Monthly Archives: August 2012

Even more raw and naked chocolates

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Sweet stuff

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Chocolate is the first thing I ever made that was knowingly ‘raw food cooking’ – of course aside from any traditional salads etc, but those obviously don’t count. This recipe comes from my good friend Jen who taught me the wizardry of raw food chocolate in the comfort of her kitchen one cold winters day. It has now become a firm favourite, and I have even wondered off the beaten path and started exploring different flavours (macca and rose water, lavandar, and mint as well as the more traditional fruit and nut bars).

Oh, and a professional mould definitely works wonders bringing a touch of class to your efforts…

Ingredients are a little more involved that usual as some require some melting, but are totally worth the effort:

  • 1/2 cup of cacao butter (expensive but I have found some good discounts online, for example www.oneclickpharmacy.co.uk.)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons of cacao powder
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons carob powder (to save a few pennies)
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (to give a good shine to the chocolate, and melted in the microwave)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of agave nectar
  • Stem crystallised ginger for the filling (optional, and replaceable with nuts, dried fruit etc)

Start by measuring out the cacao butter into a heat proof bowl:

And either melt using a bain marie or in the microwave using a low setting:

Next sieve the cacao powder and carob powder into a bowl:

And then prepare your moulds (plastic lids from take away containers can be used as a cheap substitute to make thin bars which can then be broken up) adding any fillings – in this case the stem ginger:

You then need to work quickly adding the powders to the melted cacao butter, along with the coconut oil and agave nectar:

Mixing well until a dark, rich chocolatey consistency is achieved and no lumps remain:

Immediately pour carefully into the moulds (acting quickly as the chocolate can start to set quite quickly):

Pouring any remaining mixture over some fruit and nuts laid on a plastic lid:

Then place in the fridge until set (about 2 hours or more).

These have a wonderful melt in the mouth texture and won’t last long, but if you are lucky enough for them to stick around, do keep well in the fridge.

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Even More Raw and Naked Green Smoothie

12 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in Smoothies

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I have eaten porridge for breakfast every day for about 10 years. Once I find something that works for me, I go for it and it takes a lot to get me to change my routine – especially in the mornings. However after listening to the Podcast on The Rawtarian about green smoothies I have been trying something different as an experiment. Variety is the spice of life! Oh, how I love living on the edge….

The recipe includes chia seeds. Chia seeds are a superfood craze that is starting to gain momentum in the UK, based on their health benefits including:

“more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon, a wealth of antioxidants and minerals, a complete source of protein and more fibre than flax seed.”

The seeds also feature in the wonderful book Born to Run, as the food that fuels the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico on their bonkers ultra runs through the desert. If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me. I bought mine from health food heaven, Infinity Foods in Brighton, for £2.84 for 250g.

So here goes:

The ingredients have been closely inspired by The Rawtarian’s recipe for a silky green smoothie and substituted for personal preference:

  • 3 clementines – peeled (substituted for 2 oranges)
  • 1 small avocado (substituted for bananas which I am not a big fan of)
  • 1 apple – roughly chopped
  • 1 large handful of baby spinach leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds (as well as being nutritious these also add a nice thickness)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • A large chunk of ginger – skin removed (offered as an alternative to cinnamon)
  • 1 cup of water

This all gets added to the jug of a powerful blender (which is pretty essential to get a nice creamy and moreish texture – something lumpy and grainy just isn’t going to cut it as a replacement for my morning oats).

Start whizzing on low and turn up to high for a good 2 minutes:

After this check that everything is fully blended and that the texture is what you are after. Add more water to get desired consistency:

I personally like it quick thick. Please note that there is a lot of eating / drinking in this, and I have found that it has been pretty filling, and tastes best served in a pretty glass:

In the interests of full disclosure I have to fess up that I haven’t given up my morning latte (soy milk and full caffeine hit). But I never claimed to be perfect…

Pimp That Raw Food Snack – Raw and Naked Pecan Pie

06 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Pimp That Raw Food Snack, Sweet stuff

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Zero-Baking-Required

Naked Bars were the inspiration for this recipe, and also for my entry into the wonderful Maison Cupcake’s Zero Baking required challenge. In a bid to save some packaging and some money I am intrigued to see if I can make a tasty homemade alternative. At the same time the lovely Lucy at @FreckleForest introduced me to the incredible www.pimpthatsnack.com which showcases supersized handmade versions of popular snacks and chocolate bars (and provides the inspiration for the title of this post). While I don’t intend to compete on size, I am interested to see whether I can match taste, and dare I say it, improve on looks 🙂

My first experiment has been inspired by the Naked Pecan Pie bar:

According to the wrapper, this is made from:

  • 52% dates (I started with 2 cups)
  • 28% pecan nuts (I went for 1 cup / 100g)
  • 20% almonds (1 cup / 100g)

I tried making these in 3 different ways:

  1. Whizz everything up together at the same time
  2. Whizz up the nuts first until small and then add dates
  3. Soak the nuts, whizz the nuts up, and then add dates

They were all very respectable in taste and it was really texture that changed. The 1st (throwing everything in) had the most texture with larger pieces of nuts, and the 2nd more refined nuts, and the 3rd the finest and perhaps the closest to the original bar. None of them were as combined as the original Naked Bar – but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in my oh so humble opinion!

The instructions below are for the 3rd option which is the one I prepared to take in to the office for the taste test. [Note] However Option 2 was my preferred texture as it was slightly firmer and didn’t need so long in the fridge. 

Measure out 2 cups of nuts and soak for 6 hours. Add to food processor:

And whizz until fine:

Ending up looking like fine breadcrumbs:

Add 2 cups of dates (equal in volume to the nuts):

And whizz until you end up with a mixture a bit like cookie dough (this was a tough one for my 20 year old processor and I had to stop and push the mixture around a bit to keep things moving):

Then roll into walnut sized balls using your hands:

Finally roll in sesame seeds and place in the fridge for a few hours to firm up:

Although they are certainly not the most beautiful looking things, they are certainly tasty and have replaced my chocolate button habit in recent weeks while I have been experimenting. From a cost saving point of view, they cost between £5 – £6 to make (the nuts are not cheap but can almost certainly be sourced more cheaply – Waitrose is not traditionally known for being thrift friendly).  They made 16 walnut sized balls – my guess is that 2 would be equivalent to the original 35g bar… So no major cost saving but certainly a sense of satisfaction in making them chez moi….

Even More Naked Raw & Spicy Tomato Soup

05 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in Soups

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Gazpacho is a well known summer cold soup and this raw tomato soup is a nice alternative offering a good spicy kick but still retaining a summery smell and intense flavours. I have been having this for lunch nearly everyday as it provides a really satisfying savoury and filling meal. I supplement with a brown pitta, which although not raw is still pretty healthy.

So here are the ingredients:

  • 6 ripe tomatos
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 small clove of garlic (unless you really like garlic / have a cold and you can go for large)
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • a small handful of cashews (they add creaminess)
  • sun dried tomatos – soaked in warm water
  • 5 dates (for sweetness)
  • sprinkle of spice – Hot Paprika or Smoked Paprika or Chili (vary depending on personal taste)
  • 1 cup of water
  • fresh basil leaves for garnish

Roughly chop the above veg and add everything accept the basil to a powerful blender:

And whiz on low and turn up to the highest setting for a good minute (longer if your blender isn’t so powerful):

Until very smooth and creamy:

And then serve with a very healthy portion of shredded basil leaves for a very fresh and summery smell and taste:

Bon Appetit 🙂