Raw macaroons are nothing new. Been there, done that. Don’t get me wrong – I love ‘em, but I wanted to create something lighter, something different. So when I saw the Zucchini Cacao Cookies by Rawmazing, I was inspired to re-create the famed raw macaroon.

I began by subbing grated zucchini for the shredded coconut found in the typical macaroon recipe. I replaced the agave in the Rawmazing recipe with a combination of coconut nectar and chocolate stevia for a lower glycemic hit. I also swapped out the olive oil in exchange for melted coconut oil and I added a few chopped almonds to mask the “wateriness” of the zucchini and give the ‘roons some crunch! These chocolate zucchini-roons came out yummy. I served them to my family for Christmas without telling them that they contained veggies or that they were raw. Guess what? They loved them!

Chocolate Almond Zuccaroons

"How 'bout some veggies for dessert?"

• 3 cups peeled & grated zucchini
• 2.25 cups old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 apples, cored and quartered
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 3-4 dropperfuls of chocolate stevia (to taste)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds (optional)

1. Peel & grate zucchini and set aside.
2. Blend/pulse oats into a fine flour consistency in a Blendtec or Vitamix. In a separate bowl, mix together with cacao powder and set aside.
3. Place apples in food processor with coconut nectar, stevia, water and coconut oil. Process until smooth.
4. Stir together flour mixture and apple mixture.
5. Add to grated zucchini and stir until well combined. Mix in chopped almonds if using.
6. Use small ice cream scoop to drop onto non-stick dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate at 145F for 1/2 hour then reduce heat to 115F and dry for 4 hours. Remove from non-stick sheets and continue to dry until done approx 6-8 more hours.

* Have all ingredients at room temperature (except the coconut oil which is melted ) so that the coconut oil does not harden right away.

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Several years ago Askinosie Chocolate started a program called Chocolate University designed to engage the children in their neighborhood. They wanted to inspire them about business and about a world beyond Springfield Missouri. They started in nearby elementary school, then middle school, and now have a project at Central High School called “Cocoa Honors.” Askinosie Chocolate is the sole funding source of Chocolate University by donating 100% of our tour proceeds to Community Foundation of the Ozarks for the benefit of this program.

Cocoa Honors: In Fall 2009, 14 juniors from Central High School were selected out of over 60 applicants to participate with us in the selection of the next cacao source country in Africa as part of an 18 month-long project. We meet every week to share research and discuss the cocoa country choices. We have had contact with farmer groups and the goal is that the students, their teachers, will travel with me to Africa to meet the farmers and perform a service project for their community. The students will have a “bean to bar” experience over the coming 18 months that just might transform lives. Most of these students have never been exposed to another culture, let alone transacted international business. We have narrowed it down to either Liberia or Tanzania.

Wow – the students will travel to Africa to meet the farmers! What a wonderful program. Askinosie is hosting an eBay auction of FIVE Single Origin Liberian Dark Chocolate Bars to raise money for their Cocoa Honors program. All of the money from the auction will be donated to the Cocoa Honors Fund at Community Foundation of the Ozarks for the benefit of this program.

They believe that this is the first single origin bar available in the world from Liberian beans. They will ship the chocolate to the highest bidder anywhere in the world that Fed Ex can ship for FREE. Auction begins today at 8 PM CST and ends the following Sunday. The eBay item number for the auction of Five Single Origin Chocolate Bars benefiting Cocoa Honors is item # 260578917766. Please check out the auction and help this wonderful program if you can!

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Yay – we have a winner of the premium Askinosie chocolate giveaway! Three delicious organic dark chocolate bars and a tube of natural cacao powder goes to…drum roll please…JillPE! Congratulations, Jill! Also, thank you Jill for your kind comment regarding my Outting Myself post and for sharing your story. Jill, please respond to my email within 48 hours to claim your delicious chocolate windfall.

Askinosie Chocolate Winner

And for everyone, Askinosie Chocolate is offering  a 10% discount on the natural cocoa powder with the promo code: REAL CHOC. Woot! This coupon code is good for two weeks, so grab some soon!

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I’ve always heard people proclaim that chocolate is high on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale but I could never really find the proof – until now. I found this study from the USDA that compares the ORAC values of food. The top five per 100 grams in descending order are cloves, cinnamon, oregano, tumeric and cocoa powder.  So chocolate REALLY is up there!

"Top Foods in ORAC Value"

When ranked by typical serving, a square of unsweetened baking chocolate knocked cloves out of the number one spot (since you wouldn’t typically eat 100g of cloves,) followed by raw elderberries, red delicious apple, granny apple, pomegranate juice and dark chocolate candy.

How to Get More Antioxidants into Your Diet

Spices really dominate the ORAC values on an equal serving basis, so use them liberally! Grow herbs and use them fresh, dry ‘em, sprinkle them on salads, mix them into sauces. Or better yet, combine some of the top foods into super antioxidant recipes like chai hot chocolate or chocolate-covered elderberries! Oh yum… Any other recipe ideas out there?

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After reading about the Askinosie chocolate giveaway, the Chocolate Path shop right here in my hometown of Montclair, NJ is diving into the chocolate fun too! For all you locals, the Chocolate Path will have free Askinosie chocolate samples on Saturday March 6th at their shop at 94 Walnut Street in Montclair. Not only that but they are offering a 15% discount on the Askinosie line until the contest drawing on March 17 – wow!

"The Chocolate Path"

And for all you RAW chocolatiers, Vanessa of Gnosis Chocolate will be the Chocolate Path shop on Saturday March 27th from 2-4pm for a “Meet the Chocolate Maker” event.

"Gnosis Raw Chocolate"

If you’re not in the Baristanet area, you can still try some AMAZING Askinosie chocolate by ordering from the Askinosie website or by entering the Askinosie giveaway right here on Healthy Simple Living for a chance to win the chocolate deliciousness pictured below. Get the 411 here: Askinosie Artisan Chocolate Giveaway.

"Askinosie Free Sample Giveaway"

ONE MORE HOT TIP!
1) Hurry and check out ‘Love Veggies and Yoga’ blog
for the Naturally Nut Butter Giveaway ending tomorrow March 2nd.

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