Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday. When I decided to try veganism, one of the things I was terrified I would have to go without was really extraordinary, mind boggling chocolate. Sometimes it is sooo good to be wrong.

Over the weekend I indulged in an edible phenomenon called Rawtella. It is a hand crafted spread made from whole, raw  hazelnuts, cocoa nibs and coconut crystals.  It is the vegan and raw solution to Nutella, something I frequently devoured in my dairy consuming days.

I put some of this Rawtella in a bowl, heated it lightly and dipped behemoth strawberries in it. The berries were really just the vehicle for the most dangerous dark chocolate sauce I have ever experienced.  It is lush and thick and aromatic.  I was bewitched by the original, but there are other flavors including mint, crunch and coffee.

When I went to the Rawtella website and clicked on recipes, they recommend that you put some on a spoon, put the spoon in your mouth and allow the Rawtella  to melt away. Now that is a sensible recipe that is easy to follow.  They also link to a site called www.RawFood Recipes.com that has truly inspired raw recipes and super sexy uses for Rawtella, if you can get past the spoon idea.

When I opened the jar, the richly dark, nutty chocolate inside was quite firm, similar in texture to fudge.  Now, you could simply apply the aforementioned spoon theory or turn it into a spreadable sauce.  Rawtella offered a warming suggestion to put it in a dehydrator so the temperature does not exceed acceptable raw levels.  Being a little less patient, I dove into an old fashioned hurry up approach and warmed it in the microwave.  This is compromising the status of raw I understand, but this vegany delight is so delicious that I’m willing to walk on the wild side and get my strawberries dipped and consumed.

You could pour this over ice cream and make a hot fudge sundae.  How about dipping cookies in it or pour it over a banana, sprinkle some nuts on top and freeze it?  The only limitation is the size of the jar. When you pick some up, please share how you enjoyed yours.  I purchased mine online from Vegan Essentials, but there are other online stores listed on Rawtella’s site along with a handful of retail locations in 4 or 5 lucky states.

Have a delicious day.

Rawtella image courtesy of their site.

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, Rawtella, trying vegan, vegan challenge, vegan chocolate hazelnut spread, vegan chocolate spread, vegan experience, vegan products, vegan wannabe