Special chocolate fondue

“Special” Chocolate Fondue (vegan)

While it’s important to eat healthy, you should also allow yourself the occasional treat. Treats don’t have to be as big as a double cheeseburger with fries and a large milkshake. You can make modified versions of treats you like without having to compromise on taste. That’s what I did with this chocolate fondue.

The beauty of using dark chocolate in this chocolate fondue recipe is that it doesn’t need any dairy. Check the ingredients on your dark chocolate to make sure, though. The higher the cocoa content of your chocolate, the better. This usually means that it will contain less sugar.

Cocoa has great antioxidant properties. Some studies even suggest that cocoa may reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. It is also a mood enhancer and helps support memory, which makes it ideal for exam time. While I don’t recommend eating a Mars bar before exams, a square of dark chocolate just may be beneficial.

I chose to add a bit of amaretto in this chocolate fondue to give it some extra flavour. If avoiding alcohol, almond extract will do just fine.

Special chocolate fondue

“Special” Chocolate Fondue (vegan)

Ingredients
100g 70% dark chocolate (typically one full bar)
3 tbsp non-dairy milk of choice (I like coconut milk)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp amaretto (or almond extract)
Splash of vanilla extract

Directions
Fondue set: combine all the ingredients, mixing frequently, making sure not to let the chocolate burn at the bottom.

Microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second increments, mixing it in between. Once it’s melted, add the other ingredients and mix well. If using this method, the chocolate may begin to solidify as the mixture cools down.

Serve with fresh fruit. Suggested fruit includes bananas, apples, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches or nectarines, and/or pears. This recipe is deal for 3-4 people.

You may also be interested in:

  • How to Make Your Own Nut Milk

    If you’ve ever been told that you need to eliminate dairy, it can seem overwhelming at first. Many of my acupuncture patients with digestive and menstrual issues do better without dairy. Nut milk is a good starting point for many other dairy-free items. Have you ever tried to make your own nut milk? It’s actually…

  • Probiotic Sauerkraut

    These days, so much research focuses on the importance of having a large variety of microorganisms in the gut for different health outcomes. Many people are turning to probiotic supplements, but fermented foods can also be helpful in many cases. However, there are also people who should proceed with caution when trying fermented foods. If…

  • Black Bean Brown Rice Bowl (vegan)

    I wasn’t able to come up with a better name for this meal. It would be easy to put the word “Southern” in front of the dish name, but that would be false advertising. It is a black bean meal. It has brown rice. You serve it in a bowl. It is a complete protein,…

  • Spicy Sweet Potato Fries With Curry Sauce

    I’ve always disliked anything sweet potato. I felt that they were a cross between carrots and potatoes, and that they couldn’t make up their mind about what they wanted to be. The only sweet potatoes I enjoyed were my stepsister’s husband’s curry mashed sweet potatoes. Then, recently, I started making my own sweet potato fries….

  • Garlic Parsley Spaghetti Squash

    I love that spaghetti squash is healthier than pasta. It’s also a tad more versatile because you can add sauce to it, but you can also choose to fry it. I could even go as far as to say I prefer it over pasta, but that seems like a big statement to make. The first…

  • Apple Chicken Breakfast Sausage

    At the time that I put together this recipe, I had just discovered that my digestion couldn’t tolerate sausages very well, even the gluten free ones. I had just bought sausage from a shop in the Byward Market in Ottawa that didn’t sit well. The high fat content was most likely to blame. Lower fat…