2020 is the year that stopped drinking caffeinated coffee. A test with Viome confirmed what my intuition had long told me: coffee isn’t my friend. I knew for ages that caffeine affected me more than the average person but I didn’t know that the catechols in coffee were unfavorable to my microbiome as well as my gut integrity and function. No bueno.
I was musing about my desire to concoct a coffee-esque beverage to an herbalist friend and she immediately suggested bay nuts. Of course! I’d heard of them before and was seeing them on my hikes in the East Bay hills but I had never tried them. Bay nuts ticked all the boxes: they are similar in flavor to coffee, can be processed into a beverage AND I can forage them. Yes! Yes! A friend forwarded me this amazing article on the nuts and I was further convinced that this was something to pay attention too. I started hiking with clothing with deep pockets or a fanny pack. The flavor is really special. It’s toasty, bitter and earthy. One foot in coffee territory and one foot in unsweetened chocolate. In fact, I struggled a bit to name this beverage… Bay Nut Coffee? Bay Nut Hot Chocolate? The answer, of course, is the genius beverage that merges them both: the mocha.
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 Chocolate mousse is a decadent dessert typically made with egg whites and heavy cream. My version is vegan and uses agar agar to help firm the mixture up instead of eggs and dairy. Are you familiar with agar agar? It’s a red algae that is used to thicken and firm up a host of Asian desserts. I think of it as vegan gelatin. Don’t worry… it’s flavorless!
In general I prefer to keep dairy out of my chocolate when I can. Don’t get me wrong, I think that milk chocolate is absolutely delicious and is definitely a nostalgic childhood flavor for me. However, milk has a protein called casein that binds to many of the antioxidants in the chocolate rendering them unusable to our bodies. I don’t make a point of eating chocolate because of the antioxidants but I do consider it to be a big bonus. Selecting dairy free chocolate is a simple and easy way to upgrade my diet.  Cookies! Now! Do you have a hankering for a baked good but can’t be bothered to break out your Kitchen Aid? This recipe comes together quickly and easily, no mixer required.
I really do love cookies. However, I don’t really like how I feel when I eat the standard cookie that is made with mostly refined flour and sugar. I developed this cookie to be comprised of minimally processed ingredients that are, mostly, pantry staples. The one, more oddball ingredient is reishi. Reishi is known as the longevity mushroom and I like adding it to things when I feel that I need an immune system boost. The flavor is slightly bitter but you won’t be able to taste it when it is mixed into the earthy peanut butter and rich chocolate.  What’s life without a little sweetness? These little bites are so simple to make… don’t be scared off by the double boiler!
The antioxidants in the dark chocolate help to mitigate the effects of inflammation and promote vascular integrity. Walnuts have been found to improve the signaling between neurons in the brain and to promote neurogenesis, the production of neurons. Be sure to use dark chocolate for this recipe and not milk. While milk chocolate is very tasty, the milk has a protein called casein that binds to many of the antioxidants in the chocolate rendering them unusable to our bodies.  If I ever need to bring food to a potluck and I am short on time I often bring this. The batter comes together in about 15 minutes and is comprised of ingredients that you will likely already have in your house. I love having some around for whenever I get a craving for baked goods but don't want to indulge in too much sugar.
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