Let’s talk about joy. Actually, let’s do less talking and more feeling. To kick off the joy-party, I’ve put together a list. Not one of those annoying lists that you’re supposed to identify with in order to somehow codify your soul and your universe, but a list to help you jog your own joy-memory.
What gets your mojo going? Besides these Chocolate Covered Raspberries with Vanilla & Cardamom, of course.
My list is below, interspersed through pics of raspberries and chocolate that, by the laws of the universe, will make you feel joy by osmosis. Recipe up this week on my Intuitive Eating recipe column at Sonima.com.
1. Dancing in my underwear.
2. Heated discussions about literature and Beyoncé.
3. Singing out loud.
4. Holding hands.
5. Making out.
6. Staying in.
7. Everyone saying how they really feel.
8. Seeing the stars.
9. Listening to Lorde in my car with the volume turned up way too high.
10. That moment my skin hits the ocean.
11. Playing with kiddos.
12. Listening to elders.
13. Being quiet.
14. Everyone actually caring about something.
15. Intergenerational love-fests.
16. Learning something new.
17. Making a mess in the kitchen.
18. Eating with my fingers.
19. Raspberries.
20. Chocolate.
21. Chocolate Covered Raspberries with Cardamom & Vanilla Bean.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh raspberries washed and drained
- 1/2 cup finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/3 cup raw virgin coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place a small sauce pot with an inch of water on the stove. Find a heat-proof bowl that will fit into the top of the pot without touching the water and set aside. Turn heat on high until water boils.
- Place chopped chocolate, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla bean, cardamom, and sea salt in heat-proof bowl and nestle it on top of pot. Stir until almost all chocolate is melted, then remove from heat and continue stirring until it’s completely melted.
- If you accidentally overheat and see solids, re-emulsify mixture in a blender.
- Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and arrange raspberries upright on sheet, about half an inch apart. Use a spoon to drizzle them with as much chocolate as you’d like. Pop them in the freezer for 5-7 minutes, depending on how hard you’d like the chocolate to get.
- Remove, pop in your mouth, and feel joy! You can keep the chocolate drizzle on your countertop for a few days, and blend to re-emulsify as needed.
