Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Green Bean to Bar Chocolate (2-16-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo), a bean-to-bar specialty store in Nakameguro that opened in November 2015, is always bustling with customers looking for popular chocolates. This time, we'll be introducing a healthy recipe using "chocolate drink powder," which can be dissolved in milk or other liquids, and "cacao nibs," the fruit of the cacao plant, considered a superfood. For those who don't have a sweet tooth, why not celebrate Valentine's Day with a stylish homemade meal using cacao? We asked the shop owner to share a special recipe for a plate of three dishes.

【Recipe 1】Apple and Crab Salad with Balsamic Chocolate Sauce
--Ingredients (easy to make amounts)--
＜Crab Salad＞
・80g canned crab (drained)
・20g cabbage
・10g celery
・A pinch of salt
・30g mayonnaise (2 tablespoons)
・12g extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon)
・10g green bean-to-bar cocoa nibs
＜Balsamic Chocolate Sauce＞
・100cc balsamic vinegar
・10g green bean-to-bar chocolate drink powder (spicy)
＜For Finishing＞・Red flying fish roe
・Mini Fuji apples (or Hime apples, Red Delicious apples, etc.) to taste
--Directions--
1. Make the balsamic chocolate sauce. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer until it is about 20cc (1/4 to 1/5 of the original volume). Turn off the heat and add the chocolate drink powder, mixing. Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
2. Make the crab salad. Shred the cabbage and celery, sprinkle lightly with salt and knead, then soften and squeeze out the water. Place all the other crab salad ingredients in a bowl and mix.
3. Slice the apple into thin rings.
4. Arrange the apples and crab salad alternately in layers on a plate to form a mille-feuille. Pour the sauce from 1 over it and garnish with the red flying fish roe and chervil. Sprinkle with paprika powder.




【Recipe 2】Colorful Vegetable and Roast Beef Salad ~Brandy Chocolate Sauce~
--Ingredients (easy to make amount)--
・Roast beef
・Cauliflower (orange or white)
・Radish (with leaves)
・Shishito peppers
・Cherry tomatoes (red)
・Small potatoes
・Italian parsley
・Nuts (any type of your choice) to taste
< ... 1. Prepare the vegetables separately.
2. Place the ingredients for the brandy chocolate sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Place the vegetables and roast beef from step 1 in a serving dish and pour the sauce from step 2 over it. If using, sprinkle with crushed nuts.

【Recipe 3】Gorgonzola and Orange Peel Cheese Cream
--Ingredients (easy to make amounts)--
・Gorgonzola cheese (Picante) 30g
・Mascarpone cheese 40g
・Orange peel 15g
・Dried cranberries 5g
・Green bean-to-bar chocolate cacao nibs 10g

--Directions--
1. Chop the orange peel and dried cranberries into large pieces.
2. Mix all the ingredients together.
Serve on bread or crackers.
[Recipe provided by]
Food stylist: Nagakura Ichizu
[Interview cooperation]
green bean to bar CHOCOLATE
TEL: 03-5728-6420

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