Posts filed under ‘Dessert’
Raw Cocoa Mint Truffles
My friend Lisha brought me a lovely meal after Emma was born, and frozen inside a little square of tin foil were the most amazing raw truffles. These are so incredibly delicious! Sure to help the biggest chocolate addicts out there. They taste like fudge and you only need one to feel satisfied. Yummmm….here is the recipe!
Raw Vegan Gluten-Free Cocoa Mint Truffles
Adapted from recipe by Meghan Telpner
1 cup raw walnuts, unsoaked
1/2 cup almonds, unsoaked
1/2 tsp salt
15 pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 Tbs maple syrup or honey
2 Tbs water
2 drops peppermint oil (food grade) or peppermint flavoring (use 1/2 t)
1/2 cup extra cocoa powder
- Place the nuts & salt in a food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until finely ground.
- Add the dates, cocoa powder, agave, peppermint and vanilla process until the mixture starts to stick together. Add water as needed & process briefly.
- Using about 1 Tbs of mixture, roll into balls.
- Sprinkle coconut or extra cocoa out onto a plate or cookie sheet and roll balls through, giving them a light dusting.
- Keep refrigerated until serving, or even better- eat them right out of the freezer.
Date Nut Torte
This is a delicious and easy raw dessert…in fact, it was one of the very first raw recipes I made when I discovered the raw lifestyle back in 2005. There are only 4 ingredients, although it tastes so much more complex! Even if you don’t consider yourself “raw”…try this one out. It’s a healthy alternative to cooked/baked goods…and it’s one that you don’t have to tell your kids “no” to when they want a third helping! It’s also a perfect dish to make when you’re introducing someone to raw foods.
Date Nut Torte
“Living on Live Foods”
Alissa Cohen
Base of Torte:
2 cups raisins
2 cups walnuts
Frosting:
1 cup dates, soaked and pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced
For Base:
In a food processor, combine raisins and walnuts and blend until well blended and moist (this will take few minutes and you might see it form into a ball…just make sure the raisins come out fudgey and not grainy). Then, remove mixture from processor and press into a pie plate or dinner plate (about 1 1/2 inches thick).
For Frosting:
In a food processor, combine dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting on top of the torte.
Top with raspberries, strawberries , or blueberries…and if you want to get super fancy, add a sprig of mint in the middle!
Serve at room temperature or chill depending on your preference.
Raw Chocolate Macaroons
When we received our big box ‘o goodies from Sarma, the first thing I tried were the chocolate macaroons. It was love at first bite. I knew I had to try to make them on my own!
Now for all you raw foodies out there who don’t have a dehydrator, this one is for YOU! The original recipe by Sarma calls for them to be dehydrated, but I don’t have a dehydrator either, so I put them on a cutting board, lightly covered it all with foil, and FROZE them. Oh. My. Goodness. It’s like frozen macaroon ice cream yumminess. They are so EASY…and they are a hit with everyone who tried them.
Here ya go:
3 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (I prefer carob’s milder taste)
1 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut butter or oil
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well to combine. You can also use a standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
Using a small ice cream scoop, your hands, or a big tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto dehydrator screens (or a plate/cutting board to freeze). Dehydrate for 12-24 hours at 115 degrees F…until crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
For Blonde Macaroons: Replace the cocoa powder in the recipe with an equal amount of fine almond flour (soak almonds for 6 hours, drain/rinse and dehydrate for 12 hours…pulse almonds in food processor for a fine consistency).
Sweet Little Pleasures
Some of you may think that I eat tofu and greens 24/7…but think again. While I do eat healthier than your average mama…I do have treats now and then. These little sandwich creme cookies are just too delicious to resist. Of course, I did put a little thought into it. They came from the natural food section. They are “natural” in the fact that they have REAL sugar in them instead of high fructose corn syrup. It doesn’t make them any better for me, but it’s a little easier for this ‘ol body to digest.
I call these “church cookies” because they remind me of the cookies the little old ladies used to bring for fellowship time in the tiny lobby of my church growing up. I used to be soooo excited for church to get over so we could finally go have cookies!! I love it when I visit a church that puts out cookies (if there is coffee…that’s even better!). I’m there to feed my soul…but filling my tummy makes me happy too.
Here’s to sweet little pleasures…
Easy Vegan Apple Crisp
Easy Vegan Apple Crisp
5 cups of thinly sliced apples
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon rice/soymilkDirections:
Heat over at 375 degrees. Boil apples in water for 2 minutes to soften them up. Strain and place at the bottom of a square cooking dish. Mix remaining ingredients until you get a flaky texture (if too moist, add a little bit more flour and mix well). Sprinkle over the apples and even out with a spoon. Place dish in oven and cook for 30 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Cookbook: Vegan with a Vengeance
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
For the topping:
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 T brown sugar
¼ t ground cinnamon
1 T canola oil
1 cup chopped walnuts
For the cake:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ t ground cinnamon
¼ t ground allspice
¼ cup canola oil
1 (6 oz. container of vanilla or blueberry soy yogurt)
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 ½ cups plain soy milk
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 350◦ . Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Make the topping:
Sift together or whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle the oil a little at a time and
mix with your fingertips until crumbs form. Add the walnuts and mix.
Make the cake:
Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients in a large owl. In a separate owl, vigorously whisk
together the wet ingredients until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
Fold in the blueberries.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle the topping over it. Bake for 45 minutes, or
until a toothpick comes out clean. Tastes GREAT still warm J
NOTES:
*I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose white. It has all the healthy qualities of
whole wheat without the added heaviness.
*If you use frozen blueberries, wait until right before you fold them in to get them from the freezer.
Enjoy!
Raw Chocolate Pudding
This is a delicious and unique (not the mention healthy!) recipe. It was very simple to make…the only time involved is soaking the dates. Try this straight off the spatula or frozen. There is another version here (it’s a little more gourmet…but Renee is one of my favorite chefs…so I had to mention it!). No photo today…you’ll just have to make it yourself! Yum!
Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People
by Jennifer Cornbleet
Yeld: 1 cup, 2 servings
1/4 c. pitted medjool dates, soaked*
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. mashed avocados (1 1/2 avocados)
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
1/4 c. water
Place the dates, maple syrup, and vanilla in a food processor fitted
with an S blade and process until smooth. Add the avocado and cocoa
powder and process until creamy. Stop occasionally to scrape down
the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the water and
process briefly. Stored in a sealed container, it will keep for
three days in the refrigerator, or two weeks in the freezer. Serve
chilled or at room temp.
FOR DOUBLE BATCH:
Increase amounts to 1/2 c. dates, soaked, 1/2 c. maple syrup, 1 tsp.
vanilla extract, 1/2 c. mashed avos (3 avos). 3/4 c. cocoa powder,
and 1/2 c. water. Yield: 2 cups, 4 servings.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
There is nothing better than thinking you are completely out of groceries…and then discovering that you have exactly enough to make a delicious batch of vegan carob chip cookies! Oooooh!
These are horribly horrible for you…believe me, not everything vegan is healthy. But they are so yummy. Actually, I should give myself some credit for using whole wheat pastry flour, but even that is canceled out by the CUP of margarine! We rarely make cookies though…so this is a definite treat. Taken from one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegan With a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moscowitz.
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, at room temperature (I like Earth Balance Organic)
1 1/4 cup dry sweetener (I use rapadura)
1 T molasses
2 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups vegan carob chips…or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the margarine and sweetener until fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls spaced a little over 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
Happy Foody 