In class, Cherie would say she tests her recipes at least five times before letting it out into the world. Well, as far as my Peppermint Paddie recipe is concerned, my limit is three. Maybe four, if you count here.
Peppermint Paddies Coconut Layer 1 cup shredded coconut flakes ½ cup coconut butter (not coconut oil), softened 1 teaspoon alcohol-free peppermint extract a pinch of sea salt Place coconut flakes, butter, extract and sea salt in a high-speed blender. Process until you achieve a paste.
Create approximately 30 small (coin-size) paddies from the mixture. Place the coconut paddies on a parchment-lined baking sheet or tray* and put in the freezer for at 10-15 minutes, or until it hardens a bit.
Liquid Chocolate ½ cup coconut oil, liquefied ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup raw agave nectar
Place cocoa powder in a metal bowl, pour in coconut oil and agave. Whisk the ingredients until well-combined. The chocolate should have a nice sheen to it.**
Gently place a few coconut paddies into the liquid chocolate until well-coated. Return the paddies to the parchment-lined tray. Move to the freezer until chocolate hardens. About 15 minutes.
Notes: *I didn't use parchment paper and the coins stuck to my plate, save yourself from scrubbing, use parchment.
**Here’s a tip if the mixture starts to clump a bit: Place the metal bowl on top of a pot of water on the stove. Use low heat. Continue whisking until you have a smooth texture. It is a bit like tempering except you have to be very careful not to let the liquid chocolate get hot, room temperature warm is fine.
I had the fortune to get my hands on a copy of "Raw for Dessert: Easy Delights for Everyone" and since Valentine's Day is steadily approaching I thought I would take the time to discuss this book.
"Raw for Dessert" is an eclectic collection of sweet and scrumptious recipes from internationally recognized Raw Food Chef and instructor Jennifer Cornbleet.
Cornbleet substitutes customary dessert ingredients such as flour, butter and processed white sugar, with ground nuts, coconut oil and dates and other healthy alternatives to create sweet treats that are bursting with flavor. She demonstrates that baking isn’t necessary to create the sophisticated Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee, comforting Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting or festive Pumpkin Pie.
Covering the full spectrum of desserts from cakes and cookies, to pies, candy and creamy desserts, "Raw for Dessert" starts off with the “Basics” chapter featuring recipes, which delicious in their own right, are predominately used as the building blocks of Cornbleet’s other creations. All of the desserts are a breeze to construct and require no more time than it takes the Coffee Ice Cream to freeze. Yes, that’s right, coffee. Not all the ingredients are raw. Cornbleet is forthcoming with the use of non-raw items and provides a detailed ingredient list at the beginning of the book.
Ideal for foodies, raw or not, with a mad sweet tooth, "Raw for Dessert" offers up a slew of tips, suggestions and recipes. Whether you are in the mood for cool and refreshing, like the Grapefruit Granita or leaning more to the exotic with the Indian dessert Kheer, this book will not disappoint.
It was hard to choose a recipe to try for this review, everything reads so delectable. I finally decided on this candy. My eldest daughter, Jordan, is deathly allergic to most nuts and I was pleasantly surprised that this chocolate indulgence was nut-free. She happily ate the lot of them. Dark Chocolate Truffles 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted 4 pitted Medjool dates ½ cup maple syrup or dark agave syrup 1 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder 1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
Combine the coconut oil and dates in a small bowl and soak for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the maple syrup, ¾ cup of the cocoa powder, and all of the salt and process until very smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
The Daily Raw Note:
Now it‘s just about this point where you might be tempted to eat the dish as is. You know who you are. To be honest, who could blame you? It is rich and gooey and luxurious as all chocolate concoctions should be, but, please refrain from eating it. If you must get your chocolate fix, lick the blender cup. Believe me, the truffles are worth the wait. Place the remaining ¼ cup cocoa powder in a small bowl and set aside.
Scoop out a heaping ½ teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. Pull it off the measuring spoon with your fingers and lightly roll it into a ball between your palms. Dip and roll the truffle in the cocoa powder, then place it on a plate or in a paper candy cup. Repeat with the remainder of the chocolate mixture. Chill the finished truffles in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Stored in sealed container in the refrigerator, Chocolate Truffles will keep for a 1 week.
VARIATIONSCoconut Truffles: Dip and roll each truffle in unsweetened shredded dried coconut instead of cocoa powder.
Curry Truffles: Dip and roll each truffle in curry powder instead of cocoa powder.
Mexican Chocolate Truffles: Add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a generous pinch of cayenne to the chocolate mixture in the blender. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder. (The Daily Raw Café Note: I added a bit of cayenne pepper to the cocoa powder.)
You know what? I can't have all the fun. Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, I want to offer one (1) lucky winner a copy of Jennifer Cornbleet’s “Raw for Dessert.”
