No-Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate—a treat that once brought me comfort, but later became a source of fuel for my ongoing anxiety.

I first started dealing with anxiety in high school, and it worsened by the time I was in college, affecting many aspects of my life. Even before adopting my current healing lifestyle, I suspected caffeine might be a trigger, so I cut it out early on to manage my anxiety. Despite knowing that chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine, I didn’t think it was enough to matter, so I allowed myself to have chocolate occasionally.

Later, I learned from reading the Medical Medium books, that even small amounts of caffeine can ramp up adrenaline in our bodies. This revelation made so much sense, as I always felt anxious soon after eating chocolate. Sometimes, that tiny bit of chocolate I had would be enough to keep me up all night. Now I know it was the adrenaline at work. So, I finally decided to cut the chocolate out for good, as the brief satisfaction it brought was no longer worth the side effects.

This inspired me to create a chocolate-like sauce made with only healing foods. It turns out the combination of wild blueberries, chaga, dates, maple syrup, and vanilla make for a chocolate-like treat, except even better, because these ingredients will help support your adrenals. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wild blueberries, thawed if frozen
• 9 medjool dates, pitted (see note)
• 4 tsp chaga powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp non-alcoholic vanilla extract, or pure vanilla bean powder, or fresh vanilla bean from 1 pod

Instructions

1. Combine the wild blueberries, pitted dates, chaga powder, maple syrup, and vanilla in the blender.
2. Blend for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
3. Your chocolate-free sauce is now ready to be served! This sauce pairs well with strawberries or any fruit of your liking. 

Serves 2-3

Notes: 

• You can also freeze this recipe for a chocolatey ice cream treat!
• If your dates are firm, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes beforehand to soften.

Learn More:

• Read about the truth behind caffeine in this Medical Medium blog entry.
• Read about the true cause of anxiety in this Medical Medium blog entry.
• Read about the healing benefits of chaga in this Medical Medium blog entry.

 

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A post shared by Amanda | Plant Based Recipes (@girlgonewildblues)