The power of CACAO

Do you like chocolate?

In case you haven't read my profile... I am very passionate for chocolate. As a serious chocolate lover, not only enjoying purchasing good quality chocolate, but I also make raw chocolate myself. My favorite recipe is raw chocolate barks with beautiful superfoods, such as goji berries, mulberries, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, rose petals etc.

My raw chocolate barks : organic and gluten-free

Before I moved to Canada, I was working for a Japanese company which imports products from Europe and the United States. I was so happy because one of those products was chocolate. On Valentine's day, I used to enjoy eating chocolates such as Hershey's, Cadbury, Ferrero, and Godiva. This is also where I first developped an awareness of the purity and quality that was detracted by ingredients such as artificial flavors, modified fat, refined sugar, preservatives and additives.

Five years later, I had my taste of raw chocolate. What an awakening! So

I fell completely in love and never turned back.

It not only tastes great, but it also provides many benefits and blessings for our mind & body health :

• one of the most antioxidant-rich foods

• high in minerals, such as magnesium and iron

• high in vitamin Bs

• contains the bliss molecule ''anandaminde'' which raises serotonin hormones responsible for mood elevation and balancing of the brain

Almost 4,000 years ago, Cacao was hailed as ''the food of gold'' in the Mayan empire. It was reserved for ceremonies and special events, and was used for medicinal purposes. Raw cacao contains much more nutrients than highly processed cacao. I strongly recommend to read the label carefully before you purchase it. Avoid ingredients such as artificial flavors, soy lecithin, and milk ingredients.

Cacao fruits, grow in Kauai island, Hawaii

For Some of you, it might not be easy to find raw cacao powder, cacao butter or cacao paste in your neighborhood. There are a couple of companies who make organic, fairetrade raw chocolate in Eastern Canada.

Giddy yoyo is doing an amazing job in spreading their tasty raw chocolate all over Canada.

Cacao passion, a raw chocolatier based in Montréal, QC. The chocolates are made by one of my friends and a talented chocolatier & pastry chef, Tyler Côté.

FINE&RAW, is a Brooklyn based chocolate factory. I found them on my second food trip to NYC. Since then, I've been a big fan of them! It is now available in Canada, including Montréal ;)

It would be my pleasure to hear your raw chocolate story!!

Love & Gratitude,

Maya xx

#food #cacao #rawchocolate #plantbased #vegan