103 replies to this topic

[alternativista]

Super rich French chocolate cake made with prunes. No flour except for prepping the pan, but you should be able to use cocoa powder.

http://www.davidlebo...-recipe-prunes/


Chocolate-Prune Cake
One 9-inch (23 cm) cake, 10 to 12 servings

Feel free to swap out another dried fruit for the prunes (sometimes called “dried plums”), such as figs, cherries, or apricots, although do give the prunes a try they have a wonderful affinity to dark chocolate. You can also use another liquor, such as port, red wine, or bourbon. For those avoiding alcohol, black tea makes a good substitute, especially one that’s flavored with black currants.

For the prunes:
6 ounces (170 g) pitted prunes, diced in small pieces
1/3 cup (80 ml) rum, or another liquor (see headnote)
1 tablespoon sugar

For the cake:
12 ounces (340 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
12 tablespoons (6 ounces, 170 g) unsalted butter, cubed
6 large eggs, separated
large pinch of salt
3 tablespoons sugar

Additional soft butter and flour, or cocoa powder, for preparing the pan


1. Simmer the prunes with the rum and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small saucepan for a few minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until cool.
2. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC).
3. Butter a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan. Dust the inside with flour or cocoa powder, and tap out any excess.
4. In a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the prunes and any liquid left in the pan.
5. Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture.
6. In a separate bowl, or using a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the salt until they begin to hold soft peaks. Continue whipping, adding the 3 tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until the whites hold their shape when you lift the whip.
7. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture thoroughly, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until no streaks of whites are visible. Don’t overfold.
8. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake feels set close to the edges of the pan but the center is still rather soft to the touch and moist-looking. Let cool.

Serving: This cake is very moist, which makes it a bit challenging to get a clean slice out of it. Run a thin knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan and remove the springform mold. Dip the knife in very hot water then wipe the blade dry and use it to slice the cake, dipping the knife in the hot water and wiping it off between each cut.

Storage: This cake can be made up to three days in advance, and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to two months.

[alternativista]

Dairy Free

 

Mexican Chia Coconut Pudding

http://www.mexconnec...-de-chia-y-coco
 
Ridiculously simple to make and fun to eat, this chia coconut puddingcould also be prepared with almond milk.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
In a bowl, combine seeds with coconut milk. Whisk every 5 minutes to prevent clumping. After 30 minutes, stir in the honey or agave nectar. This will have the consistency of tapioca pudding, and can be eaten immediately or refrigerated to serve cold. Makes 1 cup.

 

But try reducing the sweetener.  the coconut might be sweet enough. Or add some raisins. 

 

 

Chia Fruit Gelatin

http://www.mexconnec...frutas-con-chia

 

Chia's natural ability to gel makes it perfect for vegans or anyone else adverse to using commercial gelatins made with animal hooves. Use any kind of fruit juice, including those that aren't available in packaged gelatin powder flavors, like pomegranate and cranberry. This chia fruit gelatin is not as thick as gels made with commercial gelatin powders, and is good on its own or as a topping for yogurt or pay de queso. Its appearance reminds me of the bubble tea I always get in Chinatown when I visit my sister in New York.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 cup fruit juice (sweetened to taste, if desired)

Mix the seeds with the juice in a bowl, whisking to prevent the seeds from clumping. After a couple of minutes, whisk again.

Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, while the seeds absorb the liquid. Use immediately, or refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup.

[*`*~ABG Fairy~*`*]

This recipe is incredibly delicious!!!  Plus, it'll keep in the fridge for a while.  You could even freeze some if you wanted to.  I recommend visiting the webpage, because there are helpful pictures showing the process of these being made (plus another recipe for a dark chocolate version).  Also, you do not have to use the full cup of sugar.  I used the full cup of honey but only a 1/3 cup of sugar (you could also use coconut crystals, which are low-glycemic, rather than rapadura), and it still came out amazing!!  I bought the cocoa butter on Amazon.  This is pricey to make, but it's also very rich and should last quite a while.  Enjoy!!! 

 

 

Cashew-Almond Raw “Milk Chocolate” Bars

by Angela Leed from The Live Green Smoothie Diet

http://www.live-gree...chocolate-bars/

 

• 1 cup melted raw cacao butter
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw honey
• 1 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 cup rapadura (unprocessed granulated cane sugar)
• 1 cup raw almonds, loosely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon quality natural salt
• 2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons organic almond extract

 

Melt the cacao butter on the stove. Remove as soon as melted. (I approximate the measurement of the cacao butter while it is cold by placing cut up chunks in a measuring container, then I do the final measurement when melted. If you need to melt some more, it’s no problem — it melts quickly but doesn’t solidify quickly.)

 

Blend the cashews and the honey in a food processor or blender (I do it in my Blendtec blender) until smooth.

Measure remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the cashew-honey mixture and mix loosely, then pour in the melted cacao butter and combine well.

 

Press into 13X9X2 pan or dish and place in refrigerator or freezer til firm. Slice into small pieces (it’s rich… obviously) and remove into sealed container. Keep in cool place, such as fridge.

Edited by *`*~ABG Fairy~*`*, 05 May 2013 - 10:38 AM.

[alternativista]

Grain free, no flour brownies

http://fastpaleo.com...chini-brownies/

Nut butter, grated zucchini, chocolate, eggs, spices, honey. I'd prefer a recipe that uses cocoa rater than chocolate, but apparently you don't melt the chocolate, just stir the chunks in to the batter.