Chocolate

[DianaMC]

Hmmm. Difficult to quantify. Kind of like buttery chocolate, I guess. I’ll be spooning chunks of it straight into my gob while sprinkling flakes into my coffee. Great source of carb-free calories for a skinny rake like myself

Good to hear what cacao butter is like - I had been wondering!

 

[DianaMC]

@DianaMC

Talking to Mrs Listlad this morning, she said as a child they used to pick the cocoa bean from the tree in her garden and then after removing a stone, used to nibble on the raw cocoa bean.

That makes sense - and is good to know, as I must admit I did try nibbling the cacao nibs straight from the pack, once I realised they didn’t just magically dissolve into hot water. They were not too bad, actually - if a bit crunchy. I think they could be considered a whole food in that format, too

 

[DianaMC]

And then there is this:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/f...licious-hot-chocolate-using-grated-Cacao.html

Crikey - I don’t think I have the patience to wait 2 hours for a cup of hot chocolate! (even though we do have a slow cooker - one of those kitchen things I bought, thinking it would save time and effort and I’ve used it maybe only twice - doh!) Interesting to see how creative people can be, though.

 

[DianaMC]

There would be protein and fat in another bowl - I don't like to have foods all mixed together if I might be keeping some if it for later.
A salad would have prepared salad from a bag, for the variety, plus tomatoes, celery, coleslaw, radish, beetroot - possibly leftover peas or cauliflower too.

Thanks for sharing that.

I imagine if not having protein, there would need to be some sort of mega dressing with oil to help create a sense of fullness (thinking of if trying to not add protein.

In reading up more on protein and kidney issues though (thanks to your thoughts about this) I see that the health recommendations are not to worry if you don’t have a diagnoses kidney disorder. I wonder where the line is between being healthy and having a problem with kidneys, though. I see a chiropractor, who helped sort out a frozen shoulder (which is not easily sorted). And he also had personal experience of prediabetes and gave me some good advice on supplements. He uses kinesiology to help find out what the body needs. I’ve had mid and lower back pain and the possible problem there may be kidney stones. Apparently, if they grow, they can be horrendous. I know someone who was really ill with them and he would say the same!

But, going back to salads, are there other dishes you can enjoy on a Keto diet approach? I have my husband to cook for too - who will join me in most of my cooking for myself (which makes preparation st mealtimes easier). He doesn’t mind salad sometimes. But he is someone who really prefers hot foods, and in Winter I prefer them too.

If he cooks we might have an omelette - which is equally ok for ‘sometimes’ (from my angle). But he’s not a cook with a wide repertoire, so most of the cooking is down to me.

Sorry for veering off the chocolate focus - but I’m genuinely interested.

 

[Dexterdobe]

@DianaMC

My wife brought back to the U.K. some Cacao as it is known. It is ground down cocoa bean formed into a tube / bar. She used it to make “chocolate rice” and hot drinking chocolate. But the point is this stuff can probably be bought in Asian stores in the U.K. and used for cooking all sorts.

When she first told me about it I thought her pronounciation and spelling was wrong. But not so.

http://industry.gov.ph/industry/cacao-tablea/

Carbs?

https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/nutrition/raw-cacao-powder,503803/

Oompah Loompahs love it.

In South America they pronounce cocao, koke..ow

 

[DianaMC]

I bought some 85% dark chocolate yesterday for my train journey. I really buy it just for something to eat that is a bit different and less carby (than other options). To be honest, although I eat it, I cannot say I enjoy it. I ate the last of it amongst some Greek yoghourt and fresh strawberries which made it more palatable.

@Listlad

Cavalier does one that includes berries - might suit your tastes more? It’s still dark chocolate mind you - but the carbs don’t look to be greater than most of the 85% cocoa bars around. I’ve seen it at Waitrose and Ocado and some inde health food stores:

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/cavalier-dark-berries-with-stevia/611258-589265-589266

 

[Resurgam]

But, going back to salads, are there other dishes you can enjoy on a Keto diet approach? I have my husband to cook for too - who will join me in most of my cooking for myself (which makes preparation st mealtimes easier). He doesn’t mind salad sometimes. But he is someone who really prefers hot foods, and in Winter I prefer them too.

Stirfry with low carb veges - mushrooms, aubergine, courgette, anything low carb.
Adding in a bit of curry powder or anything aromatic and herby makes a nice variant.
I like cauliflower, cooked then coated with cream cheese, piled in a dish, cover liberally with grated cheese then melt it in the oven.

