PHAT, FIGHTIN, SUPERFOOD RAW CHOCOLATE

Start with a base of coconut oil and cacao, and add from there. A good basic recipe is about ½ cup coconut oil to 2 TBS of cacao. Mix and place in fridge, or freezer if in a hurry!

Can be poured into any type of container to set, though I usually put it in ice cube trays (as an attempt at portion control).

For my superfood chocolate I did:

½ cup melted coconut oil

1 heaped teaspoon of each of the following:

• ·      maca powder
• ·      mesquite powder
• ·      raw cacao
• ·      almond butter (any nut butter would work, it gives a nice fudgey texture)

I also added in a small teaspoon of spirulina, for some extra nutrients.

Other optional extras: stevia powder or liquid or maple syrup to sweeten, vanilla powder or vanilla essence, peppermint essence, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, dried blueberries or goji...the combos are endless! 

Warning: do not consume at bedtime - this stuff has serious energy boosting powers!

Very Yummy V Day Dinner

Not ones to celebrate V day (having set the bar incredibly low on our first year in which we exchanged cards hastily created on Microsoft Publisher and printed on recycled paper), and being on a tight mortgage induced budget, we opted for dinner at home this year. I'll spare you any other details of the evening and talk about the food...
Entree: Petuna Ocean Trout Salad

This was a throw together of things in the fridge. Ocean trout on a bed of rocket and spinach with cherry tomatoes and roasted spicy pepitas. I love the Petuna brand, it has a lovely smooth texture and is not overly salty tasting like other smoked fish. 

I made a salsa verde style sauce that I used on both the salad and on the beet ravioli. I threw into my trusty food processor a couple of garlic cloves, a handful of mixed fresh herbs (basil, flat leaf parsley and chives), and whizzed together with olive oil and water to achieve the right consistency.

Raw beetroot 'ravioli'
I got the idea for this recipe from the amazing vegetarian blog My New Roots. Instead of stuffing the ravioli with pine nut pesto, I made a garlic chive ricotta.
For the beetroot ravioli: peel and slice beetroot thinly. Use a cookie cutter to cut the beetroot into heart shapes (or any other desired shape). Soak the slices in olive oil, lemon juice and salt for an hour or more.
For the ricotta filling, I whizzed about 600g ricotta with a handful of chopped chives and a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast flakes to give it a cheesy texture.
To assemble the ravioli, lay one slice of beetroot on the plate, top with a spoonful of ricotta and place another beetroot slice on top to sandwich together. Serve drizzled with the salsa verde.

Dessert: Choc avocado mousse
This is a variation on my previous choc-avocado mousse post, and inspired by a recipe of Sarah Wilson's from her I Quit Sugar program.
2 ripe avocados
1 Tbs chia seeds
1/3 cup coconut cream
2 Tbs cacao powder
sprint of cinnamon
1 tsp Natvia
sprinkle of sea salt
I think this is supposed to serve 4-6 peeps (oops). Process all ingredients in the food processor or other mixer. Spoon into cups and place in fridge to set.
I served it with cut strawberries, coconut chips, grated dark chocolate, and lots of love!

Enjoy!