I’m holding onto the last bits of the warm weather and these puddings taste light, tropical and refreshing. The light-coloured agave nectar keeps these a pretty, light yellow and the blended cashews and coconut oil give the mango a creaminess and pudding-like texture without the calories and associated nasties in cream, sugar and gelatine.
MANGO, LIME & COCONUT PUDDINGS
2 MANGOES, PEELED & DICED (RESERVE A FEW CUBES FOR DECORATION) 1/2 CUP CASHEWS, SOAKED IN WATER FOR A FEW HOURS 1/2 TEASPOON LIME ZEST 1 LIME, JUICED 1 TABLESPOON LIGHT AGAVE NECTAR
1 TABLESPOON COCONUT OIL
LIME SLICES & CUBED MANGO PIECES
Strain the water from the cashews. Blend these with the mangoes, lime zest, lime juice and agave nectar in a food processor or blender until smooth. Finally, add the coconut oil in last. I don’t know why, but this seems to give it a smoother texture. Pour into small bowls (I made three), cover and refrigerate for three hours or overnight. Top with a slice of lime and cubed mango before serving.
It’s starting to get colder where I live, but the days are still sunny and besides, I like ice cream year round. And this one doesn’t contain cream, milk, sugar or eggs – it derives its base from hazelnuts which gives it a Baci chocolate meets nutella kind of flavour.
Although not at all raw, the agar-agar (find it in Asian supermarkets – it’s a flavourless gelling agent made from seaweed extracts, common in Asian desserts) helps stop the gelato freezing rock solid when stored in the freezer, if you can resist not eating it all immediately.
STABILIZER (OPTIONAL)
1 TABLESPOON POWDERED AGAR-AGAR (I use Telephone Brand with the cute, gold telephone)
1/2 CUP WATER
Place agar-agar and water in a saucepan. Stir over a very low heat until simmering and thickened into a gooey, gelatinous mixture.
ICE CREAM
1 CUP RAW HAZELNUT BUTTER 1 1/4 CUPS DUTCH PROCESS COCOA POWDER (OR RAW CACAO POWDER) 1/2 CUP DARK AGAVE NECTAR 1.5 CUPS WATER PINCH OF SALT
1/2 TEASPOON MACA (OPTIONAL, I like the caramel-y taste)
Whirl all ingredients in the food processor or blender with the stabilizer, if you’re using it. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes before churning in an ice cream maker.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you could freeze the mixture in ice cube trays and blend these in a food processor, or freeze it into individual portions and just take them out 15 minutes or so before you want to eat them to soften a little.
Whenever I think of truffles, I always think of this scene or this music. Incidentally, I’ve just started doing some work for someone that owns a trufflerie in Pemberton, but this recipe does not involve those kinds of truffles.
No, these truffles do not involve any shuffling, glitches or sniffing dogs, nor do they contain cream, butter or sugar… Only almonds, dates and cocoa. This is probably the raw recipe I make the most. The truffles are best made the day before so they have time to set in the fridge or freezer.
RAW CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
1 CUP ALMONDS 1 CUP DRIED DATES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED 2/3 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR RAW CACAO POWDER 1/3 CUP DESSICATED DRIED COCONUT 1 TABLESPOON ORANGE ZEST
PINCH OF SEA SALT
FOR FINISHING, IN TWO BOWLS
1/3 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR RAW CACAO POWDER
1/3 CUP DESSICATED DRIED COCONUT
Put all the truffle ingredients into your food processor and pulse until combined. As per some of the cake recipe bases, your food processor won’t like this much but once you get it past a certain point and the mixture starts to come together, it won’t seem so violent. You might need to scrape down the sides every so often and add a splash of water to help it along. One the mixture has come together, pulse a few more times to further blitz up the almonds (you can leave a bit of texture in there to your liking) and transfer to a bowl.
Wet your hands with water and roll walnut sized balls from the mixture. Finish by dipping the ball into either the cocoa or the dried coconut and then set aside. When they’re all rolled and dipped, store in the fridge or freezer.
I’ve always liked orange matched with chocolate. This tart is best eaten in small doses, however. It’s fudge-y, heavy, make-you-feel-ill chocolate-y. Hmm, I’m not selling this well but it really is delicious when you’re in the mood for such decadence, especially with some tart fruit like strawberries, raspberries or fresh orange wedges, and is a fantastic introduction to raw desserts for the skeptical. Plus, unlike a normal chocolate tart there’s no animal fats, cream or processed sugar, (just a hell of a lot of coconut oil and agave nectar).
BASE
2 CUPS ALMONDS – FOOD PROCESSED INTO CRUMBS 3/4 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR CACAO POWDER 1 CUP CHOPPED DRIED DATES 1/2 CUP DESSICATED COCONUT
2 TEASPOONS DESSICATED COCONUT FOR DUSTING THE TIN
FILLING
4 CUPS SOAKED RAW CASHEWS 1 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR CACAO POWDER 3/4 CUP COCONUT OIL 3/4 CUP AGAVE NECTAR 1 TABLESPOON ORANGE ZEST 1/3 CUP ORANGE JUICE 1.5 TEASPOONS OF CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON OF SALT
Line the bottom of a springform cake tin with cling film. Dust the bottom of the tin with 2 teaspoons dessicated coconut.
For the base, place all base ingredients in the food processor and process until almost smooth – you want to keep a bit of the almond texture in there. Pat this into the base. You may need to wet your hands slightly to smooth it out. Place it in the freezer until the filling is ready.
For the filling, place all ingredients in the food processor and blend until smooth as possible. Spoon on top of base and smooth the top with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for at least three hours. Dust with sifted cocoa/cacao before serving.
Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits. I love the colour they create in this cake (anthocyanins give blueberries their pretty hue) but apparently they’re also good for improving memory, lowering cholesterol, digestion and circulation – nice. Sometimes I use frozen blueberries because they can get pretty pricey here in Australia. This recipe makes 2 – 3 servings.
CHOCOLATE BASE
1 CUP ALMONDS 1/2 CUP DUTCH PROCESS COCOA OR CACAO POWDER
1/2 CUP DRIED DATES, CHOPPED
FILLING
1.5 CUPS RAW CASHEWS 1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE 1/3 CUP AGAVE NECTAR 1/4 CUP COCONUT OIL
3/4 CUP BLUEBERRIES
EXTRA BLUEBERRIES & AGAVE NECTAR FOR THE TOP
Line the bottom of a springform cake tin with cling film – I used quite a small one with a removable base for this recipe.
For the base, place all base ingredients in the food processor and process until it all comes together. Your food processor won’t like this at first and will make a loud noise as it grinds through the almonds. Persist. You may need to scrape down the sides every so often and add in a splash of water to help it along. Once it’s all come together pat this into the base of the tin and up the sides evenly. You may need to wet your hands with water slightly to smooth it out. Place it in the freezer until the filling is ready.
For the filling, place all ingredients in the food processor except the coconut oil and blend until smooth as possible (mine took around two-three minutes), then add in the coconut oil in a stream until incorporated. Spoon on top of base and smooth the top with the back of the spoon. Refrigerate overnight or place in the freezer for a few hours. When you’re ready to eat it, spoon the extra blueberries onto the top and drizzle with a teaspoon of agave nectar to make it shiny.