(Written for the River Current publication, December 6, 2012)
For the last five days I have been in Austin, Texas
attending classes and lectures….listening attentively and learning as much as I
can about health and nutrition. My brain is on overload, but I am
energized and ready to get back to the books and learn even more once I return
home!
It has been fun to hang out with like-minded people. Austin
is a rapidly growing city, whose population is loaded with those who have a
passion for clean eating and good nutrition. In contrast, back at
home….I am now the ‘odd one’ in the stack. My nieces recently took
me to dinner and candidly shared that they were “concerned” about me. Concerned
it would appear, that I will no longer share with them any of my tempting
creations from the kitchen.
The more I study, the more I learn that eating healthy is
not at all about deprivation. It is simply about awareness. Being
aware of what food is passing over your lips and maybe even more important,
having an awareness of where that food has come from.
Perhaps it is time to take ourselves back to the kitchens of
our ancestors, making foods for our families from good quality ingredients vs.
taking a ‘frozen rectangle’ out of the freezer, throwing it in the microwave
and calling it a meal.
Admittedly, my biggest relief was in learning that healthy
fats are an essential nutrient for our bodies. Butter is not the
enemy! (Actually the bad guy is margarine; there is nothing about
margarine that can even pretend to be good for you. If ‘You Can’t
Believe It Isn’t Butter’….that’s because it isn’t! It’s a chemical
imposter.) The holidays are approaching. Go ahead, enjoy
your butter. You’ll be glad you did.
After
writing my column last week, I was almost relieved to learn that I would be out
of town when the paper landed in your mailboxes. I was afraid after sharing my Kale and Berry Smoothie,
that I would be greeted with rotten tomatoes for even suggesting that you try
such a concoction. Perhaps there was a small percentage that would
be open to giving it a try…and the rest of you perhaps thought to yourselves,
“She’s finally gone over the edge!
In order to make peace with you, I decided to share a recipe
that sounded a little more tempting. This recipe goes hand in hand
with my recent journey to Texas. Save it for a special holiday treat and rest
assured, in moderation, these chocolate delights won’t be bad for you either!

Spiced Mexican Vanilla Truffles
1 cup organic
heavy cream
1 tsp. Mexican
vanilla
1 dried chipotle
chili (optional, if you are not adventurous)
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
12 oz. dark
chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp. unsalted
organic butter
To finish:
2 lb. dark
chocolate, melted in a double boiler
Directions:
1. In a small
saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream, chili, cinnamon stick and
cloves just to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
2. Strain the solids
from the cream. Return the cream to the saucepan and bring just to a boil
again.
3. Remove from the heat immediately. Add the chopped
chocolate, butter and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth. (Feel proud of
yourself…you have just made a ganache.)
4. Chill the ganache until it is hard enough to roll into balls. Measure out by
heaping teaspoons. Quickly roll the ganache into 1 to 2 inch balls and place on a wire rack.
5. Refrigerate again
until the chocolate balls are firm. When firm, pour melted dark chocolate over them to coat. Refrigerate in a
tightly sealed container. To serve, bring to room temp and enjoy!
(Recipe shared from Edible Austin publication)
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