Friday, October 21, 2016

Chosen Foods - Chocolate Bites with Chia - Oct. 21, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chosen Foods
Chocolate Bites with Chia!
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) in 1 packet
Calories: 190 calories in 1 packet
Cost: $5.99 for 1 box of 12 packets
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of A Series of Sesame Chocolates.

This week people are watching the World Series (baseball play-off) games. However, I'm focused on a series of a different sort: 4-5 chocolate items with sesame seeds.

Today's Chocolate Bites with Chia! were made in Mexico and distributed by Chosen Foods, LLC (San Diego, CA).  The small, crunchy, gluten-free cubes, or bites, inside each packet were made with nuts (pecans and almonds), chia (organic chia seeds), and cacao nibs. However, the first ingredient listed was organic sesame seeds.

These bites were relatively high in protein (5 g.) and fiber (4 g.), and were very lightly sweetened (cane sugar (3 g.) was number five on the ingredient list), making them a relatively healthy snack choice.

Neo Cocoa - Black Sesame Seed Brittle - Oct. 20, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Neo Cocoa
Black Sesame Seed Brittle
Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 package
Cost: $8.00 for 1 package of brittle pieces
Purchased from: Neo Cocoa table at Palo Alto Farmers Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of A Series of Sesame Chocolates.

Another great blend of flavors and textures from Neo Cocoa.

One of the joys of the modern world is the melding of food items from different continents over time by creative chefs of every kind: cacao from Central and South America, made into chocolate in North America; and flavor inclusions from around the world.

Today's chocolate contained sesame seeds (originally from Asia and East Africa). Rich in flavor and crunchy texture, sesame can go sweet or savory, and can pair nicely with chocolate.

Neo Cocoa Black Sesame Seed Brittle
Beware. Today's Black Sesame Toffee Brittle from Neo Cocoa (Belmont, CA) would be a spookily addictive Halloween treat. It will disappear before your very eyes.

Upon opening the sealed pouch of brittle, I detected a promising light sesame and chocolate aroma.

At the heart of this carefully crafted brittle was a thin* layer of light, crunchy sweet toffee brittle riddled with toasted black sesame seeds. The brittle was covered (on both sides) with a thin* coating of 72 percent dark chocolate and then sprinkled with white sesame seeds. The results: an intoxicating, crunchy sweet and slightly salty treat.

*I'm not sure how they managed such delicately thin layers, but I'm glad I didn't have to attempt making this at home.






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