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Raw Chocolate Truffles

One of my all-time favorite desserts is the Lindt Lindor Truffle.   You can read more about my love affair with those here. They are luscious, creamy dreamy little bites of heaven. At the start of 2015 I went on a 10-day raw food cleanse. During the cleanse I got a bad Jones for the truffles. As to not give in and break my cleanse, I had to come up with a viable solution and here it is. Love at first bite. And it’s guilt free indulgence as it contains only good for you ingredients. I make a batch and put them in the freezer (they do not require doing so) and eat just one at a time to exercise discipline. And when I eat it, I slowly savor each tiny bite. So take this post with you to your natural food store, grab the ingredients and whip up a batch. Perhaps you already have these ingredients already in your pantry. Yay for a well stocked pantry. You can even find little raw bites like these for sale in your natural food store but they are way too expensive. Once you have these ingredients in your pantry, you can make these time and again for a fraction of the cost you’d spend buying them in the store. You can also use some of these ingredients to make one of my favorite smoothies.

 

SMOOTHIE: Black Forest Smoothie

 

So without further adieu, onto our little tasty bites of chocolate goodness.

 

RAW CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

 

12-14 medjool dates

¼ heaping cup raw cacao powder + 3 tbsp

½ cup walnuts

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp water

small pinch salt

Shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

Crushed pistachios (optional)

 

In the food processor blend the nuts until they are finely chopped. Do not over blend, as you do not want to make a paste or butter. Next add the dates, ¼ cup cacao powder, vanilla, water and salt. Blend until it forms a smooth sticky mixture. Lightly wet your hands, grab a small amount and roll between your palms to form balls. Then roll the balls in the remaining cacao powder, or coconut, or crushed nuts.

 

Guilt free, chocolate indulgence at its best. Enjoy!

raw chocolate truffles

To read more about the health benefits of raw cacao powder click here.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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Black Forest Smoothie

Dessert for breakfast anyone? Here’s your guilt free way to enjoy dessert for breakfast or anytime. The chocolaty goodness of this smoothie rivals even the most moist, dense, chocolate tall cake (and I love chocolate cake).

 

This rich decadent smoothie not only tastes good but also is good for you. It is chock full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to nourish and fuel your body. The chocolate in the smoothie comes from raw cacao powder, not to be confused with cocoa powder, which is roasted and loses some of its vital nutrient power in the roasting process. Raw cacao powder is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants stabilize and destroy free radicals, pesky little byproducts that form when your body attempts to break down environmental toxins. Antioxidants are also known to reduce inflammation. While you may have heard that green tea was the way to fight these free radical, here’s another weapon to add to your arsenal. Iron, zinc, potassium and manganese too? Then throw in some spinach and chia seeds and this smoothie gets better and better. For more on the benefits of chia seeds, click here.

  

 When cherries are in season, I’ll use fresh but since I just can’t wait, I’m using frozen frozen. And I’ve taken the liberty to use shredded coconut in place of the whipped cream you’d traditionally have with this dessert.

 

Without further ado, presenting my new best friend:   

Black Forest Smoothie

 

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 handful of spinach

1 date pitted

½ cup dark cherries

2 tbsp raw cacao powder

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp chia seeds

½ tsp vanilla extract

a few cubes of ice

 

Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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