Home-made Nutella

I think it's clear, even with the handful of post I have, that Nutella and I share a torrid past I repeatedly try to forget and unsuccessfully move on from. An affair in which I drive by its house late at night to see if its car is parked outside; or if I might sneak a peek at another woman's spoon dipped deep into its luscious, chocolaty delight. I dial its cell late at night, many times, and promptly hang up after hearing the inviting "hello."

I yearn for its hazelnutty embrace, its smooth and creamy sweet nothings (literally!), its empty (calorie) promises of a healthy and prosperous relationship -- how bad can milk and its highly processed derivatives be for me, after all?!! I know they are all lies, for Nutella has nothing good to offer me. It will suck the life energy out of me and leave me panting on the floor in a stupor of ecstasy to lazily pick myself up after the sugar high has worn off.

I look for someone new. I look for someone who will offer the same passion and joy without the loss of self-respect. I continue to deceive myself I don't need it and can find fulfillment elsewhere. But, alas! I have searched hi and lo, tried to love over and over again, but none of it is ever the same. And I have no doubt that even after my vegan "I do's" I will still have late nights of running back to its warm yet shameful bed for just one more night of spreadable love.

I know and accept this because nothing will ever compare. And, truth be told, this recipe doesn't compare either, but it temporarily abates the craving.

 

 Here it is, displaying its attributes on Ezekiel sprouted bread

I started with unsweetened 100% chocolate. I melted it and added some hazelnut butter. After mixing that I sweetened it with sorghum syrup. I didn't really measure any of the ingredients and I know how frustrating that can be -- it's annoying reading recipes that use phrases such as "eye-ball it," "'till it's done," or "to taste." And today I'm gonna be guilty of using just about all of them!

So, add sweetener "to taste." Mine was a combination of sorghum syrup and date sugar.

 

 I used this entire chocolate bar, BTW

Then I stirred till my arm hurt and that was just the beginning...

  

Adding hazelnut oil and rice (or any other kind of) milk helped making stirring easier, but it's not like it was fun then, or anything.

...but it sure made it easier to stir cause the mixture was getting creamier. I also added soy milk powder which I think I will either omit next time or use a lot less of (you guessed it, I "eye-balled" the amount this time). I also believe the secret to getting it closer to tasting to the real thing is just the right amount of liquid (milk). I don't know how much that is right now, but I will look into it further with more precision when I make the next batch. Also, next time I'll use the honey/stevia combo instead of sorghum syrup/date sugar.

  

Stir, stir, and then stir some more "till it's done" and when you get there or have just had enough and/or no longer feel your arms, take a slice of bread, spread, and chomp.

I realize you can use a food processor instead of the old-fashioned bowl and wooden spoon combo, but my dishwasher isn't exactly working to the best of its ability and my desire so I went for an easy-to-wash-by-hand dish.

This particular batch needs heating before use since it hardens after sitting in the fridge, so I store it in the cabinet in a washed, old jar I found laying around (two guesses what used to be in it).

 

I would like to add that this recipe, especially if eaten with bread, is not properly combining food, which is a practice I have been trying to strictly adhere to. I plan on posting soon about some of the recent changes in my diet I've adopted. For now, if you're interested in proper food combining, read this post -- it has changed my life (and my constant bloating issues), as has Gena's Choosing Raw blog in general. I would love to hire her as my personal nutrition counselor, so I'm saving up!  =]