All you have to do is answer the following question in this post's comment section.
“What are your Valentine’s Day plans?”
The contest will end Monday night, February 8th @ 11:59 pm. IS CLOSED I'll enter all who answered the question into a drawing and announce the winner on the Daily Raw Café, Tuesday, February 9th.
*Please note: this contest is only open to people living in the United States and Canada.
I would like to thank Anne at Raw Yogi Journal II for today's post. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have thought of raw cupcakes.
We've never corresponded or been formally introduced (Hi Anne, I'm Teri) but I enjoy reading her blog. The first time I read it, she had a post on cupcakes. She set a project for herself to find a way to make raw cupcakes that looked as pretty as the ones she had posted but didn't use nuts (which I understand why). Even though I have a lot of recipes utilizing nuts, I don't eat them much on a day-to-day basis.
In my recipes I try to use the bare minimum of nuts without sacrificing the dish. I enjoy using nuts, they give you so many options of creating raw food. As I was preparing the cupcakes, I was humored by the fact that I used walnuts to make a meatloaf and now I'm making cupcakes. I thought that was kind of funny. And those same walnuts can be used to create nut milk, flour, bread, a quick snack the list could go on and on and I'm only limited by my imagination. Anne, I tried to avoid the nut issue but I think by making the cupcakes miniatures you can achieve the best of both worlds. And plus they're so darn cute. ;) Recipe Notes: 1 To save time, I went to a juice bar to get my beet juice (I was thirsty) but, you can grate a small piece of beet and extract the juice from that.
2 The photo for the chocolate icing is not represented.
3 You can adjust the amount of agave nectar used in the coconut icing from 1/2 to 1/4 cup depending on how sweet you like your icing. 4 I put liquid chlorophyll in my coconut water everyday so I have it on hand. You should be able to find it in any health food store.
1 cup walnuts, unsoaked 5 Medjool dates, unsoaked, pitted 1/8 cup raw or unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon coconut oil, liquid form 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract ¼ teaspoon sea salt
COCONUT ICING 1 cup coconut pulp 2 tablespoons coconut oil ½ cup agave nectar ¼ cup coconut water ½ teaspoon vanilla extract dash of sea salt
PINK ICING 1 tablespoon coconut icing ¼ teaspoon beet juice
LIGHT GREEN ICING 1 tablespoon coconut icing ¼ teaspoon liquid chlorophyll CHOCOLATE ICING 1 tablespoon coconut icing ½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon maple syrup ¼ tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes, for garnish
1 Puree coconut pulp, coconut oil, agave nectar and coconut water in the blender until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract and sea salt.
2 In three small bowls, place 1 tablespoon each of the coconut icing.
3 In the first bowl add the beet juice and mix until the icing turns pink. In the second bowl, add the chlorophyll to the icing and mix until the icing turn light green. In the third bowl, add the cocoa powder and maple syrup to the icing, stir until it turns a dark brown.
4 Pour the remaining coconut icing in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place all the icing in the freezer while you make the cupcakes.
5 Process walnut and dates in a food processor until mixture sticks together. Add sea salt, vanilla extract and almond extract.
6 Roll small eight balls out of the mixture and place each one in 1 ¼-inch baking cups. Mold the sides of the baking cups around the balls and form into a cupcake shape.
Like the cooked version, this lasagna is all about the layers.
Lasagna noodles 2 large zucchini, peeled Pinch of sea salt
Cut the zucchini crosswise in half. Use a vegetable peeler and thinly slice each half of zucchini lengthwise. Place zucchini noodles on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside.
Marinated Mushroom and Yellow Peppers 3 cups sliced mushrooms 1 yellow pepper, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon raw agave nectar ½ teaspoon Italian seasonings ½ teaspoon sea salt
Toss mushrooms and yellow pepper with olive oil, agave nectar, Italian seasonings and sea salt. Let marinate for 2 hours.
Chunky Marinara Sauce 2 ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 1 hour to soften, reserve soaking water 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded, roughly chopped 4 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour to soften 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ onion, roughly chopped 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon pepper
Combine dates Roma tomatoes, garlic, onion, Italian seasonings and olive oil in a blender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, using soaking water to get the blender going. Puree until you reach a chunky consistency. Add sea salt and pepper.
Creamy Spinach Ricotta 2 cups fresh spinach 1 cup pine nuts, soaked for 1 hour Juice of one lemon 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon sea salt
In a blender, grate the spinach until it’s reduced to small pieces. Add pine nuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and sea salt. If needed, gradually add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to create a slightly creamy texture.
To assemble: In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, layer 1/3 of the zucchini noodles, 1/3 of the marinara sauce, 1/3 of the marinated mushroom and yellow peppers and 1/3 of the creamy spinach ricotta. Repeat layers until noodles are gone. Top with marinara sauce. Serves 6.
