Raw Chocolate w Dried Cranberries

July 30, 2014 · by · Leave a Comment

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Raw Chocolate w Dried Cranberries
At the Wise Cicada in Auckland, I bumped into these silicon baby food trays to freeze. Perfect for chocolate, I thought! Actually, makes much more sense to me, but then again, I'm not in a baby food frame of mind ;-). A friend and I went on a chocolate making mission and amongst chilli chocolates and ginger chocolates we made these little beauties too. The cranberries I used are slightly sweetened, which made these choccies a little sweeter than my usual chocolate - but I don't think anybody minded....
Cuisine: vegan & raw
Recipe type: sweets
Serves: 20
Prep time: 
Cook/wait time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 1 cup of grated raw cacao butter
  • ½ cup of raw cacao powder
  • ¼ cup of raw coconut nectar or raw organic agave nectar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup dried cranberries
To do
  1. slowly melt the grated cacao butter in a plastic jug or ceramic jug au bain Marie. (Never let it boil, as it is meant to be raw, so definitely not to be heated over 46C). Using a stainless steel jug or glass has failed with me as the chocolate became too hot and therefore thick, so if you want to do it the safe way, don't try that 😉
  2. when melted, use a small whisk to stir in the vanilla paste and agave nectar
  3. when that is nicely mixed, stir in the cacao powder, no need to worry about clumps as they dissolve pretty much straight away
  4. when the powder is dissolved, your chocolate mixture is ready to be poured
  5. whenever you don't use it, just let it sit on the stove in the warm water so it doesn't go thick
  6. put your cranberries in your chocolate mould(s) (apart from the official chocolate moulds, silicon moulds will do nicely)
  7. pour the mixture on top of the cranberries, and quickly stir it through with something small like a cake tester. Top up if you'd like a smooth bottom side.
  8. fill up all moulds and pop in fridge or freezer
  9. it won't take long for the chocolate to get hard, and once hard, take them out of their moulds and keep them in a container with lid in the fridge.
Notes
Note: it's best to put your flexible tray on a piece of carton or a non flexible tray or lid, it will make it a lot easier to carry to and place in fridge.
And of course you can make bigger or smaller ones 🙂

 

Filed Under: All, Desserts, Raw & Almost Raw, Sweets · Tagged: , , ,

Pineapple & Avocado Jelly w Orange Coconut Cream

May 9, 2014 · by · Leave a Comment

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Pineapple & Avocado Jelly w Orange Coconut Cream
Lovely light and natural sweet is this dessert. No added sugar or sweetener except in the Orange Coconut Cream. You could replace this by soaked and blended dates, if you prefer. Use fancy moulds for a more impressive presentation or just for fun. I served this with a raw cookie on the side, just because I could 🙂
Cuisine: Vegan
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 
Cook/wait time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 1 whole medium to large pineapple
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or essence, but the real stuff)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 3 tsp agar agar powder
for the Orange Coconut Cream:
  • 1 cup coconut yoghurt (as thick as possible)
  • zest of 1 small orange
  • a little bit of orange juice
  • 1 tbsp raw agave nectar (or coconut nectar, maple, etc) If you want to use Stevia, then add to taste
To do
  1. peel the pineapple, and chop up the flesh (including the core, which is full of bromelain)
  2. add to blender, add avocado and blend till all smooth
  3. in a small pan, place water and sprinkle agar agar on top
  4. bring to the boil while stirring or whisking
  5. just when it gets to the point of boiling, switch blender back on and pour in the agar mixture, blend well
  6. pour the contents of the blender into a silicon container or something similar. You can make individual jellies too, by using small containers or moulds
  7. place in fridge and let set for 2 hours (or just check if it's solid)
  8. mix the coconut yogurt with the zest and agave nectar, and add some of the juice of your orange, but don't dilute it too much - unless you prefer a thin sauce, of course
  9. slice the jelly, place on plates, and top with the cream
  10. a few fennel seeds do nicely with this dish too!

 

Filed Under: Agar Agar, All, Desserts, Fruit dishes, Gluten free, Raw & Almost Raw · Tagged: , , , , ,

Ginger Yogurt w Squashed Berries & Vanilla

January 16, 2014 · by · Leave a Comment

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Ginger Yogurt w Squashed Berries & Vanilla
A delicious raw dessert! Add some buckwheat or nuts and you have a lovely breakfast. It looks great and is very easy to make 🙂
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: breakfast, dessert, in-between
Serves: 4
Prep time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 400gr coconut yogurt (I used plain Co-Yo)
  • 3 tbsp of ginger cordial
  • 1,5 hand of blueberries
  • 1,5 hand of blackberries
  • 1,5 hand of raspberries
  • ¾ tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1.25 tbsp of raw agave or raw coconut nectar (optional)
To do
  1. stir the ginger cordial through the yogurt - that's part 1 done
  2. place blueberries and blackberries in a medium size bowl and squash them with the back of a spoon
  3. then add the raspberries and vanilla paste and stir through thoroughly
  4. taste, and if you like, add some nectar for sweetness (or you can use Stevia)
  5. layer yogurt and berries in a glass or in a glass bowl for good looks (or just top with one or the other), and done!
Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 glass Calories: 204 Fat: 5.5gr Saturated fat: 4gr Unsaturated fat: 0.3gr Trans fat: 0gr Sugar: 26gr Sodium: 1mg Fiber: 5mg Protein: 5gr Cholesterol: 0mg

