Crio Bru, I love you!! Giveaway

I have recently discovered a great drinking chocolate by the name of Crio Bru. This is a 100% cocoa drink that brews just like coffee, but without the caffeine hit! I was lucky enough to receive some to try out. I was sent Coca River, and Vegal Real, but there is also Cavalla in the range.  Vegal Real, which means 'Royal Meadow' has notes of strawberry and citrus which are actually found naturally in the cocoa bean. Coca River has notes of green banana and blackberries and has more of a chocolaty smell than fruity Vegal Real. Cavalla, which I am yet to try, has hints of dark spice, cinnamon, and coconut, now doesn't that sound yum!

I have to admit, when I made my first cup of Crio Bru, I was a little taken back. Not necessarily in a good way. I followed the instructions on the package and I brewed the cocoa in my HMP in water. I took a taste and while it was powerful, it wasn't particularly pleasant and I felt it had to be an acquired taste. However, this is 100% cocoa, so no added anything! Its nothing like your store bought drinking chocolate and there is no PHENYLALANINE(just google that for an idea on what it can do to your body!), no glucose solids or fake sugars, no gums, and no colours or flavours that are easily found in your low calorie and low fat chocolate drinking mixtures.   Its all natural, so the taste is going to be nothing like what you expect it to be. Since then I have done what all good cooks do and experiment with the production methods.

 I continued for a while brewing in water and then adding milk and stevia/sweetner which I tended to enjoy. I then went to the Crio Bru website and discovered some interesting recipes on how to make good use of my Crio Bru, other than for drinking purposes. As I went through some of these, I was realising I should pursue the production method in another way. I felt that milk ( I always use and prefer low fat) was needed to brew from beginning to end. This to me, has made all the difference. I also used almond milk this morning and it was so amazing! If you are using a thermal mixer to brew, I recommend that after brewing, strain it and then put it back in the thermal mixer, adding your sweetener of choice, for another 10 secs on speed 6. This will whip it into submission and create a frothy mixture as good, if not better than what the barristas create.

Other than the taste, there are some other benefits of Crio Bru:

• Rich in antioxidants - by weight cocoa has more than almost any food in the world!
• Low in calories and carbs
• Little to no caffeine
• No fat, sugar or sodium

When I drink this in the morning, I feel a lot sparkier and focused by mid morning and I don't feel hungry so no more need for grazing or eating not so good snacks. I've discovered that cocoa is a natural super food and is an appetite suppressant and increases your energy! Woo Hoo!! Now I can enjoy a delicious and natural drink that fills me up and doesn't make me want to nibble at anything in between!!

Now for all the Dr Oz fans out there, I found out that he recognises that cocoa is a great super food that can aid in your weight loss goals. In a recent show he said:

"This is a really cool idea. I think this is something really worth trying. Here's what I love about it. It's why it can help you burn fat faster. It has a natural stimulant, not caffeine, called theobromine that can boost your metabolism. It's very safe. It also has a fat blocker. It helps get rid of the fat in your body by blocking an enzyme you need to digest fat, so you never absorb the fat into your body." - Dr. Oz

So there are some really great benefits to drinking Crio Bru, how about cooking or baking with it? If you head to the website, you'll find some amazing recipes to help you make use of this great product, but as for me I had something else in mind! I straight away thought of a chocolaty version of Tiramasu! I call it, Crio Bru- Masu!!

Crio Bru - Masu

1.Aftter brewing the Crio Bru in milk in the Hotmix Pro, add some stevia so it has a light sweetness to it.
2.Soak the biscuits and line the base of the deep medium sized rectangular dish
3.Whip 600mls of thickened cream in HMP with paddle attachment a teaspoon of sugar and seeds scraped from one large vanilla bean. Use speed 3 for 45 secs. Check consistency and if not thick and stiff peaks, do 10 secs at a time. Divide cream into thirds and add sifted cocoa powder to one third and mix through.
4. Spread one lot of vanilla cream on first layer of soaked biscuits.
5. Layer soaked biscuits on top of vanilla cream.
6. Spread chocolate cream on biscuits.
7. Add another layer of  soaked biscuits.
8. Finally spread remaining vanilla cream and sprinkle with sifted with quality cocoa powder.

This was a delicious recipe and well received by family and friends.

So if you are intrigued by Crio Bru and want to give it a try, you can head over to the Crio Bru Australian website to find out more and order your own. Otherwise you can try your luck by entering my giveaway. All you have to do is:

•  'Like' Crio Bru Oz Facebook page and COMMENT that "FoodMuster sent me" and you will be in the draw for a small pack of Crio Bru.

• **If you don't comment you won't be in the draw**

• If you are already a fan, leave a comment saying, "FoodMuster is awesome"! Haha!! Just joking!! If you leave a comment saying you wish to enter 'FoodMuster's Crio Bru Giveaway' that will be fine.

• This giveaway is open to Australian addresses only and please only leave one comment, multiples will not be included.

• There are 3 bags of Crio Bru to giveaway. Winners will be announced here and on the Crio Bru Facebook page. Good Luck

Giveaway starts, Monday June 11 and will end Monday 18th June 8pm AEST. GOOD LUCK!