So, if you’ve read the About section , you will see that I have a sweet tooth. I just like a little something delicious to nibble on when I’m having a cuppa. How to have something that fits the bill (i.e., tasty but not loaded with processed sugar) was a mystery to me until last year.
Just over a year ago, I went to a raw food workshop run by the wonderful Renee from Ki Flow Healing. In a strange and random turn of events I stumbled upon her website (well not entirely random I suppose – we did go to school together many years ago! But we hadn’t been in contact for a long time, so it was random that I found her website). Jumping out at me was a notice about the workshop, just before it was about to take place. Renee and I don’t live in the same city, or even the same country, but it happened that she was going to be in my neck of the woods! So I signed up, went along and – boom! – the food she made blew my mind. I bought her ebook and, despite the fact that I have become somewhat obsessed with books about raw and plant-based food in the last year, it is still my favourite! In it she makes a raw chocolate brownie based on dates, nuts and cacao powder – I had never thought about making anything like this before. That chocolate brownie became a staple in our household but, like all recipes, it has morphed many times. This is my favourite variation. Thanks so much for the inspiration Renee!
Chocolate Berry Super Fudge
1 cup mixed almonds and hazelnuts, soaked in water overnight, drained and rinsed (discard soaking water)
1 cup dates, soaked and drained – fresh medjool dates are best but dried dates work fine once they’ve been soaked
1/2 cup cocoa or cacao powder
1 tablespoon maca powder
1 tablespoon acai powder or freeze-dried raspberry powder
1 tablespoon LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond) powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Real maple syrup to taste (the amount needed depends on the sweetness of the dates)
Place first eight ingredients in a food processor and blitz until they resemble biscuit crumbs.
Gradually add the coconut oil until it binds together.
Taste – try not to eat it all! – and adjust sweetness with maple syrup.
Line a slice tray with greaseproof paper and press the mixture in firmly with a spoon – this will fill about half the tray.
Place in fridge to set.
Make double the mixture if you want to make a full tray. It’s pretty intense , so I cut it into small pieces (about 16 serves).
Can be frozen. Keeps in the fridge 4-5 days.
Notes:
You can make it without the LSA, maca powder and the acai powder and it’s still delicious, but just not so “super”!
Don’t be put off by the superfoods – which are pricey – it’s still fabulous without them. But if you want to investigate them, LSA is available in large supermarkets and cacao, acai and maca can be sourced online or at specialty health food or whole food stores (I buy most of my products from Taste Nature).
When I first started this plant-based food adventure, I thought to myself “I’ll eat more fruit and veg but I won’t be buying any of those new-fangled superfood powders”. Well now I do buy certain ones – they add intense flavours that are quite unique, and they all reputedly have numerous health benefits (e.g., cacao is unrefined cocoa and is highly-concentrated in antioxidants; maca provides energy and fights fatigue without being too stimulating). They are so concentrated that you only use tiny amounts in most recipes. I bought a bag of maca powder a year ago and I’m still using it – even though I seem to include it in recipes all the time. Maybe it regenerates overnight in the container – which really would be a super-power!
The first time I made this, and gave my six-year-old son a piece to try, he said “This is the BEST THING I have ever eaten! You need to make this all time. You need to make a whole lot of this and send it all around the world!” So now I can tell him I have. You’re going to have to make it yourself, but at least you have the recipe!
nibl on this 