How Do I Eat Raw Cacao?

I found raw cacao nibs a while back, knew they were good for me, and thought:  "chocolate? yes please!" and added it to my cart.  Well, when they came in the mail, I opened up the package and had a brief thought of "I bet these are going to be gross," but I tossed a couple in my mouth anyway and yup, I was right.  They aren't good by themselves.  But well, neither is cocoa powder, so I knew I needed to give them a chance.  But how?  

I went in search of recipes and asked my friends for recommendations.  The number one thing I love to use raw cacao nibs in is Overnight Oatmeal.  I don't know where I found the recipe first, but I saw that Mama Goes Bam has it on her blog today!  Basically you put oatmeal, milk, Greek yogurt, and any extras in a jar and leave it overnight to have a yummy, healthy, protein packed breakfast in the morning.  I added 1 teaspoon of raw cacao nibs to a recipe for chocolate overnight oatmeal and it was delicious, of course.  The cacao nibs provide a crunch and a bit of a dark chocolate flavor.  It was perfect.  And it's one of those "a little goes a long way" breakfasts because a small jar of this stuff lasts me until lunch time and that really is saying a lot because I'm usually hungry an hour after breakfast!  

Benefits of raw cacao:

• full of iron, dietary fiber, calcium, zinc, potassium, and antioxidants 
• raises levels of serotonin and acts as an anti-depressant
• can help reduce symptoms of PMS
• stimulates secretion of endorpins (source: Livestrong.com)
• one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium
• reduces appetite
• supports cardiovascular health
• lowers blood pressure
• improves digestion

Other ways to use raw cacao:

• For a sweet, healthy treat, I top plain Greek yogurt with organic chocolate sauce and raw cacao nibs on top.  They provide a bold crunch that makes a nice snack!
• Chrystal from Happy Mothering suggests putting raw cacao in granola bars and muffins.  Yum!

Recipes containing raw cacao nibs:

• Nibby Cream Cheese Brownie Cupcakes - The Spiced Life
• Chunky Quadruple Chocolate Cookies - The Spiced Life
• Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot - The Spiced Life
• Cookie Dough Candy Bar - Nouveau Raw
• Zucchini Cacao Cookies - Rawmazing
• Salted Nibby Bittersweet Brownie Cake - The Spiced Life
• Salted Cacao Nib Brittle - The Spiced Life

Use cacao powder, which is raw, unsweetened powder from the cacao bean:  (Note that it is different from "cocoa powder."