Tag: raw cacao

Grain-Free Chocolate Walnut-Date Tart

This week for The Food Matters Project, Margarita chose Walnut Biscotti. Now, I’ve never made biscotti… and I’ve never been really drawn to it, I’m admittedly a chewy cookie kinda gal.

But the walnut part got me thinking.

And I’d seen this amazing chocolately-nutty-datey tart floating around in the internet recently, it just seemed like the right thing to do. And let me tell you… it was!

I made a grain-free almond crust, pureed the dates and walnuts together for the filling, and topped it off with a raw chocolate ganache.

This is a gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy free, vegan, (mostly) raw dessert that is actually delicious. I know, it’s wild.

It was really sweet. I could only eat half the tart, but don’t worry, I saved the other half for later.

And don’t forget to check out the biscotti successes over at The Food Matters Project. I may just be swayed over to the biscotti side yet, especially after all the great things the group had to say about the recipe… and biscotti can be dipped in chocolate, so that’s a huge +1 in my books.

RAW CHOCOLATE WALNUT-DATE TARTS
Adapted from the beautiful blog Gourmande in the Kitchen
makes 5 3.5 inch tarts (or 1 9 inch tart – I made 4 of the 3.5 inch ones and had some leftover that I put in a small dish)

For the Crust – combine the following in food processor until it is finely ground and crumbly, press into tart shells (with removable bottoms)
2 cups almonds
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp maple syrup (not technically raw, you can use honey but it’s not vegan)
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
a few drops water if needed to help it come together

For the Walnut-Date Filling – combine in food processor until creamy, then stir in walnuts and scoop into tart shells
8 Medjool dates (or 10 of the dried, baking dates) soaked in 1/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (stir in after processing)

For the Chocolate Ganache Topping – stir together and spoon onto tarts
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 drop stevia (or 2 more tbsp maple syrup)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw cacao powder

Top tarts with chopped walnuts (1/4 cup) and chill in fridge to set for 30 mins before digging in.

*note* This is a very rich dessert, and while it doesn’t contain any refined sugar, wheat flour, butter, and milk products, it is by no means a freebie treat. It’s got lots of coconut oil, nuts, and maple syrup, so that means it’s also got lots of calories. It’s still better than your average processed dessert, but it’s best enjoyed in moderation and with a great big smile on your face!

+ Erin
P 12/10/2012
t Blog, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Calmond, coconut oil, dates, raw, raw cacao, tart, walnut
9 9 Comments

Raw Chocolate Cherry Energy Bars – The Food Matters Project

I don’t know, maybe I’m crazy… but sometimes I am not a chocolate person. I understand if that sounds completely ridiculous, and I say sometimes because it really does depend. I suppose I’m just particular about the kind of chocolatey things I’ll indulge in.

This week’s Food Matters recipe selection was a Chocolate-Cherry Panini (Hop on over to Margarita’s blog to see the original recipe) and though I can’t really explain it, I was just not that excited about a chocolate-cherry grilled sandwich.

Maybe it was the combination of chocolate and cherries – two things I’ve never really enjoyed together. Maybe it was that I’m not really a sandwich person in the first place. And yes, it’s possible to not be a sandwich person.

I like to look at these kinds of things as opportunities to work something healthy into the mix. I wanted to maintain the Chocolate-Cherry combination of the original recipe, and the first thing that popped into my head was an energy bar. Loaded with fruit, nuts, seeds, and raw cacao, these guys pack a mean nutritional punch and have no added sweeteners because of the already ultra-sweet dates. Also, if you make these raw like I did, all of the enzymes from the fruits, nuts, and seeds remain intact – (r)awesome!

Now don’t get me wrong, they are still high in sugar, but it’s balanced by the protein and fat from the nuts and seeds, and I personally believe it is better to get my sweet-tooth fix from fruit rather than refined sugar. Still, when I munch on these, it’s just one at a time, and often when I’m being active and need an energy-dense kick.

They remind me of Larabars, which I totally love for their simple ingredient lists and minimal processing. A perfect snack for when you’re on the go or headed off to do something active!

+ Erin
P 06/18/2012
t Blog, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Calmond, chia seeds, dates, dried cherries, dried cranberries, energy bar, nuts, pecan, raw cacao, seeds, snack
9 9 Comments

Cinnamon Chocolate Banana Happiness Pancakes

Oh boy. Sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, butter free pancakes? Cardboard, you ask?

No, no, no. Promise. These are all goodness. The gluten free flour makes them a little denser than your regular deal, but once you try them you’ll be hooked. These pancakes are a treat you don’t have to feel guilty about.