 

[derry60]

Stirfry with low carb veges - mushrooms, aubergine, courgette, anything low carb.
Adding in a bit of curry powder or anything aromatic and herby makes a nice variant.
I like cauliflower, cooked then coated with cream cheese, piled in a dish, cover liberally with grated cheese then melt it in the oven.

I do that also with the cauli..Delicious

 

[DianaMC]

Stirfry with low carb veges - mushrooms, aubergine, courgette, anything low carb.
Adding in a bit of curry powder or anything aromatic and herby makes a nice variant.
I like cauliflower, cooked then coated with cream cheese, piled in a dish, cover liberally with grated cheese then melt it in the oven.

Those sound good, @Resurgam - nice idea with the curry powder, too! Thank you.

 

[Listlad]

@Listlad

Cavalier does one that includes berries - might suit your tastes more? It’s still dark chocolate mind you - but the carbs don’t look to be greater than most of the 85% cocoa bars around. I’ve seen it at Waitrose and Ocado and some inde health food stores:

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/cavalier-dark-berries-with-stevia/611258-589265-589266

I am only new to eating dark chocolate so I shall indeed look around.

@DianaMC So have you settled on a source for your chocolate ingredients?

I don’t know if you noticed my passing reference to Willy Wonka in an earlier post, but he searched the Venezuelan jungle in his quest.

PS. I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory every night right now. I am on chapter 22.

 

[DianaMC]

Indeed, @Listlad - the Oompa Loompas!

Venezuela is no doubt a good source I’ve got a feeling Montezuma chocolate brand may have ingredients from there.

I had a look in the cooking chocolate section in the large Sainsbury’s superstore near us today and noticed there was a huge selection of different brand bars of dark chocolate - and they varied quite a bit as regards sugar content (which I’m trying to keep on the low side). So I think I’ll check when I’m considering buying chocolate bars again.

I quite like the idea of trying the recipe with cream cheese, as that’s easy to source.

Meanwhile, talking here about dietary styles, possible Keto meals, and also the things I manage to eat when out in a social setting (on my better-carb/low sugar regime), has given me more confidence to experiment. So, this evening, I found a recipe to make a hot blueberry ‘sauce’ mixture (with xylitol in place of sugar) to put on Greek yogurt (rather than ice cream in the original recipe - as someone had brought blueberries as a lunch contribution but I found them a bit uninteresting to eat in a raw state (might just be me!) They were really nice in that chunky sauce version - bit like a compote but without it being sickly sweet. And not much of it was needed to make the yogurt taste more like a treat!

Another dark chocolate brand I’ve found to be good is Perlege. They make gianduja filled bars and also some with orange. Totally delicious! I struggle to eat less than half a small bar at a time though. I think they weigh about 30-35g, so maybe that’s not too bad. But they’re almost too nice. Low on sugar content, though, which might be to do with the stevia - I’m not sure.

 

[Listlad]

Indeed, @Listlad - the Oompa Loompas!

Venezuela is no doubt a good source I’ve got a feeling Montezuma chocolate brand may have ingredients from there.

I had a look in the cooking chocolate section in the large Sainsbury’s superstore near us today and noticed there was a huge selection of different brand bars of dark chocolate - and they varied quite a bit as regards sugar content (which I’m trying to keep on the low side). So I think I’ll check when I’m considering buying chocolate bars again.

I quite like the idea of trying the recipe with cream cheese, as that’s easy to source.

Meanwhile, talking here about dietary styles, possible Keto meals, and also the things I manage to eat when out in a social setting (on my better-carb/low sugar regime), has given me more confidence to experiment. So, this evening, I found a recipe to make a hot blueberry ‘sauce’ mixture (with xylitol in place of sugar) to put on Greek yogurt (rather than ice cream in the original recipe - as someone had brought blueberries as a lunch contribution but I found them a bit uninteresting to eat in a raw state (might just be me!) They were really nice in that chunky sauce version - bit like a compote but without it being sickly sweet. And not much of it was needed to make the yogurt taste more like a treat!

Another dark chocolate brand I’ve found to be good is Perlege. They make gianduja filled bars and also some with orange. Totally delicious! I struggle to eat less than half a small bar at a time though. I think they weigh about 30-35g, so maybe that’s not too bad. But they’re almost too nice. Low on sugar content, though, which might be to do with the stevia - I’m not sure.

I need to get to Sainsbury’s to get courgette spaghetti so I will have a look then.

I eat a lot of Greek yoghourt and have eaten with it, fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries and also a kind of home made compote or coulli made from frozen berry fruits with only added Stevia. It is something I enjoy while on a reduced carb diet.

