Navitas Naturals is once again catering to the chocolatier inside all of us with yet another new product to enhance the creation of healthier chocolate treats.  Made from only one ingredient - cold-milled whole cacao beans, Navitas Naturals Organic Cacao Paste takes any chocolate confection to the next level.  Also known as cacao liquor, this raw Cacao Paste has a rich chocolate aroma and can be used just like ‘baker’s chocolate’ in any recipe.  Below is a delicious recipe for Dynamite Fudge and more ideas can be discovered at www.navitasnturals.com/recipes.  Earlier this year, Navitas Naturals also introduced award winning make-your-own Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits.  

To make Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste, organic cacao beans are hand selected for quality, partially fermented to alleviate bitterness, and processed at low temperatures for maximum nutrient retention. Once extracted from the pod-like fruit, purified water is then used to cleanse the heirloom beans.  The whole beans are then peeled and cold-pressed to form a concentrated paste that is organic, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, and raw.  There is only one ingredient – raw cacao.  Here’s a video link about how Navitas Naturals cacao products are made in a socially responsible manner: http://www.youtube.com/user/NavitasNaturalsTV.

Cacao has long been enjoyed for its healthful and invigorating properties in Mexican, Central, and South American cultures.  So impressed were the Mayans with cacao’s taste and ability to promote energy, that cacao paste was frequently used in sacred rituals, and an annual festival was devoted to honoring the “cacao god.”  Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste is a decadent new way to enjoy this power food of the ancients.  Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants, and is also an excellent source of dietary fiber.  In addition, cacao is known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium, is high in iron, and also contains many other essential minerals in significant quantities.

THE TRUTH About Vitamin C In Cacao

Cacao is a tremendously beneficial superfood, containing a wide spectrum of minerals and phytonutrients.  However, it is important to note that vitamin C is not amongst the nutrients.  “Despite reports circulating on the internet, there is no vitamin C (ascorbic acid) present in cacao even when it is raw and processed only at low temperatures,” says Zach Adelman, President and founder of Navitas Naturals.  Recently, high traffic websites such as TodayShow.com and MSNBC.com highlighted the misinformation that raw cacao is “extraordinarily high in vitamin C.” 

Back in 2004, Navitas Naturals lab tests directly looked for vitamin C in raw cacao, but did not detect any. Despite these results, the current media blitz inspired the company to conduct yet another round of testing.  This time, Navitas Naturals retained two different laboratories instead of one, and utilized three different analytical methods: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Capilary Electrophoresis (CE) with UV detection, and Titration. Though all three methods have their place in the scientific community, Titration is the most commonly used method in the food industry when determining vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content. However, there is a critical detail within the Titration method many companies miss when testing raw cacao. The method of Titration is unable to differentiate the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) from the vitamin’s analogs. The result is what is known as a "false positive." This is why Navitas Naturals uses HPLC when testing raw cacao’s vitamin C content. The HPLC method looks directly for vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and not just the analogs. We also tested one of the largest raw cacao brands in the U.S. using the Titration and HPLC methods.  The lab results confirmed again that raw cacao has no vitamin C (ascorbic acid).  

The new Cacao Paste joins an impressive roster of raw organic cacao offerings from Navitas Naturals.  Earlier this year, the superfoods company announced organic Sweet Cacao Nibs and Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits.  Other products by Navitas Naturals include Cacao Beans, Cacao Powder, Cacao Nibs, and Cacao Butter. Cacao is good for the skin, too, so the company even offers a new moisturizing Cacao Lip Balm.  The new organic Cacao Paste is offered in a 16-ounce block for a SRP of $24.99.  Navitas Naturals cacao products are widely available at stores around the nation such as Whole Foods, and on the web at www.navitasnaturals.com and www.amazon.com.    

 Since 2003, Navitas Naturals’ mission has been to provide premium organic power foods that increase energy and enhance health.  Through direct purchasing agreements, Navitas Naturals provides and expands fair trade economic opportunities in developing regions around the world.  The cacao beans used in the Organic Cacao Paste are sustainably sourced from small family farms in Peru. “Our products come from the wisdom of ancient cultures and their traditional use of plants for both culinary and medicinal purposes,” says Adelman.  In addition to cacao, Navitas Naturals offers a wide variety of organic superfoods including stevia, raw cacao, virgin coconut oil, mesquite, wakame, lucuma, acai, yacon, mulberries, maca, camu camu, goldenberries, pomegranate, chia, flax, goji berries, hemp seeds and raw cashews.  For more info, please visit www.navitasnaturals.com.

Dynamite Fudge

Vegan & Gluten-Free - Serves: 16

Each bite of this intense dark chocolate fudge is exploding with energy and dark chocolate taste. 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup melted Navitas Naturals Cacao Paste*

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Navitas Naturals Acai Powder

3 Tbsp Navitas Naturals Gelatinized Maca Powder

1½ Tbsp Navitas Naturals Mesquite Powder

¼ cup Navitas Naturals Lucuma Powder

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp agave nectar

Directions:

Once cacao paste is melted and warm, mix in remaining ingredients. Remove chocolate mixture from pot and spread evenly onto large plate, in a one inch layer. Place plate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Slice into 16 pieces. Keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy.

*NOTE: To melt cacao paste, cut block into shavings (about 1 cup shavings). Heat a large pot of water to a near boil. Float a smaller, empty pot inside the hot water pot, which will warm the small pot’s surface. Place the cacao paste shavings inside the small pot to slowly melt into a liquid.