I’ve been having a little trouble with a song – and a new snack treat – I can’t get out of my head… The tune is ‘Going Out Of My Head’. And the product is Cedar’s Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Hommus. I’m imagining I taste it in my sleep!
Goin’ out of my head over you […]
Out of my head, day and night,
Night and day and night,
Wrong or right…
No better theme
The classic Going Out Of My Head has been covered by dozens of recording artists since it premiered as an instant hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials back in 1964… But I always hear the late, great Luther Vandross singing when it passes between my ears…
And that’s been happening a lot lately, since I tripped over a new-product announcement from Cedar’s Foods last week.
Riding a trend?
I’ve also discovered, in the course of researching this unlikely sounding nosh, that there’s a new trend rising among the food-forward: healthy sweets. And Cedar’s snack dip is among a few new foods getting a lot of chatter in that circle.
It’s just what it says: classic chick pea hummus with dark chocolate and cinnamon flavouring. That alone should qualify it as ‘healthy’ with most folks. But it has other advantages… The ingredients list is short on items, but long on ‘healthy’ descriptors: “Steamed Chickpeas (Chickpeas, Water), Organic Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Nisin (A Natural Preservative).”
Setting aside nutritionally meaningless terms such as organic’ and ‘natural’… Yes, there’s some sugar in there. But that’s a mandatory component of chocolate. So, Cedar’s gets a pass on that one. Another necessary ingredient to make it chocolate is some kind of fat. And Sunflower Oil is definitely better for you than cocoa butter, which is traditionally used.
‘Pure and simple’
That’s Cedar’s slogan. They back it up with the assertion that they use only the choicest ingredients. And, “We keep everything out [of our products] except the stuff that should be there. It is the purity of our ingredients that allows us to make the most delicious, most authentic Hommus you’ve ever tasted – while ditching the potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate that the other guys depend on.”
So, it’s hard to argue with their intentions…
But what does the stuff taste like?
I haven’t been able to try it, yet. Seems Cedar’s products don’t come to Canada, at least not in a big, ‘supermarket chain importer’ way. Nevertheless, just the idea of a slightly-sweet, rich, dark chocolatey hummus with a hint of exotic cinnamon makes my taste bus quiver!
There’s also that ‘healthy’ angle… There are a lot of other ‘platforms’ one could use to deliver the health benefits of dark chocolate to their body. But when you consider that humus is 90 percent chick peas, it’s hard imagine a better choice!
And can you imagine dipping fresh strawberries in it? Turning a swatch of soft, warm pita into a unique dessert hors-d’œuvre? Swapping out a similar – but much less healthy – spread such as Nutella in favour of this tantalizing option, in so may other dishes? (Did I mention that there’s also a ‘plain’ dark chocolate version of this unique treat?)
My take
‘Healthy sweets’ is a concept that’s just been waiting its time to come. And now that it’s here, I can’t think of a better product to illustrate the concept than Cedar’s Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Hommus.
And for those (like me) who can’t get the Cedars’ original… May I suggest whizzing up a can or two of regular chick peas from the supermarket in your bar/smoothie blender or food processor? And ex-perimenting with various amounts of cocoa powder, the light oil of your choice and only as much sweetener as suits your taste? With or without adding cinnamon? And what about adding other ‘sweet’ flavours that go well with chocolate?
Now you can see why that song keeps going through my head!
My questions to you:
Does the idea of ‘healthy sweets’ appeal to you as strongly as it does to me?
If so, what’s your specific take on dark chocolate hummus (with or without cinnamon)?
Have you got Luther in your head, yet?
Muse on that…
~ Maggie J.