 

Filed Under: All, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit dishes, Gluten free, Low/no added fat · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Strawberry Chia Pudding w Honeydew Melon

December 17, 2013 · by · 2 Comments

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Strawberry Chia Pudding w Honeydew Melon
A lovely light and delicate dish, raw and healthy. If you like, you can prepare the chia seeds the night before, so you only have to blend the pudding the next day and grate or slice the melon. Easy!
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan, raw
Recipe type: breakfast, dessert, anytime
Serves: 2
Prep time: 
Cook/wait time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 6 tbsp chia seeds
  • 3 cups almond milk (I used almond/coconut milk, but any nut or seed milk is fine)
  • 40 drops (about 1 tsp) of vanilla extract (made of the bean) or to taste, if you use another vanilla product
  • 1 generous cup of strawberries
  • about 140 grams of honeydew melon
  • 1 tbsp raw agave nectar (optional)
  • 1 tsp black sesame seeds
  • a sprinkle of cinnamon
To do
  1. place the chia seeds in a bowl with the milk and vanilla. If you have frozen strawberries, you can pop those in too
  2. stir well and put in fridge for half an hour
  3. take out of fridge and stir well, then give it a quick whizz with a stick blender (or in the blender, of course)
  4. pour in bowls
  5. grate the watermelon, or slice very finely, and place on top
  6. sprinkle sesame seeds and cinnamon on top and add the optional agave nectar (just depending on the sweetness of the strawberries).
Nutritional Information
Serving size: 1 bowl Calories: 125 Fat: 5gr Carbohydrates: 22gr Sugar: 17gr Sodium: 51mg Protein: 3gr

 

Filed Under: All, Breakfast, Desserts, Fruit dishes, Raw & Almost Raw · Tagged: , , , ,

Raw Chocolate w Toasted Seeds & Cherry Brandy soaked Goji Berries

October 3, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment

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Raw Chocolate w Toasted Seeds & Cherry Brandy soaked Goji Berries
Aaah, there is no better chocolate than home made chocolate, so have a go at it! You can make these completely raw by not toasting the seed and soaking the berries in just water or fruit juice.
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: healthy sweets
Serves: 24
Prep time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 3 tbsp dessicated coconut (fine)
  • 2 tbsp Goji berries
  • 30ml Cherry brandy
  • 1 heaped cup of coursely grated cacao butter (130gr.)
  • just over ½ cup of raw cacao powder
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp of raw agave nectar
  • 1 tsp vanilla paste, or 1 pod (or vanilla essence - from the bean, in alcohol; don't mix water based things in)
To do
  1. soak the Goji berries in the Cherry brandy for about 1 hour
  2. toast pumpkin & sunflower seeds in a skillet first, then add sesame and coconut (as they brown quicker)
  3. put grated cacao butter in a plastic (!) small jug, preferably with a spout
  4. in a small pan, heat water, then keep at low or medium heat and put the jug with cacao butter in the water to let the butter slowly melt (water shouldn't boil)
  5. while the butter is melting, drain the goji berries (keep liquid!) and divide seeds and berries over the wells of your mould
  6. when butter is melted, stir in agave nectar and vanilla paste (I use a mini whisk) and when that's mixed well, add the cacao powder. You don't need to sieve the powder, but it's easier to mix it in in batches
  7. mix in the left over Cherry brandy
  8. almost done! Pour the chocolate in per well, stirring the liquid through the seeds and then topping up. I used a cake tester to stir, but any thin item would do.
  9. place in fridge or freezer and they're ready when they're hard - give it 2 hours in the fridge and check; if you pop one out and it still sticks to the mould, leave them for a bit longer. In the freezer it obviously goes a lot quicker.
  10. pop them out of the mould and voilá.
Notes
* If you have a very flexible mould, it is handy to have a piece of carton or something similar to put your tray on, otherwise transferring it to the fridge may be messy 😉
* Best to keep these in the fridge.
* Cleaning out the chocolate mixture I find easiest by putting steaming hot water with a dash of dishwash liquid in the jug and let it sit for a bit.
* If you have any melted chocolate left over, just pour in another mould and push some nuts or seeds, or raisins - pretty much anything, in the liquid.

