December 12th is National Cocoa day. Cocoa is the dried seed of the cacao tree and is a main ingredient in chocolate. Chocolate is made by roasting cocoa seeds and then grinding and mixing the cocoa seed's insides with butter and sugar.
Cocoa and chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contain high levels of flavonoids which have been shown to have beneficial cardiovascular effects. In particular, some studies have found links between dark chocolate consumption and benefits in LDL cholesterol levels.
Celebrate National Cocoa day by making chocolate banana fruit leather in a food dehydrator:
- Puree 4 bananas, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Spread the pureed mixture on a fruit leather sheet, or on parchment paper, on a dehydrator's drying rack until it is about 1/4 inch thick throughout.
- Dry at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 10 hours.
- Dry until no moisture is evident. You can flip the fruit leather over three quarters of the way through the drying process.
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