The Power Of Raw, Organic Cacao

(Cacao pods and the beans)

I am soo excited to share with you this next post. This past Sunday I took a Power of Raw Organic Cacao class. Taught locally by Kendal Scott. She taught us about the anti-oxidant benefits of eating raw, low processed cacao. Raw, organic cacao powders comes straight from the cacao bean and plant, which s the nutritional source for all chocolate products. Beans are cold press and milled at low temps, never going over 118 degrees, to protect the live nutrients. We sweeten using a natural sweetener, Agave syrup, but you could also use maple syrup or brown rice syrup.

Up there in the picture at the top of this post, is the Cacao pods and beans. Kendal gave us some beans to try. These are unprocessed and unsweetened, so very different than chocolate that we get already made up in the stores. I bit into a bean, and it kind-of crumbled and fell apart like a nut might. It had a bitter taste, but wasn't bad. It had flavor reminiscent of chocolate but not very strong. I enjoyed it. A few of the other attendees did have a funny look on their face, as it was a bitter bean. Kendal eats about a half dozen of these beans a day. I could get used to that!

Raw Organic cacao is:

Antioxidant rich

Supports the immune system

High in dietary fiber, polyphenois and flavanols

A high source of magnesium

Good source of iron and calcium

Brain boosting, lift mood and benefits the brain

Increases energy

She introduced us to cacao powder, beans and nibs. She offered us samples of a hot chocolate (perfect for our cooooold Maine winters day), and a wonderful simple mix of cacao, powder, Agave syrup, coconut and almonds (yummy! can you say Almond Joy goodness?). We also made our own bark chocolate to bring home. We mixed some powder cacao, agave sweetened and add-ins of our choice. I added cranberries, pecans and sunflower seeds. I went right to the store and purchased my own raw organic cacao powder! Captain and I enjoyed the bark that I had made once I got home, we both loved it!

What fun! I encourage you to learn more about cacao and to look around your area for some fun classes of your own to take. There is a lot to learn out there in the world.

I really enjoyed this class. Kendall also had a "make your own vegetarian Sushi" class that I attend. We learned to roll our own veggie sushi rolls, and went away with a few new recipes to try.

Kendal will be offering more classes and you can find her website here:

KENDALL SCOTT WELLNESS