Christmas Chocolate Truffle Treat
[24-Dec-11] This is an amazingly simple but tasty chocolate treat – that also counts to your 5-A-Day (and is completely gluten-free)! Most are astonished tasting this and then finding that all it takes is 3 main ingredients (plus some additional spices depending on taste, and some ‘healthy’ decoration) – the main one being – Sweet potato! To have it ready for Christmas day as an additional desert for after dinner or served with coffee or tea – make it the day before and keep in the fridge overnight (it is better served cold). Enjoy a healthy chocolate treat!
Ingredients
750g Sweet potatoes (washed, scrubbed, slightly peeled, cut into chunks)
300g Dark chocolate (e.g. 2x 150g Green and Black’s Cooking chocolate, 72%; OR: 2x 100g 70% chocolate plus 1x Green & Black’s Maya Gold)
200g Dairy butter or coconut butter (add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)
Optional/ Additional
Depending on the sweetness of the potatoes and chosen chocolate, you don’t have to add any additional sugar. If you however prefer it sweeter you could add 1 Tbs of Manuka Honey or 1-1.5 Tbs of Xylitol (birch sugar, available from the health shop).
Christmas Spices: 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of Allspice, 1/4 tsp of natural almond essence, 1/2 tsp or orange essence
Alcoholic Option: 2-3 Tbs of rum or 1/2 cup of previously rum-soaked raisins
For Decoration: Pumpkin seeds, Hazelnuts, and desiccated Coconut
How to do it
1. Steam the potatoes for roughly 15 minutes and leave to cool
2. In the meantime get the chocolate into a bain-marie (just break it all up into small chunks into a bowl, placed into a saucepan with boiling water so that the hot water only touches the bowl, stir occasionally)
3. Add the butter in pieces to the chocolate so it all melts (takes about 15-25 minutes)
4. Puree the sweet potatoes (in blender) and add the melted butter and chocolate. Add all other spices. If using rum-raisins add at the end and fold into the mix.
5. Use a baking sheet to line and oil (coconut oil) a square brownie dish (or any dish about 3-4 cm high) and spread out the mix evenly.
6. Decorate half with pumpkin seeds, some hazelnuts and the other half with coconut – or as preferred.
7. Chill in the fridge over night.
8. Next day cut into small chunks (about 3cm and finger width) served one its own or optionally with some plain yoghurt and red berries.
9. ENJOY!
Have a very Christmas and a very happy, healthy, successful, exciting and prosperous New Year 2012!!
Recipe of the month: Cauliflower & Stilton Soup
[28-Nov-11] Enjoy a winter warming soup with a edge! As a starter or main – its a delicious and nourishing meal that is tasty as well as healthy with its anti-inflammatory properties.
Ingredients: 2 medium white onions, 4-6 garlic cloves, 2 medium carrots, 2 medium potatoes, 1 small parsnip, 1 large (or 2 small to medium) cauliflower, 2 Tbs bouillion powder or stock cubes, 6-8 strips of anchovies, 1/2 Stilton or blue cheese, 2 tsp of tumeric, 1/2 tsp cloves, some nutmeg, black pepper, thyme (fresh or dry). Additionally: some pumpkin seeds and oil, plain yoghurt and nutmeg.
1. Dice the onions and lightly fry in olive oil for 5 minutes then add the garlic (whole)
2. Now add all remaining vegetables, roughly diced, bouillion powder, spices and 1-1.5 ltr of boiling water
3. Gently simmer for about 25-35 minutes
4. Add anchovies, stilton and thyme at the end and stirr
5. With a hand blended whizz to the desidered consistency
6. Serve with some pumkin seed oil and pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds sprinkled over and 1 Tbs of plain yoghurt and some nutmeg grated over
7. Enjoy! 