Chocolate Is Healthy

Not only was this raw vegan chocolate pie a hit at a dinner party, but it even passed the five year old kid taste test.  Impressive!

ireallylikefood shared this fabulous recipe for a chocolate pie made with a mixed nut crust and filled with a pudding-like chocolate mixture that included avocados, cocoa powder, and shredded coconut.  Garnished with fresh fruit, the raw chocolate pie mixture could also work as a delicious cake frosting.

Check out the link below for the full recipe and a step-by-step process with pictures, of how to make this fabulous vegan chocolate pie.

Chocolate Filling for Raw Vegan Chocolate Pie Recipe by ireallylikefood.

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados (stay with me here, the outcome is truly delicious!)
• 1/2 cup of agave (1/2 cup maple syrup)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2  Tbsp tahini (aka: sesame butter)  (cold pressed coconut butter I had none)
• (3/4 cup raw carob powder I skipped this because I don’t like it)
• 4 Tbsp organic cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional… I added this because i had no coconut butter)
• berries of choice

Directions:

1. Cut your avocados in half

2. Pit your avocados and scoop out the flesh into your food processor along with the vanilla, tahini, shredded coconut and agave. Blend away (a blender also works for this)

3.  Once it is nicely blended add in your cocoa powder and blend.

4. Fill in your pie crust and top with berries

Recipe: “Raw” Chocolate Pie | ireallylikefood.

As you may know, cacao itself is not sweet.  When chocolate is made, it’s the sugar that provides cacao with its sweetness.

In the 15th century, the spice trade brought precious goods like cardamom, pepper, mace, cloves and cacao to Europe from around the World.  Chefs began to integrate these prized ingredients into their cooking. (sometimes in unappealing amounts).  With its nuanced characteristics, cacao became a key element in Italian savory dishes  from pasta to meats that are still enjoyed in Italian regional cooking today.

“In Tuscany, chocolate is a key ingredient with venison and wild boar,” says Remo Vannini, executive chef of Florence’s L’Incontro at Hotel Savoy. “Like wine, vinegar or lemon juice, chocolate provides just the right touch of acidity. We Italians add a hint of chocolate to many sauces. Chocolate acts not only as an emulsifier, adding natural thickness to sauces, but also enhances the other flavors. It is wonderful with game meats, but lovely, too, with chicken and beef.”

As is Italian tradition, let chocolate spice up dinner – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

This lovely recipe by Patricia Biesen for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars is free of dairy, wheat, eggs, soy and peanuts and would be a hit at any vegan or non-vegan Thanksgiving celebration.  It’s just as easy to make as any homemade brownie recipe and we love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups garbanzo bean flour

1 TBS pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup of coconut oil (walnut or canola oil works well too)

1 ¼ sugar

1 TBS flax seed meal

3 TBS water

2 TBS vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 12-oz bag of vegan (dairy-free) chocolate chips

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9 x 13″ pan with foil and leave an overhang of foil on the sides.

In one big bowl whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In an even bigger bowl, mix oil and sugar, then add the vanilla, water, flax seed and pumpkin puree. Add in the flour mixture and chips.

Spread evenly in your lined pan. Bake until sides are slightly golden. Approximately, 40 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. You want to see if you can pull a clean toothpick from the center.

Cool in pan completely and lift using the overhang of foil. Cut and serve.

Photos and more after the jump!

Thanksgiving, holiday, chocolate, vegan, chocolate, lactose intolerant, pumpkin – Chicago Eats Allergy-Free.

You’ve probably come across various ways to consume raw chocolate. Most common are cacao nibs and raw chocolate bars. But have you tried raw chocolate powder?

Many people aren’t quite sure what to do with raw chocolate powder but it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient. It’s made from raw chocolate, and because of this, it doesn’t contain high levels of caffeine you find in processed chocolate powder. It’s typically vegan-friendly and organic, and a great source of minerals such as magnesium, copper, and calcium.  It’s also rich in antioxidants.

Raw chocolate powder should have a rich, smooth effect on any recipe. You can mix raw chocolate powder into smoothies, yogurt or ice cream. Use it to make a raw chocolate (or non-raw chocolate) cake, or raw chocolate bars
or truffles.

Look for raw chocolate powder made with premium cacao beans and grown with sustainable farming methods. You can buy raw chocolate powder in 1lb and 5lb bags at your local health food grocery store, or check out
Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Powder at this online health food sellers.

Cacao Web shares a list of wonderful savory dishes incorporating cacao, including this delicious mole recipe.   As you may know, chocolate in its pure, unsweetened form is used in many dishes throughout Mexico.   It gives depth and body to sauces and is often enlivened by hot chiles and other herbs and spices, particularly in mole sauces.

Here’s their recipe for authentic chicken with mole negro that is much like the one we learned during our cooking class in Mexico. Check out Cacao Web’s other recipes for chile con carne and more after the jump.

Chicken with Mole Negro from Cacaoweb

Ingredients

3 tablespoons corn oil
8 whole chicken legs with thighs attached
4 dried pasilla chilies, chopped
4 dried ancho chilies, chopped
4 dried mulato chilies, chopped
1 can (14 oz / 400 g) tomatoes or 3 large, fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup (2.4 dl) chicken broth
4 tablespoons raisins
4 tablespoons peanuts, shelled and skinned
1 corn tortilla
½ teaspoon anise seeds or ¼ teaspoon ground
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 oz (60 g) bittersweet chocolate

3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Cook the chicken legs until tender.
2. Roast the chilies, transfer to a bowl and add hot chicken broth. Soak until tender.
3. Roast onion, garlic and peanuts.
4. In a blender mix tomatoes, chilies, onion, garlic, raisins, peanuts, tortilla, chicken broth, salt and spices, and puree on high speed.
5. Heat the sauce, add chocolate and mix well when the chocolate has melted.
6. Add more salt or spices as needed.
7. Cook the chicken legs in the sauce at low heat until cooked through while stirring, approximately 30 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice and a salad.

Savory Dishes (with fish or meat) with Chocolate (recipe collection) including Chili con Carne, Mole Negro and Salmon.