Keto chocolate Pasteli – modernisation of ancient Greek delicacy

The oldest known recipe

Not long ago, the internet was overflown with bombastic headlines about ancient Greek energy bar called Pasteli. You could find all sorts of claims, including – “The healthiest energy bar made with only 2 ingredients: honey and sesame seeds”. Even today, most of the touristic oriented stores in Greece sell all sorts of pasteli. From basic to spiced-up versions.

Is Pasteli so healthy?

Although I must admit sesame seeds are nutritious, I cannot agree about honey. I know you will say, what kind of Greek talks against honey? Well, Keto Greek cannot praise the honey! If the ancient Greeks thought honey is healthy, they might have been right back then.

Today, we cannot come even close to the quality of honey they had. Plus they did not eat large portions as we tend to do today. I will not even touch the subject of fake honey right now. That requires a whole new article.

Modern Pasteli

If you want to create a keto version, you will most probably fail because sugar and honey are the main secrets of Pasteli. But if we go back in history, and jump to another continent, we might find a mighty ingredient that will give a great inspiration to a keto version of sesame indulged energy bar. Yes, I am talking about cacao! Homemade chocolate, fat bombs or whatever juicy name you come up with, these little bites of pleasure will feed your body and soul.

Recipe?

I will not give you a precise recipe! Before you start getting angry with me, think about it. I am still experimenting and it took me some years to perfect it. I believe that everybody should come up with their dosage and ingredient ratio.

On the other hand, the spirit of this chocolate pralines is in the Mediterranean spices. You will have to come up with your version. Don’t be afraid to experiment and fail. One of these days, the perfect keto pasteli chocolate will be something you’ll be proud of. It will be your recipe! I will provide you with guidelines and basic ingredients!

Basic instructions

Start with grass-fed butter. Melt it in very low heat. Add stevia and vanilla bean powder. Now is the best time to add your favourite spices. Well, I can recommend cinnamon, but try something else too… Add organic cacao powder and keep stirring.

At this point, it’s up to you: if you like dark chocolate, go ahead and use more cacao powder. Remove the pot from heat and add cocoa butter. I would recommend not to go easy on it! Be generous with cocoa butter, it will bring your chocolate to another level.

Prepare the moulds and pour your chocolate mixture. Now add sesame seeds, flaxseeds and any other seeds of your choice… Place the moulds in the freezer for 30 minutes and enjoy your fat bombs with no guilt!

Nutritional benefits

Cacao powder is rich in minerals such as iron, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and manganese. Let’s not forget our Keto friends potassium, selenium and zinc. A healthy amount of fibre is another reason why you should not feel guilty when eating homemade chocolate.

Cocoa butter is always a great choice. It contains saturated fats, stearic, palmitic, myristic, arachidic and lauric acids.

Grass-fed butter is one of the best choices for adding good fats to your daily intake. It contains vitamin A, E, and K and butyric acid which is necessary for fighting insulin resistance and various inflammations. The name comes from the Greek word for butter (βούτυρο).

Sesame seeds contain more than 50% beneficial oil and around 20% protein. They are rich in calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and thiamine. It can help in balancing hormones and protecting heart health

When to eat it?

Even though this is a keto version, you must not eat it in between meals. Also, it would not be very clever to eat a large amount of them! Try to have 2-3 pieces after a good and balanced lunch. If you are on a trip, they can replace a meal together with bullet-proof coffee, but again, try to have a fully balanced meal based on cruciferous vegetables, healthy fats and moderate protein.