RECIPES

Sip, Dip & Cluster

I don’t know about you, but come February I need some food love. I live in Portland, Oregon – it has been rainy and chilly for months now – and I want some sun. And no, I won’t get sun for weeks and weeks, so I am treating myself to three recipes that help soothe my winter gloom. Nothing hard, nothing not delicious. Share your treats and share the love … now more than ever.

Serves four, 5mg THC per serving PINK SMOOTHIES

2 cups almond milk, or any other milk 1 cup frozen strawberries, sliced 1 small frozen banana, sliced 1/2 cup strawberry yogurt 1/4 cup pineapple juice 4 teaspoons canna oil or butter, 20mg THC total 1-2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons crushed dehydrated strawberries, garnish

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients except for the dehydrated strawberries and process until smooth. 2. Divide between four glasses. Garnish with the dehydrated strawberries. 2mg THC each | 2 per serving DIPPED MANGO

1 cup dark chocolate chips 1 tablespoon canna butter or oil, 24mg THC 12 large pieces dried mango Some say that mango, full of the terpene myrcene, adds to your Cannabis experience. That rocks.

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment. 2. In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate on 50% for 30 seconds. Check, stirring the chips, and if not melted continue melting at half power in 15 second intervals. When melted, stir in the infused oil or butter. 3. Dip the mangoes into the chocolate, then lay on the parchment for at least 30 minutes to set.

24 clusters | 2mg THC each IT’S A CLUSTER

2 cups white chocolate chips 2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons infused oil or butter 48mg THC total 1 cup granola 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a 24-cup mini mold on your work space. Place paper liners in each cup. 2. In a double boiler, over low heat, combine the chips and the oils. When almost fully melted, remove from the heat. Spoon the white chocolate into each cup, and top with a teaspoon or more of granola. 3. In a double boiler, over low heat, melt the semisweet chips. Top the granola with the melted chocolate, immediately followed by the remaining granola. Allow to set for at least an hour.

NELSON & CO. ORGANICS CAREFREE DARK CHOCOLATE BAR

“As a sleep aid, I ate a couple of squares before bed and slept completely through the night with no lingering grogginess.”

When Nelson & Co. debuted their Carefree line with medicated caramels (see our Dec. 2019 Edible of the Month), we were hooked. That line then grew to include vegan gummies, which we ate by the handful and led to us crossing our fingers and hoping that they would eventually release a chocolate bar. And with their latest offering, our wish has been fulfilled.

WHY WERE WE looking more forward to the next Nelson & Co. edible than we would a new Reese’s? In one word: hash, or rosin to be exact. As a small-batch, single-source solventless producer, the crew at Nelson takes a lot of pride in the hash that they release. By only selling the cream of the crop as rosin, the hash that ends up as “food grade” is leaps and bounds better than most starting material.

The chocolate itself is smooth with a bright shine. To snap the perfectly tempered bar in two, I only needed to apply a slight pressure to make it break in crisp and clean fashion. Divided into 10, 5mg pieces makes it easy to dose … even in a dark movie theater. For those who tend to prefer milk chocolate, or find dark chocolate too rich or bitter, this bar is mellow and sweet – leaning much more toward chocolate cake than it does a bitter cocoa nib.

There’s a noticeable Cannabis flavor present as the chocolate melts. For those who enjoy the taste and flavor of premium herb, it’s a welcome addition. If the slight herbal taste isn’t quite what you’re looking for, this dark chocolate makes for a fantastic blank canvas. These pieces would easily melt into a mocha or fit snugly atop a campfire s’more.

The effect is pronounced and longlasting. As a sleep aid, I ate a couple of squares before bed and slept completely through the night with no lingering grogginess.

To relax, I finished the bar, kicked back and settled in for a night at home. But it was hours later when I peeled myself off the couch, gobsmacked at how this chocolate bar had sent me directly to dreamland.

Nelson & Co. has impressed us again – for single-source, small-batch and solventless chocolate bars, these are hard to beat.

NELSONANDCOMPANYORGANICS.COM @NELSONANDCOMPANY 4.97MG/SERVING 49.65MG/PACKAGE