What do you think of when I say the words “dark chocolate”? Do you think of rich desserts and decadent treats? Do you think of ribbons of melted chocolate drizzling down the sides of a towering ice cream sundae? Whatever over-the-top sweet images you have in your head, put them aside for a moment. Let’s discuss dark chocolate in a different role today. A deeper, darker, more mysterious role. Or really, just the role it can play in non-dessert recipes. Because chocolate is much more versatile than you think. The rich, complex tones of chocolate can bring out surprising flavours when added to savoury and spicy recipes.

In fact, in its long history of cultivation, chocolate was used predominantly in an unsweetened beverage. Cacao played a major role in ancient Mesoamerican cultures and was even used as a form of currency by the Aztecs. It was only much later that Europeans thought to add sugar to the mix, making the somewhat bitter flavours of chocolate more appealing to most palates. But it is that very bitterness, that intensity, which plays so well with other ingredients. And people are beginning to rediscover this side of chocolate, adding it to everything from spice rubs to chili to even pasta.

I collected 9 recipes that showcase chocolate in surprising ways for Live Better America, including my own low carb Mexican Hot Chocolate Recipe. Not all of them are low carb or gluten-free, but they are all worth a look. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

9 Surprising Ways to Use Chocolate for Valentine’s Day

 OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

Mexican Coffee and Homemade Sugar-Free Kahlua

Cinnamon Chipotle Brownies

Chocolate Pumpkin Chili

Chocolate Coffee Truffles