But watch out! Make sure there are people around to share these delicious healthy pancakes with. If you’re not careful, you might eat the whole batch by yourself.

Imagine a world where you eat chocolate for breakfast. Heaven, you say? How about just Thursday? Or if you have a grown up job, maybe you’ll have to settle for the weekend. Either way, chocolate pancakes are a terrific treat and should be made, consumed, and enjoyed. Get moving!

I used gluten free flours – a mixture of GF oat flour (I ground up some rolled oats in the coffee grinder) and quinoa flour I had on hand. You can use any GF mixture you like, really. Also, these fantastic things called chia seeds, you can grind them in your coffee grinder, mix with a little water and make “chia eggs”, which I used as an egg replacer. You can do the same thing with ground flaxseed, or even work with a mixture of the two. You can also feel free to substitute real eggs into the mix if you’re into that. I’m big on options around here, okay?

+ Erin
P 05/03/2012
t Blog, Breakfast, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Cchia egg, chocolate, cinnamon, oat flour, pancakes, raw cacao
9 1 Comment

Raw Chocolate Nut Clusters

Reid likes to bring home the occasional junk food. He usually has to hide it from me, but last night he came right out and sat next to me while eating his chocolate bar. I grabbed for it to check the ingredients… milk, milk products, milk milk milk, sugar, sugar hiding behind another name, safflower oil, blah blah blah.

Great.

Now I have someone eating chocolate right in front of me, the day after I’ve finished my cleanse, and I can’t eat it. I mean, I guess I could, but that might defeat the purpose of doing a cleanse in the first place… on top of the fact that milk makes me physically ill.

I flew into the kitchen in a frenzy. I dug out the raw cacao and rigged up a makeshift double boiler (a pot with a small plate inside and a bowl on top of the plate, the pot filled with water up to the middle of the bowl).

I spent the next 10 minutes making the most deliciously satisfying dark chocolatey treats that you ever did taste. Way better than some junky chocolate bar – real whole food chocolate treats! I’ve been eating them 2 at a time because one is never enough.

Raw cacao powder has loads of antioxidants and because it’s raw, you get all the goodness of active enzymes. If you can’t find raw cacao (really try though, it’s so good!) then regular cocoa powder will do. Cacao butter can be hard to find too, and it’s pricey, but it lends such a silky smoothness to the chocolate and stays more firm at room temp compared to coconut oil. You can still replace all the cacao butter with coconut oil and have a supremely delicious treat. Don’t fret, it will all work out… we’re making chocolate after all!

Decadent, indulgent, I-ate-one-at-breakfast-and-don’t-feel-bad-about-it chocolate. Bring it on.

+ Erin
P 04/25/2012
t Blog, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Ccacao butter, coconut oil, nuts, raw cacao
9 2 Comments

Cleanse Day 7 – Chocolate Green Smoothie and Baked Green Falafel with Baba Ganoush

Trying new things in the kitchen is half exciting, half scary. You never know how it’s going to turn out. There are no guarantees.

Those kitchen failures can be devastating. We’ve all been there. Tossing a meal in the trash because it’s downright inedible. Disappointing times.

Sometimes cooking feels more like alchemy than cooking. Combining ingredients in hopes of coming up with gold… and never quite being able to make it happen.

BUT! Stay confident! Stay hopeful!

Get back in the kitchen and experiment. See what tasty places your inspiration will take you when you have the courage to wing it. You’ll develop a keen sense of kitchen intuition (kintuition?) and the rewards are well worth it!

I’ve never made falafel OR baba ganoush, but I can attest to the yum-factor of both. Perhaps it’s foolish to try two new recipes for dinner when you’re already hungry and you have a sprained ankle that makes getting around the kitchen challenging… but I’m up for a challenge (and also slightly foolish).

Thankfully it turned out great! Baking the falafel is a healthier option, and you still end up with a crispy exterior and soft centre. All the herbs give it such a fresh zing of flavour, and using sprouted chickpeas and then wrapping it in cabbage leaves?! Mega delicious. Mega healthy. Mega crunch factor. Top with creamy eggplant-tahini Baba Ganoush. DROOL.

Rewind! First things first, I started the day with a CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE. To recreate this delicious breakfast treat, blend up a handful of greens (I used romaine – spinach is great too), a cored pear, 2 tbsp hemp hearts, 1 mega-heaping-might-as-well-call-it-2 tbsps raw cacao powder, 1 tsp maca powder, 2-3 drops stevia, and 2 cups almond milk. How can this be breakfast? Just trust me.