satisfy your cravings you have no shortage of chocolate treats to choose from. And we haven’t even added in the raw food chocolate brands in the above list either … there just seems to be too many vegan chocolates on the market these days we couldn’t even possibly list them all. (NB: also don’t forget to check ingredients labels as some companies make both vegan and non-vegan chocolate varieties and treats).

“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.” (John Q Tullius)

Here are a few extra tips when looking for dairy-free chocolates in the stores, Buy organic if you can, make sure you get chocolate with a high quality cocoa content, taste test as many brands of non-dairy chocolates as you can get your hands on – everyone’s tastes will be different afterall and you never know what will take your fancy when you come into contact with high quality chocolate bars. And of course don’t forget you can get some great tasting hot chocolate mixes and spreads these days as well, so don’t just look for chocolate boxes, bars or bites, make sure you experience all the benefits that chocolate has to offer.

Chocolate is the Food of the Gods afterall!

While most most restaurants have at least a few vegetarian options, for a real meat-free night out, it can be a treat to hit up a veggie restaurant where you know meat, or even eggs and dairy products, haven’t had a chance of touching your meal. Before you head on your next trip, check out this list of the best veggie dining establishments from all over the world, from big cities to small town America, to make finding great food on the road an easy and tasty experience. This is by no means a comprehensive list, nor is it in any particular order, but it’s useful for finding great vegetarian places to try out in your own city or abroad.

Click Here for the LIST

“Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”

- Henry David Thoreau

Here’s an amazing story of the friendship between a crow and a kitten. You have to see this to believe it!

If you are anything like me and enjoy experimenting with heaps of different types of vegan alternative recipes and desserts to give to friends and family then here’s a great easy little vegan dessert you can try out on others that they won’t be scared to taste-test . . .

Wicked Berry Cassata

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• 1 litre vanilla soy ice cream (softened a little)
• 150g vegan turkish delight or other jelly lollies (roughly chopped)
• 100g raspberrries
• 100g blueberries (chopped)
• 1/4 cup almonds (chopped roughly)
• 1/4 macadamias (choppped roughly)
• 50g chocolate coated goji berries (chopped in half)
• 1/4 cup of Green & Blacks Maya Gold Chocolate (chopped roughly)

Method:

1. Line the base and sides of an 8 x 25cm pan with plastic wrap.
2. In large bowl, combine all ingredients and fold until roughly combined.
3. Next put some foil or a lid over the pan and freeze until firm.
4. Remove the log from the pan and remove plastic wrap. Serve sliced with extra rasberries or blueberries.

Tip: if you allow this to rest at room temperature before slicing up, it’ll be much easier for you.

PS > Substitue your favorite berries or vegan chocolates in this recipe, as it works wonders with almost any fruit and sweets.

And here’s what you should end up with . . .

The authors of the famous ‘Skinny Bitch books’ have teamed up with PETA, and are giving away five copies of Skinny Bitch and their new—and soon-to-be best-selling—cookbook, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch!

Don’t let the titles fool you, though, because anyone can be a “skinny bitch.” It’s not about starving yourself or being tall and thin with mile-high legs, you see. It’s about eating a vegan diet, being healthy, and looking fabulous while owning your personal style.

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