 

[DianaMC]

I need to get to Sainsbury’s to get courgette spaghetti so I will have a look then.

I eat a lot of Greek yoghourt and have eaten with it, fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries and also a kind of home made compote or coulli made from frozen berry fruits with only added Stevia. It is something I enjoy while on a reduced carb diet.

I settled on the taste the difference Belgian dark bar (red card wrapper)- which has 26.4g carb and 19.0g sugar m per 100g. It is nowhere near as low as the Lindt 90% bar (think that had 15g carb, 7g sugar per 100g). But was the lowest in the cooking category. The worst/highest was Sainsbury’s Belgian cooking chocolate (dark) which didn’t list the per 100g ingredients (always a dodgy sign, I reckon!) Just the per portion. But totting then up or checking on the website, it turns out to be a whopping 46g carb 43.6g sugar per 100g! Probably about the same as the old Cadbury’s Bournville bar that I was brought up on - I remember that tasting too much on the sweet side, even as a kid

The Perlege bars are not so easy to source. I got some from Amazon. They’re a bit expensive as they’re pocket size bars at quite high cost with postage added. But it might be possible to get multipack deals cheaper. Slightly dangerous for me to do that, as I might be inclined to develop a ‘go to’ habit if there’s a regular supply...! But others might be able to be more restrained

Liking the sound of the frozen berries couli @Listlad - I used to make something like that with sugar back in the days of not knowing I was at risk of diabetes. Can see it would work well with stevia (or xylitol etc).

The recipe for the blueberry compote/sauce is easy too. To about half a pack (100-125g) blueberries, in a small pan, add 2 tsp (or 10 ml size spoon) stevia/other sugar substitute, 1/4 tsp (0.25 ml) of cornflour, 1/4 tsp (0.25 ml) of lemon juice and a tiny pinch of salt. Stir for 5-10 min over low to medium heat until some of the berries burst and break down and sauce thickens slightly. If it’s getting too thick or dry, add in a little water to loosen. Of this quantity I divided half of it across two little bowls of Greek yogurt for hub and I - he thought it was pretty yummy, too!

Final thought - re the courgetti - I found a spiral vegetable slicer in TKMAXX - just a simple, hand held thing for about £8. It produces various grades of rotated slices including thick and thin spirals, so you can quickly get ingredients for both salads and hot dishes, from whole veg (or sections if it was something round shaped). Took a bit of getting used to (I cut my thumb nail the first attempt!) But am pretty pleased with the results now - and amazed at how much spiral product you end up with from one courgette, carrot, etc.

 

[Listlad]

I settled on the taste the difference Belgian dark bar (red card wrapper)- which has 26.4g carb and 19.0g sugar m per 100g. It is nowhere near as low as the Lindt 90% bar (think that had 15g carb, 7g sugar per 100g). But was the lowest in the cooking category. The worst/highest was Sainsbury’s Belgian cooking chocolate (dark) which didn’t list the per 100g ingredients (always a dodgy sign, I reckon!) Just the per portion. But totting then up or checking on the website, it turns out to be a whopping 46g carb 43.6g sugar per 100g! Probably about the same as the old Cadbury’s Bournville bar that I was brought up on - I remember that tasting too much on the sweet side, even as a kid

The Perlege bars are not so easy to source. I got some from Amazon. They’re a bit expensive as they’re pocket size bars at quite high cost with postage added. But it might be possible to get multipack deals cheaper. Slightly dangerous for me to do that, as I might be inclined to develop a ‘go to’ habit if there’s a regular supply...! But others might be able to be more restrained

Liking the sound of the frozen berries couli @Listlad - I used to make something like that with sugar back in the days of not knowing I was at risk of diabetes. Can see it would work well with stevia (or xylitol etc).

The recipe for the blueberry compote/sauce is easy too. To about half a pack (100-125g) blueberries, in a small pan, add 2 tsp (or 10 ml size spoon) stevia/other sugar substitute, 1/4 tsp (0.25 ml) of cornflour, 1/4 tsp (0.25 ml) of lemon juice and a tiny pinch of salt. Stir for 5-10 min over low to medium heat until some of the berries burst and break down and sauce thickens slightly. If it’s getting too thick or dry, add in a little water to loosen. Of this quantity I divided half of it across two little bowls of Greek yogurt for hub and I - he thought it was pretty yummy, too!

