Ready for some healthy Jeopardy? Superfoods for $800: It promotes brain function, heart health, and is full of antioxidants and the all-important mineral magnesium.
“What is: chocolate.”
Yes, the ingredient you may hold near and dear to your sweets-loving heart is actually an incredibly powerful, nutrient-packed powerhouse (iron!) that will help do everything from boost your memory power to soothe your PMS-induced cramps. That is, when you buy it in its pure cacao form, and which has no sugar in it.
With so many healthy benefits, there’s no need to limit your chocolate consumption to just late-night snack fixes. Whether it’s kick-starting your morning with a cacao-spiked smoothie to enjoying dinner with a savory Smoky Butternut Squash and Cacao Soup, you could practically Veruca Salt your entire day.
Don’t know where to start? We’ve found 35 recipes to help go beyond the chocolate bar (rumors of an impending cocoa plant shortage, be damned). Yes, there’s even a salad option—kale, meet chocolate… the beginning of a beautiful, healthy friendship! —Willa Tellekson-Flash
(Photo: Heavenlynn Healthy)
Beverages
1. Chocolate Kale Smoothie
2. Chocolate Almond Chia Seed Smoothie
4. Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie
7. Chocolate Turmeric Smoothie
9. Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie
(Photo: Hungry and Fussy)
Breakfast
11. Overnight Chocolate Rawnola
12. Chocolate Banana Avocado Smoothie Bowl
13. Double Chocolate Pistachio Muffins
14. Espresso, Vanilla Bean and Cacao Nib Granola
15. Chocolate Banana Breakfast Quinoa
16. Superfood Muesli
17. Cacao & Coconut Smoothie Bowl
18. Overnight Chocolate Chia Oat Pudding
(Photo: To Her Core)
Savory Salads, Soups, and Entrees
20. Papaya Salad with Lime Cashew Cream and Raw Cacao
21. Strawberry Pecan Hemp Seed Salad with Spicy Chocolate Vinaigrette
22. Caesar Salad with Chocolate Glazed Shrimp
23. Bean and Buckwheat Chili with Dark Chocolate
24. Smoky Butternut Squash and Cacao Soup
25. 30-Minute Chocolate-Espresso Beef and Black Bean Chili
26. Black Eyed Pea Mole Cakes with Blackberry Mint Salsa
27. Pasilla Chile & Cacao Chicken Meatballs
29. Chocolate Peanut Mole Chicken & Cilantro Orange Rice
(Photo: Earthly Delights)
Snacks
30. Cocoa Chipotle Salsa
32. Chocolate-Covered Beets and Sweet Potatoes with Lavender Beet Salt
33. Cranberry and Almond Energy Balls
34. Cacao-Coconut Plantain Rice Balls with Pepitas
Still want to hit the (chocolate) bar? Here are the 10 healthiest chocolates to share—or keep for yourself.
(Photo: Veggie Desserts)
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