If you’re not on board the eating chocolate for health wagon, then I hope you’ll try some of these tasty, yet strange ways to enjoy chocolate that are actually incredible for you! Chocolate is by far one of my favorite foods. It is known to prevent depression in women, can help reduce your appetite, increases your energy and even decreases your susceptibility to pain. I love 100% dark chocolate, or raw cacao the best, but even varieties that have as low as 85% chocolate are perfectly guilt-free to have each day. Try these strange ways to enjoy chocolate. I think you’ll find they are proof that chocolate really does make everything better!
1 Coffee
Forget Starbucks' pricey mochas and make one of my favorite of all strange ways to enjoy chocolate. I stir 1 tbsp. of dark (Dutch processed) cocoa powder by Hershey’s into all my coffee. Then, I whisk it into my morning coffee, add stevia and almond milk and I have my own mocha right at home!
2 Hot Sauce
Try blending just a pinch of raw chocolate powder or cocoa powder into some hot sauce before drizzling onto whatever you’re eating. The cocoa doesn’t make the hot sauce taste like chocolate, but gives it a savory depth that is incredible!
Next time you stir up a batch of your favorite chili recipe, add in 2 tbsp. cocoa powder. It increases the depth of your chili, and really accents the flavors of chili powder nicely. Plus, you’ll get in extra antioxidants from all the flavonoids in cocoa!
4 Stirred into Nut Butter
You can make your own homemade nut butter spread at home by stirring in some cocoa powder with you peanut butter (or almond butter) and then storing in a jar. You may have to add just a bit of almond milk to get it flowing good, but no more than 1 or 2 tbsp. I recommend doing this in a food processor. You could also use cacao nibs or chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder (about 1 or 2 tbsp). Now you have your own healthy dessert nut butter all ready to go!
5 Blended with Avocado
You can make your own healthy pudding at home by blending about 2 tbsp. raw cacao nibs or powder in with the flesh of an avocado. Add a drop of almond milk and stevia, and then process until you get a pudding. Healthy pudding in minutes!
6 Cereal
Have you ever made cereal with cocoa? Let me just tell you, it is amazing! Next time you eat cold cereal, blend in some cocoa powder with your milk of choice first. Then add your cereal. It’s like having dessert for breakfast that’s guilt-free!
7 Popcorn
Sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder with your popcorn and toss to coat. It gives such an indulgent feel to your popcorn. You can also mix cocoa powder with melted coconut oil and pour it over popcorn to create that hard chocolate drizzle!
Chocolate is so full of antioxidants, is a great source of fiber, and the powder has no fat or sugar. If you buy the bars, try to stick with 100% cacao content baking bars, which are best. All of these ideas above are not at all the only ways I enjoy chocolate. I have many! Yet, they’re some of my favorite that others might not think of on an everyday basis that I hope you’ll enjoy more. Do you eat chocolate in a strange way?
Shammy Speaking of popcorn does anyone know how to make sugar popcorn everytime I try it I\'m left with a clump of burnt semi popped popcorn :( I could do with making chocolate popcorn because it\'s movie night tonight and I wanna have a good snack :)
Denise @Shammy I know this is a very late response, but I thought I'd still share. What I do is I put popped popcorn in a container with a cover. Then I drizzle chocolate syrup on the popcorn, put on the container cover, and then give it a good shake. The popcorn comes out all chocolate-y! If you want a contrast in flavor, you can add a little salt. Enjoy!
Vienna Great ideas😊
Jessica I make the avocado pudding all the time! Its so good! I also mix in melted dark chocolate chips, honey, and vanilla
Isabella If you put some meat dishes in this list it would have made sense - i have eaten lamb in chocolate sauce before and it was quite nice! 😅
MarykaImagine I love this article :) but I don\'t find any of those ways to eat chocolate strange ^^ maybe it should be called \"7 Alternative ways...\"
Denise @MarykaImagine That would also work. :)
Wendy Chocolate and avocado..hmmm interesting I\'ll have to give it a try
Chloe Chilli chocolate is great
Tracy Since starting my \"new way of living\" (I hate the word diet) 17 months ago, and losing 110 pounds so far, I have added a few chocolate chips to my cereal EVERY morning. This keeps me from feeling deprived, and OBVIOUSLY it works!!! 😍
Denise @Tracy Ann Dobbins Webb That's a nice trick! Thanks for sharing!
Ceebee Great! I actually have chocolate oats for breakfast. I add milk, honey and cocoa powder to my oats and leave the overnight in the fridge. It\'s like starting your day with a healthy dessert! 😋
Denise @Ceebee I looove having my oatmeal that way! It's so delicious! Thanks for sharing!