Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Quinoa Chocolate Cake Ⓥ

(sorry for terrible iPhone photos)

This recipe is based off a recipe from a friend of mine-- and I probably improvised as much as he did when he first made it, but it turned out so incredibly delicious! 

vegan / gluten free/ refined sugar-free/ healthy

Quinoa Chocolate Cake

1 large ripe avocado

1 cup cacao powder

1 cup date paste (easy to make overnight)

1 can coconut milk (full fat)

2 cups of cooked quinoa (or 1c quinoa + 1c millet)

1/2 cup grated coconut

Stevia to sweeten and/or Agave

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a blender, combine all the ingredients (except the baking soda and powder) and blend until super smooth. Add the baking powder and baking soda and blend until just mixed. Pour batter into a spring form pan or dish and bake for approximately 1 hour--checking with a toothpick to see when it is done. 

Once fully cooked, top with icing of your choice--I made a very simple but delicious raspberry chocolate icing for this one, it complemented very nicely. Recipe below… 

Raspberry Icing:

1/3 cup date paste

1/2 cup Raspberries

1/3 cup Coconut oil, melted

2 Tbsp Cacao powder

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or other sweetener

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour over cake and allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. 

This cake is also fantastic if you grate a chocolate bar onto the top--pure decadence! Soft, moist, melt in your mouth awesomeness! Plus, it's healthy! ;) 

Enjoy!

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♥ Buddha Chocolate ♥

What's funner than starting the new year with health in mind? Not much, I say! No doubt being healthy is on many of our New Year's Resolutions, and that means… no delicious desserts? Well! Not if I have something to say about it. The awesomeness of Raw is that Health is not sacrificed, AND you still get to indulge with yummy deliciousness. So, to start this New Year health kick, I introduce to you: Buddha Chocolate!  

Buddha Chocolates are an amazing Raw Vegan chocolate company that make raw "peanut butter" chocolate cups, but without peanut butter and, as I already mentioned, are actually good for you. 

Raw chocolate was not all created equally, just like chocolate in general was not created equally, and, so, my standards for chocolate mean no dairy, no animal products, no crappy sugars, no gluten, all while not compromising flavour. I have pretty high standards, and I'm glad that I do, because it means after indulging I don't feel awful afterwards, in fact, I feel great!

So, what about this Buddha Chocolate you ask? Well! Buddha Cups are handcrafted in small batches, with care and commitment. They are made from Organic, raw and unprocessed ingredients: Cacao, almonds, coconut palm crystals, mesquite pod, vanilla bean, and himalayan crystal salt. Pure plant foods. Simple! Delicious! Savory sweet almond butter slow-stirred to creamy perfection, coated with dark decadent raw chocolate. 

Why Buddha? 

Buddha means “awakened one.” Keeping the body healthy allows the mind to get quiet. Buddha Cups are our offering to you. In purity and simplicity. “To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” -Buddha

Buddha Chocolates are a unique company because they are smaller scale, and because their name says it all. Their chocolates are made without sacrificing quality or integrity. They also bring meditation into creation, putting focus and intention into every product they make. Energy is such an easy thing to transfer so the thought of these wonderful people actually putting intention into their creations is so wonderful; no wonderful you feel good after eating these delicious treats!  

Slow-stirred. Hand poured. Individually wrapped.

Awesomeness of Buddha Cups:

• Handmade - Each Buddha Cup is made by hand. Hand stirred, hand poured, hand wrapped, hand packed. By continuing this tradition of handcrafting, we maintain the integrity of the process equal to that of the product. Each and every cup is perfectly unique.
• Raw - The raw scene may seem scenie, but the health benefits are real. We keep all of our ingredients in their raw state. They are slow stirred at low temperatures to retain their vital nutrients and deliver your body superior energy and enzymatic absorption. Mother Nature knows her stuff.
• Vegan / Dairy Free - Buddha Cups are Dairy Free and contain no animal products or by-products. No horse meat…for now. We hope each cup brings you a taste of the peace we put into it.
• Fair Trade - Our Arriba Nacional cacao is grown in Ecuador using sustainable & organic farming methods. It is harvested by local farmers who benefit from fair labor practices and a supported local economy. Our cacao is sun dried and stone ground to produce bold flavor and aroma and to retain the dense mineral content for superior health.
• Gluten Free - We are proud to offer a gluten free product for those who need it. Surprisingly, not all chocolates are gluten free. Some treats contain sweetened barley malt, which can agitate those with a gluten sensitivity.
• Soy Free - 91% of soy in the US is genetically modified. Processed soy contains phytates, which prevent the absorption of many vital minerals into the body. Your Buddha Cups are, and will always be, soy free.
• Free of Refined Sugar - The health risks linked to refined sugar are vast. We choose to sweeten with Coconut Palm Crystals, which are derived from the bud of the coconut palm flower. They are rich in the minerals your body craves and have a low glycemic index so your blood sugar doesn’t spike and crash. 

Best of all? These are the best damn chocolate cups I've had! Buddha Chocolate really does bring quality and taste together in this lovely fusion of tantalizing melt-in-your-mouth delicious chocolates. 

So, indulge and feel great about it! Chocolate was meant to be enjoyed with all the wonderful health benefits in tact, so enjoy, and treat yourself with Buddha Chocolates! 

Find Buddha Chocolates:

Website: http://www.buddhachocolate.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuddhaChocolate

Twitter: https://twitter.com/buddhachocolate

Instagram: http://instagram.com/buddhachocolate

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Pumpkin Pie Ⓥ

I can't actually believe that I haven't posted a traditional pumpkin pie recipe yet! I made this last week and posted a photo on instagram and immediately had people requesting the recipe. So, here it is! 

For whatever reason, pumpkin pie mixtures have tended to be runny for me in the past (looking online, I've seen lots of others have this same problem), even when following various recipes perfectly. I've found a few tricks that help, as well as the right cooking times-and allowing the pie to set overnight. So hopefully you, too, will enjoy non-runny pumpkin pie. ;)  I've added some helpful hints and ingredients that will help below.

Anyway, what's more amazing than pumpkin pie this time of year? Nothing, that's what! Enjoy this healthy, easy, delicious recipe for yourself and those you love to share with. ;) 

Pumpkin Pie

Pie Crust:

2 cups Almonds, (or pecans or walnuts)

1/2 cup Dates

Dash of sea salt

Blend the crust ingredients together in a food processor or high speed blender. You want it to be blended enough to hold together, but not so blended that you end up with almond butter. ;) Evenly distribute in the bottom of a lightly oiled pie plate, pressing it down evenly.

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1 16-oz can of Pumpkin Puree (unsweetened)

1/4 cup Tapioca Starch 

1/2 cup Agave (or sweeten to taste with stevia and just add a touch of agave)

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ginger, ground

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cup almond milk or water 

1 tbsp Coconut oil (optional, but highly recommended)

Preheat oven to 425℉.

In a food processor, blender, or even just a large bowl, combine your ingredients until well mixed. 

Pour into your pie crust. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F, and then reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake until filling is set, about 50 minutes--check it frequently so you don't burn the crust.

Let cool and set overnight in the refrigerator. 

The coconut oil helps to solidify the pumpkin mixture once you take it out of the oven and allow it to set overnight, this is why I highly recommend using it. You don't Need it, it will still taste amazing without it, but it just might be a little less firm. 

Top with Coconut Whipped Cream (super easy recipe here) and enjoy! :) 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.