I have a deep deep love and admiration for the cacao bean.  Cacao is a magical food that seems to immediately satisfy and comfort me.  There's something about a dripping chocolate sauce, or a spongy chocolate cake that calls to me.  Perhaps you feel the same way. I dedicate this week's Focus blog post on the magical cacao bean.  Read up on some of our favorite recipes with cacao here.

Cacao (Theombroma cacao)

Although not all cacao is roasted, it is all fermented, thus reducing its bitterness.  Full of antioxidants and phenyl ethylamine-- the chemical found in the brains of people in love-- it's no wonder people all over the world are attracted to chocolate.  Chocolate fruit looks somewhat similar to a small papaya.  It's the beans on the inside of the pod that we ferment and use in confections, potions, and brews.  Cacao is available in whole beans, nibs (bits of the full bean), and powder (ground up nibs) as well as cacao butter (the extracted fat solids).  Theombroma literally means "Food of the Gods". Human use of cacao dates back more than 5,000 years, and evidence suggests that it was used by the Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec people of Mexico shamanistically and ritualistically as well as a form of currency - and of course, as food! Raw cacao is one of the most complex known food sources, containing an estimated 1,200 chemical constituents including anandamide (bliss chemical), arginine (needed for proper cell division and the healing of wounds), dopamine (a neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure system of the brain), serotonin (a neurotransmitter needed for mood modulation), tryptophan (a precursor for serotonin and melatonin), and phenylethylamine (boosts our ability to be alert and pay attention and is noticeably abundant in the brains of happy people). In addition, cacao contains Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, which allow more of these and other neurotransmitters to circulate in the brain). Raw cacao is an incredibly rich source of magnesium, which is needed for the heart to function well (it is the primary mineral missing when heart problems occur). Research has shown cacao also to be extraordinarily high in antioxidants - nearly twice that of red wine and three times what is found in green tea.

It’s that time of year again.  Sure, you tried to give up the enriched wheat flour, the partially hydrogenated oils, and the inverted sugars… but we all know what happens when those adorable girls show up at your door with boxes of Girl Scout cookies.  Are you sure you can resist the allure of thin mint bliss?

Well, thanks to Rawdorable chef Shannon Marie, you won’t have to.  Check out mission “Chocotastrophy,” her personal challenge to create raw vegan versions of the 5 top selling Girl Scout cookies: Thin Mints, Samoas (Carmel Delights), Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties), Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Sandwiches), and Trefoils (Shortbread Cookies).

Seven years ago today I was 19 years old and running away from a flirtatious and awkward 18 year old boy who wouldn't give up on me.  For months prior I kept giving hints that I wanted to be friends and nothing else.  I felt weird that he wasn't getting it, and I wasn't certain enough to outright tell him.  

We met online.  I was desperate for a roommate at the time and he thought that I was interesting.  I met him at my favorite smoothie/tea shop and he gave me my favorite movie on DVD (which he bought in preparation for our first meeting) before I even sat down.  He quickly became one of my best friends and we started working together dressing up as Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam for a tax company (which was far beyond his comfort zone, but allowed him to be close to me).  He obviously wasn't having a good time dressing up and waving at cars (something that I felt inspired about at the time).  We didn't have much in common.  I was a newfound feminist student activist; he was a programmer and gamer.  I was weary about dating him because I didn't see us having similar goals or even similar languages. I was the type of person that wore a prom dress made of duct tape.  He was the type of person who left high school out of disinterest.  

He made advances that pushed at the boundaries of friendship and I nervously rejected them, unsure of how such a relationship would work.  While sitting on the couch, he would reach for my hand or lean in for a kiss.  I didn't know how to react and so I didn't say anything and carefully avoided him in romantic settings.  I thought maybe something was wrong with him because I didn't understand why someone would be so intensely interested in me.  

At Cafe Gratitude, we go out of our way to support businesses that share our mission:

Crafting nutritious whole foods locally and in the most environmentally sustainable way possible.

That's why we are proud to offer a delectable selection of Coracao's signature chocolates this holiday season.  These sweet treats are as dense in minerals and micronutrients as they are in 'Yum!'