Chocolate Coco-Hazel-Nut Spread
I had a family approach me yesterday with questions about Nutella. They recently started the Advanced Maximized Living Nutrition Plan and had purchased a jar of Nutella after watching a commercial claiming it is an all-natural spread perfect for breakfast. In fact, their tag-line is: "Treat yourself with Nutella spread as part of a healthy, balanced breakfast." Thankfully mom and dad read the label and knew to throw it out before feeding to the family.
Take a peek at the Nutella label. Ingredients: Sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced mineral whey (from milk), soy lecithin: an emulsifier, vanillan: an artificial flavor.
So, the hazelnuts and cocoa are great, but sugar and palm oil as the first two ingredients? That volume of sweetness, the bad oil and processed dairy make this "all natural" spread a poor choice for any family at any meal. Mom and dad asked me how can they replicate Nutella without the sugar, oil and milk?
Enjoy this raw chocolate hazelnut spread! A truly healthy way to enjoy breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Chocolate Coco-Hazel-Nut Spread
Makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup raw hazelnuts
Flesh of one young coconut
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Stevia to taste (I used about 1 tsp spoonable stevia)
Coconut water to perfect consistency
Add all ingredients to blender or food processor and blend on High until combined. Stop and scrape down sides. Slowly stream in coconut water while on Medium speed using just enough coconut water to get it to a spreadable smooth consistency. Enjoy as is, with sliced Granny Smith apples or over sprouted bread!
Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge up to 1 week.
3 comments:
The Nutella advertising is truly evil! So sad that they are still reaching more people than we are ... but give us 5 years...
I have a question about the flesh of a young coconut. Are you talking about a real coconut or do you use the small box of coconut. In our local grocery store they bring in a lot of products for the jamicans folks that work in our area. The brand is "Grace" and it appears to be concentrated coconut flesh. Does this sound familiar
Hi Musings! No, I'm not familiar with "Grace" and tried to look it up online but came up empty. For this recipe, you want specifically the flesh of a young coconut, so it's not fully matured like a brown hard-shelled coconut. It has a unique taste and texture, and is easy to scoop out. Here's a picture: http://www.diaryofavegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/young-coconut.jpg. If the Grace brand of coconut product seems to be young coconut flesh, and there aren't any artificial ingredients, sugar or preservatives, then go for it! Just be sure to read the label! I'll watch for it on the shelves, too. Very interesting!
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