#MeatlessMondays – Chocolate Covered Aguaymantos, a Real Super Snack

Exactly one year ago, I was in Lima running away from the cold New York winter. Like all my Peruvian friends, I like to visit every possible doctor and get my body in top shape when I’m there, mostly because it’s much cheaper than elsewhere. For me, taking care of my body always includes alternative therapies, and that’s how I ended up getting several sessions of reiki (energy work) by a woman named Claudia.

Claudia is half Japanese and half Peruvian, and her whole environment reflected her two cultures. Reiki is a Japanese practice, and her calming surroundings made me feel like I was right where it all started. This feeling was especially strong at the beginning of each session, when she religiously poured a cup of tea for both of us, while we sat on the immaculate floor and chatted with low voices.

The Peruvian component came from the herbs she used to make those infusions, and the snacks we shared while we drank and talked. Every time I was there she would open a small box of dried aguaymantos covered in chocolate, I’m sure to comfort me as I was about to work through major blockages in my energy field.

Now, every time I see dried goldenberries or pichuberries I think of those sweet and tart snacks that I so enjoyed during those healing sessions. So today I was grocery shopping, and decided it was time for me to make my own.

Both aguaymantos and cacao are considered super foods, so I guess that makes this a super snack. You can read more about these two Peruvian ingredients, and learn other great ways to use them, in the book Peruvian Power foods, by our friend Manuel Villacorta.