I’ve been making a bunch of delicious, raw and sugar-free dessert recipes for my up and coming recipe book for my Rediscover Your Skin course. Ever since I launched this course I’ve been observing the responses. It seems people really enjoy the simplicity of healing foods.

While food is only a small subject in the bigger picture of optimal health, it seems to be an easier to digest subject (pun intended, totally) than the massive subject of holistic health.

I also happen to love making delicious food that heals from the inside out. In respect to both of these situations, I have decided to bring to you a few of my chocolate recipes, right out of the book for your viewing and tasting pleasures.

This one is a keeper…but before we make it, you’ll want to learn how to open a pomegranate (I learned this little trick for you).

THE BEST WAY TO OPEN A POMEGRANATE

  • First, tap all around the outside of your pomegranate with a wooden spoon.
  • Cut along the ridges in a bowl of water, you will be able to see and feel these ridges.
  • Gently pull the pomegranate apart under water and the seeds should fall right out. The white piths will float up to the surface of the water and the seeds will sink down to the bottom.
  • You might have to pull out a few seeds, but trust me it will be way less manual labor than if you didn’t tap the pomegranate with a wooden spoon.
  • Skim the top of the water and throw out the white piths along with the skin.
  • Strain out the water and your left with your ruby red pomegranate gems!

There is this great video as well.

POMEGRANATE BENEFITS:

If you didn’t know, pomegranates are amongst the healthiest fruits in the world. They are low in sugar, loaded with flavor and packed with nutrition. They are many wonderful health benefits and if you care for your skin, you’ll be pleased to hear they are one of the only foods that actually inhibit the formation of wrinkles! Here are some other benefits too:

  • Medicinal Compounds: Punicalagins are extremely powerful antioxidants found in the juice and peel of a pomegranate. They are so powerful that pomegranate juice has been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of red wine and green tea (1). Pomegranate extract and powder is typically made from the peel, due to its high antioxidant and punicalagin content. Punicic acid, also known as pomegranate seed oil, is the main fatty acid in the arils. It is a type of conjugated linoleic acid with potent biological effects.
  • Anti-Inflammatory: Chronic inflammation is among the leading drivers of many killer diseases. This includes heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even obesity. Pomegranate has potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are largely mediated by the antioxidant properties of the punicalagins. Test tube studies have shown that it can reduce inflammatory activity in the digestive tract, as well as in breast cancer and colon cancer cells (2, 3, 4). One study in diabetics found that 250 ml of pomegranate juice per day for 12 weeks lowered the inflammatory markers CRP and interleukin-6 by 32% and 30%, respectively (5).
  • Fights Infection: The plant compounds in pomegranate can help fight harmful microorganisms  For example, they have been shown to be beneficial against some types of bacteria, as well as the yeast Candida albicans (6, 7). The anti-bacterial and anti-fungal effects may also be protective against infections and inflammation in the mouth. This includes conditions like gingivitis, periodontitis and denture stomatitis.

There are many other benefits I could go on about, but the point of this blog is of course the recipe! So let’s make this baby 😉

Here’s what you’ll need:

Here’s how you make it:

  1. First, chop and melt your cacao butter in a double boiler.
  2. Then add dry ingredients to the melted butter and mix well until you have a uniform consistency. You can use a blender or electric mixer if you like.
  3. Pour mixture into a parchment paper covered pan.
  4. Pour pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios evenly across the chocolate and push them down gently.
  5. Sprinkle with real sea salt.
  6. Place chocolate bark in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  7. Break chocolate sheet apart carefully with the pomegranate side facing down so you don’t squirt yourself with juice from the seeds!

Categories: Recipes