CHOCOLATE & SALTED DATE CARAMEL CUPS with PECANS
3:44 PM
WOO LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW AND BOOGIE WIT ME!
Okay. That's done... for the time-being (but the boogie's never REALLY over). Moving on to chocolate caramel dreamscapes! I made these after having a non-raw version at the farmer's market. The lady who was selling them makes them from scratch; she uses a coconut caramel made from her own coconuts and raw cane sugar, etc. I love supporting the farmer's market so I bought one and shared it with my beau in the snow. Heh heh... dat rhymed. It was INSANELY good. We were both like "what tha heck!?" So later that day I made a raw version and I gotta say it tastes daaamn fine... plus it's great for you! I made three, and I just ate them all. When it comes to chocolate, I don't do sharing (except for special occasions like with a beau in the snow and that's only because it rhymes; if it was sunny they wouldn't have gotten any).
What have you been up to lately? Personally I have been busy as a bee - or beaver, because they never stop working either... not with those teeth - writing my second book, being me which takes a surprisingly large amount of time, keeping up with university classes, maintaining my blog and attempting to revive/keep alive my social life! I also realized the other day that I should probably start making an effort with my appearance. I haven't in a looong time but now that I'm going to be in TV interviews, photo-shoots and meetings with other vegan-ish professionals and business people... I need to look like a respectable girl again. I used to take a lot of pride in dressing well and in high school I made a reputation for myself for always wearing high heels and dresses. (I had like a suitcase of make-up by grade 7, okay?) But after taking some gender studies courses in university, among other reasons, I felt strongly that I should boycott the whole gender norms system so I stopped wearing make-up, bras, clothes that fit; using shampoo and shaving... you get the idea. I was a dirty, gender-neutral hippie.
I think that phase has to end now though. This is a new chapter in my life, and it's gonna be largely defined by professionalism! Technically, I have created my own business (woah... no way) and I feel like I should start acting like it. I'm finally realizing this can be my job if I want it to be. And I want it to be. Thus I went shopping a few times in the past week and have pretty much built a new wardrobe for myself. Lots of girly dresses and some sweet flowy pants. Flowy is a word; I don't care what auto-correct tells me.
I'm still getting used to caring about what I look like again, it's pretty strange, but humans adapt fast so I'm sure in no time it'll be second nature to throw on mascara again. At the very least, I'm excited to find eco-friendly, vegan cosmetic companies!
I'm glad you guys don't mind my ramblings because it is really therapeutic for me to write all this stuff out. Even if no one is reading this and you all just skip to the recipe... I'm still relieved to get these thoughts out somewhere. From the very beginning this blog has been a kind of daily journal for me, but one that saves paper and that literally anybody can open up, read, comment on and share (if you have access to da interweb). I actually love that my heart and mind are so easily accessible to the public; letting out everything that is floating around in my head for all to see takes a huge weight off me somehow.
Okay I have managed to write an entire post that has almost NOTHING to do with the actual recipe featured today. Here's the deal: if ya love chocolate, caramel, pecans and healthiness; then this recipe is your new BFF. But I thought I was your new BFF, so we're gonna have to have a talk about that.
CHOCOLATE & SALTED DATE CARAMEL CUPS with PECANS: makes around three
Chocolate:
Approximately 1/2 cup melted chocolate (click for my recipe)
Date caramel:
1/4 cup dates
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
Water, as needed (I used about a 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (optional)
Pecans
Coat the bottom and sides of cupcake papers with 1/2 the chocolate, then place a couple pecans in the bottom of each and put in the freezer until the chocolate hardens.
To make the date caramel: blend all the ingredients together until smooth, adding water as needed. Scoop into your cupcake papers, then pour on the rest of the chocolate and top off with a pinch more of Himalayan salt and a pecan.
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