Nourish the Budding Lotus

Vegan Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Its March…its almost spring…its almost strawberry season…  So hopefully these Chocolate Dipped Strawberries will get you excited for the shift in seasons.  I am definitely excited.  The days are getting a little longer, the weather for the most part is getting warmer (although we could get snow tomorrow) and as my winter motto has been for the past few months – “Its almost April!”.

Honestly I don’t know what happens in April that I am so excited about.  I guess at the time it was just the knowledge that once April came it would no longer be January or February.  You see, the fact that we have the holidays in the first half of winter makes it all a little easier to swallow.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, lots of gatherings with friends or family.  It is a time of celebration which makes the winter weather, and early sunsets more bearable.

But January and February…I think everyone is so tired of winter that they just hide. Social occasions diminish, the cold is no longer novel, the snow is not as exciting as it once was…and even the idea of another plate of roasted root vegetables just does not have the same pizazz as that first casserole at a potluck back in November. And so came my motto “Its almost April!” I have to say, it worked. Because it truly is almost April.

Now on my morning walks I see the potential of the coming leaves on the branches of neighborhood trees that will eventually accompany apricot blossoms and lilacs. I hear the birds beginning to sing their morning serenades. And a little less enthusiastically, a barrage of springtime winds have begun to whip through Santa Fe.

In celebration of the coming leaves, buds, blossoms and fruits, make some Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and share them with friends. Bring together a few special people that you haven’t seen as often as you would like and smile together around the sweet and simple berries covered in delicious dark chocolate shells. Play a game or two, laugh a whole lot and share some love.

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Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 c raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons agave
1 16oz container of organic strawberries

Rinse strawberries and pat them dry.

Warm coconut oil on very low heat, just enough to bring it to liquid form.

In a small bowl whisk together coconut oil, raw cacao and agave until smooth.

Dip strawberries into chocolate holding onto the leaves of the strawberries.  Slowly roll the chocolate around the edges of the strawberry until the chocolate stops dripping.

Place each dipped strawberry onto parchment paper and refrigerate the berries for about 1 hour.[/print_this]