Raw Love

When I was younger I heard a story about this remote grotto that was renowned for its high concentration of air bubbles that naturally rose from the sea bed so when you dived into the water it was akin to being enveloped in 1000 kisses. Sounds blissful right?

Talking all things orgasmic, we are making these limited edition double love heart chocolates to celebrate the International Day of Love. They are hand-made with certified organic raw cacao powder, raw cacao butter, a pinch of sea salt and sweetened with pure Canadian maple syrup. With 81% raw cacao content you can rest assured that they are real raw deal. Retailing for $10 for a bag of 5 double hearts (just over 100g). 

Did you know that raw cacao is ranked as the fourth most nutrient-dense food on the planet (Dr Matt Lalonde nutrient-density scale)? All the more  reason to not feel guilty if the chocolate you are eating is  made from quality ingredients and is at least 75% raw cacao content.
 

Raw cacao powder has a myriad of health benefits:

• High in polyphenols (anti-oxidants) particularly flavanols (higher than green tea, red wine, goji berries, acai berries). Anti-oxidants prevent the effects of aging, DNA damage, heart disease and cancer.
• high in mineralsesp. magnesium (healthy heart and brain function; muscle relaxant; bones density; mitigates feelings of stress), chromium (assists pancreatic health and regulates blood sugar) and iron (promotes oxygen transport in the blood).
• positive effects on the brain, circulatory and cardiovascular system. Eg lowers Alzheimer’s risk, lowers blood pressure, improves blood lipid profile (lowers oxidised LDL), improves insulin sensitivity, improves exercise endurance, protects against pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.
• anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-thrombotic (anti-blood clotting)
• anti-depressant/ feel-good chemicals (eg dopamine, serotonine, tryptophan)
• protects the liver against alcohol (wine and chocolate = winning pair!)
• protects against UV damage
• it’s theobromine content (bitter compound) has a stimulating effect producing higher levels of physical energy and mental alertness. It has 1/4 of the stimulating power of caffeine.

So what’s in commercial chocolate that is so nasty? Most popular brands of chocolate contain:

• refined sugar (which is highly processed), glucose syrup (made from wheat starch) or agave syrup (which is over 90% fructose which causes metabolic issues, digestive distress and weight gain);
• soy lecithins and/or other emulsifiers (soy comes from a highly processed, industrially grown legume, often of GM origins)
• cocoa (which is the processed version of cacao – note the difference in spelling!)
• milk powders (which are heavy processed and devoid of nutrients)
• barley malt extract (which is heavily processed and contains gluten and phytates)
• vegetable oils or hydrogenated fats (in a word, toxic)
• preservatives (usually 220 which affect asthma sufferers), flavours and colours (eg 122).

And don’t kid yourself in thinking that world famous brands of chocolate  or even many that are certified organic are immune from this litany of ingredients. The first (and hence dominant) ingredient in one certified organic brand I picked up the other day is rapadura sugar and the fourth ingredient was soy lecithin. And while rapadura is much less processed than white refined sugar,  if that is the main ingredient in what is going into the chocolate then I’m going to think twice about it.

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If these love heart chocolates don’t take your fancy, there’s always my sokolata (raw dark chocolate slabs…choose from 10 different flavours retailing for $8.70/100g) or my raw cacao coconut balls (sweetened with whole medjool dates retailing for $16.50/bag of 6). Or I can fill a glass jar of your choosing with raw cacao coconut balls upon request.

To purchase any of my products, simply text me 0407 871 884 and collect from my workshop in Waverley at a mutually convenient time.

WISHING YOU ALL A LOVE-FILLED VALENTINES DAY AND HOPE YOU ARE SHOWERED WITH 1000 KISSES AND ORGASMIC CHOCOLATE!!

Meet the new kids on the block!

Here’s  heads up on some of my new products that you might be interested in….some of them are not technically new and might be very familiar to you but it has taken me several years to blog about them (…life got in the way…)

Activated mixed nuts: 

They are back! A mix of 8 different activated nuts and seeds. Similar to the snack mix but without the dried fruit. A great gift idea or for those who like variety or for new customers who want to try out all of my nuts (before deciding on which one is their favourite!).

Activated sesame seeds:

I use these for certain recipes including my Cypriot Easter slice – like a paleo bread- called Flaounes, and to sprinkle on top of Asian-flavoured meat dishes or in Asian flavoured soups.

Activated pine nuts:

I use these for certain recipes including my rosemary and pine-nut cake, pesto, to throw into my modern spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) or in salads. They have the highest amount of protein of all nuts.

Activated buckwheat:

These are whole hulled buckwheat groats which I activate (soak and dehydrate). I make 2 different varieties: a sweet buckwheat which is dusted with cinnamon powder before going into the dehydrator ovens, and a savoury version which is dusted with various Ovvio Organic herbs and spices (oregano, paprika, sage, thyme, pepper, garlic granules, all spice, sea salt) before being dehydrated. I grind the activated groats up just prior to use (to prevent oxidative damage) in a nut/spice/coffee grinder (or Thermomix if you have one)  to yield a very fine flour as opposed to an ordinary food processor. What do I use these for? Basically as my gluten-free breadcrumb and flour substitutes.

In particular, I use the savoury version for:

• bread-crumbing veal schnitzel, lambs brains etc (yes it’s STILL possible to eat schnitzel and crumbed food on a traditional  wholefoods diet!!)
• various semi-sweet/savoury cakes I have created (eg my rosemary and pine-nut cake and my Cypriot Easter slice ‘flaounes’).

