Today we have a guest blog from Kim Stakal, a.k.a. The Green Gourmet. Kim is a food writer, culinary/nutrition instructor, and recipe developer living in Chicago. She received her culinary training at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts in NYC and has been exploring health and good eats ever since. Check out her website at www.the-green-gourmet.com.
Valentine's Day was one of my favorite holidays growing up. What little kid wouldn’t love it -- candy hearts, milk chocolates, cinnamon candies, sugar-coated everything! Looking for a way to give your kids a sweet V-Day treat without all the added sugars, colorings, and preservatives of most grocery store candies?
Try out this recipe for chocolate-covered fried fruits. There are two sauces you can use to dip the fruits in -- one with mint and one with strawberry. Use whichever your kids prefer, or use them both for more flavors!
It’s a blast to make with the kids -- they can dip their hands right in the chocolate and help create these all-natural sweets. When they harden, they are travel-safe, so you can pack them up and share them with other kids.
Extra bonus -- dark chocolate and dried fruits provide nutrients like fiber, iron, and potassium, without any added sugar in this recipe. A sweet treat to truly show someone you love them!
Chocolate-Dipped Dried Fruits Dried fruits:
1 pound of favorite dried fruits like mango, banana, apricot, pineapple, and cherries
Ingredients:
For chocolate-mint sauce:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or bar broken up)
2 tablespoons almond, soy, or coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil
For strawberry chocolate sauce:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or bar broken up)
1 tablespoons almond, soy, or coconut milk
3 tablespoons 100% fruit strawberry jam
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
Procedure:
1) Place chocolate and milk in small saucepan. Over low heat, melt chocolate and milk, stirring to prevent clumping or burning. When fully melted, add either peppermint oil or strawberry jam and mix together with fork.
2) Take dried fruits and dip in chocolate sauce. Dip fruits in a little, or fully submerge them. For extra fun, take a spoon and drizzle the sauce over the fruits, making swirls. Top with shredded coconut if you like.
3) Place in fridge to harden, about 30 minutes.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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Plus: Check out Valentine blogs from the HSC archive, including "Is Valentine's Day Too Sweet?" and "Heart-Healthy Valentine Parties: What a Difference a Year Makes!"
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