Raw Food: Chocolate Mudslide Pie

My two Irish nephew's came to dinner last night for a belated Easter dinner.
So I decided to make the raw food mudslide pie.
You need to plan ahead when you make this as it is a bit of work but boy is it yummy and well worth the effort.
As a complete aside since I have started this blog I have grown a whole new respect for food photographers. Trying to take great photos of food is proving to be quiet a challenge !

There are 4 parts to this pie.

1. THE CHOCOLATE - COCONUT CRUST:1 1/2 cups of coconut flakes
3/4 cup of Almonds
45g of cacao powder
120g of date paste (soak dates for 15 minutes the squash or blend in the food processor into a paste)
1 Tablespoon of liquid vanilla
1/8 Teaspoon of salt

Process in the food processor first the almonds, then add the coconut flakes, salt, cacao powder then add the vanilla and the dates. The final result should be a mixture that holds together with gentle pressure. Use a 10 or 9 inch pie tin with a removable base if possible and gently push the crust into the base and sides of the tin. Then place in the freezer till needed.


2. WHITE CHOCOLATE FILLING:
1 1/4 cups of coconut milk
1 cup of plain soaked cashews (Soak for 5 hours minimum . I always soak the night before making the pie)
6 Tablespoons of raw honey
3 Tablespoons of liquid vanilla
1/8 Teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Lecithin
6 Tablespoons of Cacao Butter (Place butter in a container ie I use a glass jar and place the jar in a bowl of boiling water to melt the butter)

Blend all ingredients except the Cacao Butter until smooth and creamy, then add the Cacao Butter and blend together.
Divide the ingredients equally into two amounts.
One lot of ingredients gets poured into the pie mould and then put back in the freezer for an hour to set.
The other half of the ingredients is used to make the Almond Butter filling.

3. ALMOND BUTTER FILLING
White Chocolate Filling as left over from above
1/2 a cup of Almond Butter

Blend together in your blender and pour on top of the set White Chocolate Filling. Put back in the freezer for an hour to set.

4. CHOCOLATE FILLING
1/3 of a cup of Almond Milk
3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Cacao Powder
2 Tablespoons of Liquid Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Lecithin
2 Tablespoons of Cacao Butter (Place butter in a container ie I use a glass jar and place the jar in a bowl of boiling water to melt the butter)

Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy and pour on top of the set Almond Butter Filling.

Place back in the freezer. Once this has set you can keep in the freezer or the fridge. You need to have it sit out on the bench for half an hour before serving if straight from the freezer and about 10 minutes if straight from the fridge, so that it thaws a little.

This dessert is made with all natural sugars.
Lecithin is a natural setting agent.
Coconut Oil is I believe the best Oil in the world for you to consume, followed by Olive Oil.
Cacao is one of the best Super Foods in the World.

Is this dessert fattening................yes.
But it is one of the healthiest bad desserts you can have.

It was well worth the effort as one of my nephews went back for seconds, and believe me it is rich.

The one thing I love about raw food desserts is you cannot burn them, and believe me I could win awards for the things I have burnt in my time!

Enjoy.

This Moment

[this moment} - A Sunday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

More Hearts

Even on holiday I take my sewing with me. 

At the end of the day after Master O has gone to bed I find it very relaxing

to sit down with a cup of tea (Apple and Rhubarb is my favorite at the moment) 

something sweet to nibble on and my sewing.

In the rush of packing I just threw my sewing basket in the car. 

I had several hearts cut out so I finished them off. 

I went for a garden theme now that Easter is past.

Chocolate Oat Cookies

 Our holiday away from home is over and yesterday joy of joys the new element for my oven was installed.

So late this afternoon Master O and I whipped up a batch of cookies for friends that are coming to visit tomorrow morning. One of the things I love about school holidays is catching up with friends and their children that you don't get to see very often.

On my search to find gluten free, sugar free and dairy free recipes I  came across this recipe. 

 You can use unsweetened carob, or grain sweetened chocolate chips, or do what I did and chop up 2/3 of a bar of  70% Coco or Cacao Chocolate (I chopped it up in the food processor).

You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter. And lastly, the coconut oil works beautifully here, just be sure to warm it a bit - enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats.

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside.

In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a tray lined baking paper.

Bake for 14 minutes

This makes about 36 bite size cookies.

This Moment

[this moment} - A Sunday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Queenstown

School holidays are here at the moment so on Friday the boys and I flew to Queenstown.
Queenstown is down the bottom of the South Island, it is one of the most beautiful ski towns.

Snow is just starting to touch the tips of the mountains. 
The trees are the most amazing autumn colours and the air has that lovely fresh crisp feel to it.

We had a wonderful time lugging, eating out, exploring, and catching up with old friends. 
We have now left Queenstown and have moved to sunny Papamoa for a week. 

Here are a few pic's of Queenstown in Autumn: 

My puffer jacket has gone away and my t-shirts are back out. 

As all my friends know I am a sunshine girl at heart!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Sunday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause savor and remember.