Investing in Tapping, Black and White Food Colors--White Chocolate!

Happy Friday, or 'tgif'--your choice, and sincerely! My thoughts are with Japan and Asia, and all the aftershocks and ripples of effect of that event. I am grateful for my own safety, living here on the edge, and that of my loved ones.

I'm glad that people enjoyed the "Seven things:" thanks to those who have already posted their own, and I look forward to reading more.

For any kind of self-help method or positive habit to 'stick,' it needs to deliver appreciable results quickly. There are so many exercise programs, meditation exercises, breathing techniques, that I've tried, been convinced would be 'good for me,' reminding myself '21 days makes a habit' and pushing myself in that direction, and haven't seemed to have been able to force myself to 'take that medicine.' But here I am to say that the Tapping World Summit and the awareness that it has been offering me has been a revelation. This past week since starting the yeast cleanse, my energy has been lower, as my ND warned that it would be, but I went into the cleanse feeling so positive, so optimistic, so much clearer in my energy that it hasn't knocked me off my stride. This enthused feeling, this general feeling of positivity and even self-acceptance, has persisted even with diminished energy. Since yesterday, to crown the 'cleansing lows,' it's my moontime too, and so far it's been the least uncomfortable of those for a long time, cleanse notwithstanding. Yes, getting the herbs (raspberry leaf, nettles, licorice, ginger) together to make my moon tea immediately helped (I'm not always that proactive) but perhaps I'm also allowing my body to perceive herself as someone healthier than a bunch of messed-up hormones...

So, I've gone ahead and committed to, invested in the Tapping thing--a great birthday present to myself--and will continue to share as it continues to help me develop.

I've been realizing these past few days that although I'm always saying on here that I'm learning not to think in 'black and white,' there are a lot of black and white foods that I've been loving lately.

I realized belatedly that what I'd made here was 'blackamole!'

When I cooked up the black beans to make that, I made extra, to make black bean brownie-type things for snacks. Since no one else is going to eat them, I could make it simple and non-visually-oriented.
This was just two cups cooked black beans, about a third cup coconut oil, half cup of carob, scant half cup of xylitol (and I could have used less), big sprinkle of cinnamon. Pure'ed the lot with the handheld blender, then mixed in about a half cup of coconut flour. Formed it on a parchment-lined sheet...

Availed myself of the solar-oven propensities of our southfacing windows to leave it dry in the sun all afternoon...

...then cut into little pieces in the evening and set to dry in front of the heater.  I love it when I can bring a preparation to fruition without using any extra energy! They're good little snacks--taste good, lots of fiber and protein...

And of course coconut is one of my most favorite foods and it's even whiter than black beans are black! I've just lately been discovering the wonderful potentials of coconut butter (aka coconut manna, coconut spread, coconut cream concentrate, creamed coconut) in no-sugar dessert-making: this delectable recall of Indian sweetmeats may be my new favorite thing...

But I also made white chocolate! I really did! Coconut butter (and all its synonyms) is actually a very promising place to start for making white chocolate: note that has a great deal in common with cacao mass before the cacao butter and solids are separated: like cacao mass, it's been conched, so that it's a whole food, fat, fiber and all, but the slow fine-grinding process has smoothed out all the fibers. You can melt coconut butter, flavor it and have a pretty nice treat.

However: coconut fat melts as soon as it's in your mouth. Much of the allure of chocolate is that high melting point, that slow, sensual rapprochement between mouth and treat. So, for 'real' white chocolate (without the ick of powdered dairy), I used vanilla-infused cacao butter, a bit of stevia and coconut cream powder (about one part cacao butter to two parts powder by volume).

Sorry for the photo--the sun was bright! And I should get some chocolate molds...

Considering that I love the deepest, darkest, bitterest chocolate (but don't love the instant adrenal jolt and subsequent skin irritations from it), I wasn't convinced I'd love this. Not enough bite? But the vanilla is a great touch and these are delectable. The cacao flavor comes through from the butter and there's that wonderful melt-in-the-mouth comfort. I have a feeling that Wilderness Family's coconut cream powder no longer has that 1% casinate, so maybe there's really nothing at all questionable about this wonderful treat. But that would be too black and white, wouldn't it?

Do you like white chocolate? Am I indulging in too much food talk or would there be interest in more on the coconut no-sugar desserts story?