Yin and yang

‘Tis the season to eat out too frequently and be merry. Home food has been simple, to balance the restaurant fare. Lots of salads, with some protein (for me this is seafood, eggs, tofu and beans). As much as I romance the salad, there are other culinary pleasures that take my fancy to write about.

This is the yin and the yang. What goes with the purity of simple salads? Why, the decadence of chocolate of course.

Chocolate Review #2
Lindt 85%
As the name suggests this is high in cocoa and low in sugar. One review likened it to sipping your first martini. A kind of, ‘Ouch! Why do people rave about this?’ experience. That is, til you get past the strength of flavour and just enjoy the ride.

Definitely bitter. Not as smooth as its lighter weight stable mates. I have heard it described as “eating mud”. But I would add, this is very flavoursome mud. Like the martini it is an acquired taste. But that works to your advantage – there is more for you to eat :)

The low carb-inista approve of its carbohydrate content. But really that is a ridiculous reason to eat it. If after true medicinal encouragement to indulge in this delight, look no further than the joys of antioxidants. Medline lists over 100 studies and reviews extolling the virtues of dark chocolate . Antioxidants, in this case polyphenols, are the good guys who play a role in preventing, amongst other things, heart disease and cancer. Some of the hardest line, alternative cancer treatment practitioners recommend 50g of 70% or higher chocolate, a day.

If your maxim is – a little is good, a lot is better - you will love Lindt’s 85%. But beware. For those other caffeine sensitive souls, indulging too close to bedtime is a recipe for insomnia.