 

Filed Under: All, Gluten free, Raw & Almost Raw, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Black Bean Chocolate & Mint Mousse w Vanilla Cream

September 9, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment

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Black Bean Chocolate & Mint Mousse w Vanilla Cream
Don't you love it when people are trying to guess the ingredients in a dish and just can't put their finger on it? 😉 Cream made from cashews, mousse made from black beans, raw cacao and raw nectar, it's a lot healthier than the sugar laden, dairy based original chocolate mousse.
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: dessert, snack
Serves: 6
Prep time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • ½ can of black beans, quickly drained
  • 2.5 tbsp (raw) cacao powder
  • ¼ cup raw agave nectar
  • 5 leaves of mint (or more to taste)
  • ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
  • a tiny pinch of salt
  • Stevia to sweeten more, optional
For the vanilla cream:
  • ½ cup of Cashew Cream (better if this one is a little thick)
  • 2 tbsp raw coconut or agave nectar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or natural essence
  • 1 tsp of toasted pine nuts
  • 1 tsp of cocoa nibs (or grated/chopped vegan chocolate)
To do
  1. blend all ingredients for the mousse
  2. to make the vanilla cream; mix the Cashew Cream with the nectar and vanilla
  3. scoop the chocolate mousse in small glasses (or in bigger ones, of course) and layer with vanilla cream
  4. top with cocoa nibs and the pinenuts
  5. and you're done!
Notes
This makes 6 liqueur glasses, just double amounts for more.

 

Filed Under: All, Desserts, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Raw Vanilla Coconut Ice Bonbons

August 11, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment

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Raw Vanilla Coconut Ice Bonbons
These sweets are lighter than ice cream in texture and they're raw and healthy. Great for hot days, or as part of a dessert 🙂
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan, raw
Recipe type: sweets and dessert
Serves: 20
Prep time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • ½ cup of coconut solids
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup dessicated coconut
  • 1.5 tsp vanilla paste
  • a small pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut nectar
To do
  1. mix everything together and press in flexible moulds (you could also just place a tbsp of mixture on a tray), place in freezer and let harden. Pop them out when frozen.
Notes
Keep in freezer.

 

Filed Under: All, Desserts, Raw & Almost Raw, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Orange & Vanilla Cookies

August 3, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment

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Orange & Vanilla Cookies
Urgent Cookie Craving! So I baked these. Plenty to cure cravings for a week, as it makes about 60 small to medium cookies 😉
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: cookies
Serves: 60
Prep time: 
Cook/wait time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 2 cups of (spelt) flour
  • ½ cup of melted coconut oil (I used deodorized oil)
  • ¾ coconut palm sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • zest of 2 oranges
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp of baking powder (aluminium free)
To do
  1. mix dry ingredients
  2. mix liquid ingredients
  3. slowly add liquid mixture to dry mixture, stirring it in with a wooden spoon
  4. it's quite OK for it to be crumbly as long as it is nicely mixed and you can form balls out of the dough
  5. pre-heat oven to 160-170C and place baking paper on oven tray
  6. take a small hand of dough and press it together, then flatten it and either transfer to baking tray, or use a cookie cutter for nice shapes
  7. place tray in oven and bake for no more than 12 minutes (they will harden up once out of the oven)
  8. after a few minutes, transfer to a rack to cool down further

 

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Mini Vanilla Cinnamon Cakes

July 15, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment
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Mini Vanilla Cinnamon Cakes
OK, I'm patting myself on the shoulder for these 😉 It must be the combination of the cinnamon and the coconut palm sugar that gives a lovely deep flavour, and spelt tends to always give a nice almost crispy crust.
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: Sweets
Serves: 22
Prep time: 
Cook/wait time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • 200gr organic white spelt flour
  • 175gr plant based butter (straight from fridge)
  • 125 coconut palm sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp of vanilla paste
  • 2 tsp of cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp of melted coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp of non dairy mylk
To do
  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with mixer, using dough hooks
  2. when all has come together, spray or brush your silicon mould lightly with oil (this may not be necessary, but I did it anyway and they came out beautifully)
  3. place enough dough in each cup to make a little mount (I used a cake pop tray with lid, nice and cosy 😉 )
  4. put the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, check if it is done (stick a knitting needle in, it should come out dry), leave in few more minutes if necessary. Cakes will 'crisp' up a little once out of oven.
Notes
You can also serve these as a dessert; I added a Nutmeg-Ginger dip 🙂

 

 

Filed Under: All, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Vanilla Coconut Cream (raw)

July 14, 2013 · by · Leave a Comment

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Vanilla Coconut Cream
One of those dishes that puts a smile on my face when I taste it 🙂 You can use this as a dip with fruit, or add it to your dessert or breakfast, or even eat just as is.
Prepared by:
Cuisine: vegan
Recipe type: Dip, dessert, sauce
Prep time: 
Total time: 
You need
  • ¼ cup coconut milk solids (skim the of the top of a can, if need be, put can in fridge for a couple of hours)
  • ¼ cup Cashew Cream
  • 1 tbsp coconut nectar or raw agave nectar
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
To do
  1. Mix or blend all ingredients till nice and smooth, and that's all 🙂

 

Filed Under: All, Desserts, Dips, Sauces & Condiments, Gluten free, Raw & Almost Raw, Sweets · Tagged: , ,
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