Final thought - re the courgetti - I found a spiral vegetable slicer in TKMAXX - just a simple, hand held thing for about £8. It produces various grades of rotated slices including thick and thin spirals, so you can quickly get ingredients for both salads and hot dishes, from whole veg (or sections if it was something round shaped). Took a bit of getting used to (I cut my thumb nail the first attempt!) But am pretty pleased with the results now - and amazed at how much spiral product you end up with from one courgette, carrot, etc.

Okay. I didn’t know that about the spiral product slicer. I need to get one.

One or two folk have warned about blueberries being a bit carby, I seem to recall. But smaller quantities might be the secret there, for me.

 

[DianaMC]

Okay. I didn’t know that about the spiral product slicer. I need to get one.

One or two folk have warned about blueberries being a bit carby, I seem to recall. But smaller quantities might be the secret there, for me.

This is a different one but looks like a bit of a bargain!
https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/home/kitchen/red-spudnik-spiralizer/p/85301554

Maybe strawberries are less carby? If so, they’d make a nice compote with sugar substitute.

I once worked in a pub kitchen making dishes for the “specials” menu and decided to trial a strawberry crumble - I’ve never seen anything disappear as fast as on the staff testing team that day, after it came out the oven!

Some strawberries at this time of year tend to be a bit tasteless or sour, raw. But they may seem different with the right, low sugar treatment (hoping they’re not too bad on the carbs, to begin with...)

 

[Patrick66]

This is a different one but looks like a bit of a bargain!
https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/home/kitchen/red-spudnik-spiralizer/p/85301554

Maybe strawberries are less carby? If so, they’d make a nice compote with sugar substitute.

I once worked in a pub kitchen making dishes for the “specials” menu and decided to trial a strawberry crumble - I’ve never seen anything disappear as fast as on the staff testing team that day, after it came out the oven!

Some strawberries at this time of year tend to be a bit tasteless or sour, raw. But they may seem different with the right, low sugar treatment (hoping they’re not too bad on the carbs, to begin with...)

Strawberries are less carby than Blueberries. I think they have about 1/2of the carbs. This may help :- https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/fruits

 

[andromache]

A few squares of Lindt 90% and a double espresso and I'm a happy woman. As a daily pleasure, this can easily be accommodated into low-to-moderate carb style of eating. And all those lovely polyphenols are a bonus!

 

[DianaMC]

A few squares of Lindt 90% and a double espresso and I'm a happy woman. As a daily pleasure, this can easily be accommodated into low-to-moderate carb style of eating. And all those lovely polyphenols are a bonus!

Interesting thought about the polyphenols, @andromache!

Have to say, Lindt 90% has become the low sugar/high cocoa dark chocolate I can most readily find in shops, so it’s pretty much the go to, now, for me, too. Although the Sainsbury’s TTD dark Belgian cooking chocolate is very nice! If a little less high in cocoa.

That said, for a further update to this thread, I am staying in Exeter this weekend and have found a place called Chococo, which seems to be part of a chain selling artisan chocolate made with cocoa imported from exotic places. This includes 80% dark chocolate drops (like dark chocolate buttons but bigger) made from cocoa from Uganda. For a 70g pot it’s £2.95. But maybe the real coup (as far as sourcing low sugar choc goes) is something similar for making hot chocolate with - and this one has 100% cocoa! More expensive for a resealable bag, but I figure it’s ok for an occasional treat. I’m keen to try that when I’m back at home!

 

[Listlad]

Interesting thought about the polyphenols, @andromache!

Have to say, Lindt 90% has become the low sugar/high cocoa dark chocolate I can most readily find in shops, so it’s pretty much the go to, now, for me, too. Although the Sainsbury’s TTD dark Belgian cooking chocolate is very nice! If a little less high in cocoa.

That said, for a further update to this thread, I am staying in Exeter this weekend and have found a place called Chococo, which seems to be part of a chain selling artisan chocolate made with cocoa imported from exotic places. This includes 80% dark chocolate drops (like dark chocolate buttons but bigger) made from cocoa from Uganda. For a 70g pot it’s £2.95. But maybe the real coup (as far as sourcing low sugar choc goes) is something similar for making hot chocolate with - and this one has 100% cocoa! More expensive for a resealable bag, but I figure it’s ok for an occasional treat. I’m keen to try that when I’m back at home!

I should cocoa.

 

[Charis1213]

I can't eat higher than 70 percent dark chocolate it makes me ill, i basically bring it back up and it causes me to be on the loo all night , so do enjoy 70 percent and it doesn't seem to spike my sugar either . I much prefer milk chocolate but its too high in carbs . Hate diabetes .