Raw Food Recipes

RAW CACAO MOUSSE
Ingredients for the Mousse:

1 oz soaked Irish Moss, ½ cup water
4 cups almond milk,
½ cup date paste,
¾ cup agave nectar,
Royal Himalayan Pink Crystal salt,
vanilla, ¾ cup raw cacao powder
1 cup coconut oil
3 TB lecithin (if available, otherwise increase slightly the Irish Moss, the coconut oil and if you have available fresh coconut meat)

Blend Irish Moss with water until well broken down. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the lecithin and coconut butter. Blend until well incorporated, then add slowly the butter and lecithin. Keep blending until the mixture is totally smooth. Pour into individual cups and set in freezer for about an hour or until the middle feels slightly firm to the touch. Top with your favorite berries (we love cherries or raspberries), cacao nibs or Meringue. This recipe makes about a dozen servings.

Meringue:

1 oz Irish Moss,
½ cup water,
2 cups coconut milk,
½ cup coconut meat,
½ cup soaked cashews,
6 TB agave nectar,
Royal Himalayan Pink Crystal salt,
seeds from 1 Vanilla bean,
¾ cup coconut oil

Blend Irish Moss and water until the moss is broken down well. Add rest of ingredients except the coconut oil, drop the oil at the end into the smooth mixture. Top mousse, or fruits and put about 1 hour into the fridge to get solid.

This Meringue can also be a basic for a savory dish: replace vanilla and agave with chopped fresh herbs, optional lemon juice, optional salt, increase coconut meat and/or cashews to get a cream-cheese like texture.

(The original recipe and more delicious dessert ideas are found in the amazing book “I am Grateful” by Terces Engelhart, this is a slightly changed version)

VANILLA ICE CREAM

2 cups soaked almonds,
3 cups of water,
½ cup coconut oil,
¼ cup soaked Irish Moss
1 cup agave nectar, seeds from 2 vanilla beans or ¼ tsp Vanilla powder,
3 pinches of Royal Himalayan Pink Crystal salt.

Blend almonds and water to milk, strain and keep the pulp for another recipe. Blend 1 cup of almond milk with the Irish Moss until completely smooth. Add all other ingredients, last add coconut oil slowly. Pour into a freezable container and freeze overnight. When ready, scoop and enjoy with fruits, raspberry sauce, raw chocolate sauce or make variations of the ice cream:

1. add ½ cup cacao powder, orange zest and ¼ cup agave nectar for a heavenly chocolate ice cream

2. add ½ cup of minced mint leaves with ¼ cacao nibs after blending

3. add 1 cup of banana or mango pulp, lower the water by ¼ cup

4. add 2 tbsp Maca Powder and replace Agave Nectar with Maple Syrup for a Toffee flavored ice cream

Dark Chocolate Truffles #1

4 tbs. raw cacao butter
3 tbs. agave nectar or yacon syrup or if you’ve ever tried Birch Sirup*
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 Tablespoon of Mesquite powder
pinch of Vanilla powder
pinch of Royal Himalayan Salt
2  Tablespoons of Tocos Plus
2 Tablespoons of any chopped nuts, like almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts
raw cocoa powder (to roll)

Melt the cacao butter in a small bowl. Mix in the cacao powder and all dry ingredients. Add the agave nectar (or syrup) and the chopped nuts at the end. Place mixture to harden in fridge for 5 minutes, you might taste the mix and add sweetener, salt or cacao according to your taste-buds. Once slightly hardened take 2 tsp. of the mixture and roll it up to form a ball or truffle shape. Roll the balls in cacao powder.
(Birch syrup is very soothing in cold weather, warms a little the body, strengthening the lungs and kidneys, good as snack for kids who have picked up a cold at school)

Raw Chocolate Pops

1/2 cup raw cacao butter
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons agave nectar or or favorite sweetener.

Melt cacao butter slowly in a bowl. Add the cacao powder in a blender cup and add the the rest ingredients. Blend everything till smooth.

Transfer the mixture to popsicle molds and freeze for four hours. Enjoy.
(We received this idea from a friend who found it on the internet, wherever it came from, thank you!!!)
***

Raw Chocolate Syrup

You may also use this as a base for a more sophisticated recipe later on:
1 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons cacao butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil, e.v.
4 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon mesquite
1 pinch of vanilla
1 pinch of Royal Himalayan Salt

Mix the cacao powder together with the mesquite, vanilla, salt and then add the agave nectar in a vitamix. Melt the cacao butter. Melt the coconut oil.  Keep the vitamix running on low speed. Add the coconut oil first, then add slowly the cacao butter. Store this chocolate syrup in a glass bottle in the fridge.
You may enjoy the chocolate syrup with fruits, desserts, as a raw cake topping.

These next two delights are created by a wonderful raw food chef: Diana Stobo, www.dianastobo.com

1.) GERMAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES with Coconut Pecan Topping
9-12 brownies

2 cups raw pecans
2 cups raw walnuts
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted and packed
1 cup raw cacao powder (try Divine Organics Ecuadorian Cacao)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (Divine Organics)

Place all nuts in a food processor fitted with an S blade and process until finely ground. Add cacao, vanilla and dates. Continue processing until mixture begins to stic together. do not overprocess. transfer into a 9 x 9 baking pan lined with baking paper. gently and evenly press down to form an inch thick brownie.

COCONUT PECAN TOPPING

2 1/2 cups raw pecans
1 1/2 cups raw coconut flakes
1/2 cup raw agave nectar or raw honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1/2 tablespoon ground vanilla bean (Divine Organics)
1 pinch of Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt

Place all ingredients in a processor fitted with the S blade and pulse a few times until the ingredients stick together but still remain chunky.

Transfer mixture to the top of the brownie and spread firmly and evenly.
The brownies stay fresh in refrigerator, covered for up to 2 weeks; can be frozen for up to 1 month.

2.) CHOCOLATE BRAZIL NUT MILK

1 cup brazil nuts
4 cups water
1/4 cup plus 1 talbespoon agave nectar (DIVINE ORGANICS)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (we used DIVINE ORGANICS Ecuadorian Cacao)
1/2 tablespoon ground vanilla bean (DIVINE ORGANICS)
1 tablespoon lecithin powder (optional)
2 tablespoons raw coconut oil (our choice TASTE OF PARADISES, E.V.raw)
1 pinch of Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt

Blend all the ingredients in the Vitamix for at least one minute until nuts are thoroughly broken down. Place a nut milk bag in a large bowl or pitcher with a wide mouth and pour in the blended nut milk. Strain the milk by firmly squeezing bag until all liquid is extracted. Transfer milk into a pitcher and refrigerate. It will thicken slightly as the coconut oil chills. Stores in refrigerator up to 5 days.