I use the cinnamon buckwheat:

• for cakes, muffins, biscuits and pancakes. I still want to enjoy all of my old favourite sweet treats but have crafted recipes without all the gluten, refined sugar and other processed crap. Just nutrient-dense ingredients with no empty fillers. Click here for the recipe for my activated buckwheat pancakes.
• as a base for my gluten-free muesli
• to throw into yogurt (my kids love this for morning tea or dessert)
• in one of my sokolata (see below) recipes to create a Toblerone-like texture (aka maple crunch sokolata). Very yummy.

These activated buckwheats are very versatile and good ones to have stashed in the pantry as shelf life is about 1 year (or more).

Sokolata (Greek for chocolate):

This is my raw dark chocolate sweetened with maple syrup. Why? Because I couldn’t find a brand of chocolate on the market that didn’t contain refined sugar or agave syrup (too high fructose despite being natural) or other nasty ingredients. There are a couple new producers of clean chocolate out very recently but I still struggle with their texture hence why I’ve stuck with my own. Plus I love the whole process of making chocolate and creating different flavours……of which i have 11  including one that is totally unsweetened (mellowed with a hint of vanilla essence) for the hard-core espresso-drinking sweetener-free crowd. Hats off to them. Other flavours (sweetened with maple syrup) include: plain, fruit & activated nut, lemon zest & ginger, orange & chilli, maple crunch (which contains my activated buckwheat to give a Toblerone-like texture), peppermint, espresso, coconut, activated almond and rock salt. 4 new flavours are in the pipeline too (rosewater, rosemary, spicy chai and raspberry ripe). Yep, I’m a tab obsessed with chocolate. Raw cacao powder is high in antioxidants and the brand i use has been fermented for 3 days. Raw cacao butter is a source of quality saturated fats and all-important cholesterol (that’s NOT a typo. Confused? Come and see me for a personal nutritional consultation and have every notion of what constitutes a ‘healthy’ diet turned upside down and inside out).

Kombucha and beet kvass:

These are 2 lacto-fermented beverages rich in probiotics (good bacteria) essential for good gut health. The more different tasty strains of good bacteria we can get into our gut the better. Diversity of gut flora is key.

My Kombucha is made from Ovvio Organics tea, rapadura (unrefined cane) sugar, a kombucha scoby (a collection of friendly bacteria and yeasts) and filtered water. It is a refreshing bubbly tonic- I call it the original soft drink. Slightly sweet, aromatic, fragrant and effervescent… it is a hit with both kids and adults.  My kids could drink this by the liter if I let them. Beautiful on its own or teamed with ice and lemon/lime,  or makes a great base for cocktails (add to vodka, gin or champagne). Very timely coming into summer especially when entertaining.

Beet kvass is made from chopped beeetroots. It is a powerful blood tonic and detoxifier and excellent for promoting regularity.

I will be running a course on lacto-fermentation in the coming weeks (date yet to be set) so you can learn to make these plus more.

 Tallow:

This is the fat that rises to the top of the beef broth (from 100% pastured cows) that is skimmed and solidified. I save on butter costs and use tallow instead of butter when frying meat or baking root veggies or chips (I still use loads of butter and coconut oil for other things). Always store tallow in freezer and hack of a piece with a knife on a chopping board just before using. It’s a non-dairy natural fat alternative excellent for those with dairy intolerances (because let’s face it you don’t want EVERYTHING to taste like coconut oil!). It is excellent for cooking with due to its high smoke point. It also makes for an excellent (all natural/non-toxic/edible) body/face moisturiser esp when you add a couple drops of essential oils to masks any smell. You might get a few dogs licking your legs though (which makes for an interesting conversation opener when the dog owner proclaims “I’ve never seen Spot licking anyone’s legs like that before!!!”).

You can purchase directly from me (as per procedure on second page of price list) or selected products only sold at various retail outlets.

To learn of new recipes, nutritional info, what my kids are taking for school lunches and loads of other stuff you might like to follow me on instagram (soullachamberlain), Facebook andTwitter. 

OMEIO – the latest new online organic deli for Sydney-siders

Omeio is Sydney’s newest online store that provides fine, organic, artisan food delivered to your door.  It was founded by a gorgeous young couple with Greek background- Niko and Klara- both passionate about organic products and wholesome foods.  Klara’s background is in psychology and she works as a bilingual counsellor with migrant communities. Niko currently works as a chef in an organic restaurant in Surry Hills.  

Following a two year venture sourcing the finest organic products, they have just launched this week their online deli which offers a unique shopping experience to all Sydney siders. 

What sets Omeio  apart from all other on-line stores is that they have chosen, and work exclusively with, ONE artisan for each product category in order to limit the choice to only the highest quality goods.  They have chosen to stock my activated nuts, muesli, chocolate, power bars, and date coconut balls. Ovvio Organic spices were chosen for the spice category, Pepe Saya for the dairy category,  Miellerie from Tassie for honey and The Big Marquee for coffee. All the food items available on their online store are handpicked, handmade and packaged by the artisans themselves.  I am also impressed by their range of local and International print books and magazines on offer including Gather, Modern Farmer and Kinfolk. 

They are currently offering free delivery to the entire Sydney metro area until Thursday 11th September. 

You might be interested to know that the name Omeio comes from the Greek word “Ομειος”, which means the same or similar. It represents the idea that all we need to be healthy can be found in nature, and the more similar our lifestyle and diet are to the elements we can find in nature, the better our lives will be. 

Check them out here and happy online shopping!