Chocolate Truffles

Raw & Vegan, of course!
I made these last night and they are delicious! Perfect for Valentine's Day.

Did you know that chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and is good for the heart? Of course if you eat it in it's real and raw form, not in a Hershey type form.. Sweeten it with some agave or maple syrup, add some other heart healthy ingredients and you have, voila...TRUFFLES!!! YUMMY!

½ c. Raw Cacao Butter, melted (found at Health Food Stores and Whole Foods stores in the raw section)

½ c. Raw Cashews

½ c. Raw Agave Nectar (or ¼ c Agave & ¼ c Maple Syrup)

1 c. Raw Cacao Powder (or ½ cup Carob & ½ cup Cacao powder)

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (alcohol-free) or ½ Vanilla Bean seeds

Pinch sea salt (preferably Himalayan Pink or Real Salt Sea Salt)

In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, process cashews, melted cacao butter & Agave until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well mixed and smooth. Chill in freezer for 10-20 minutes. The more chilled the mixture is, the easier it will be to roll into truffles. Once chilled, roll with your hands into balls and then roll into your choice of shredded coconut, raw cacao nibs or raw cacao powder. Store in refrigerator! Enjoy as you wish, these truffles are GUILT FREE and GOOD FOR YOU!!!

Be Creative! Add Goji berries, dried mulberries, mint extract, nuts, whatever you like with chocolate!!!! Experiment!!!

From Karmachow.com

Warm Grapefruit Dessert

Never before have I thought to warm a grapefruit but it's delicious. The cinnamon really helps make it less tart. Grapefruit is at it's peak and right now you can get 10 lbs for $4.99 at Smiths!

1 large grapefruit
1 t cinnamon, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the grapefruit in half through the middle. With a serrated citrus knife, loosen the segments, being careful not to cut through the peel. Place the halves, side by side, with the sections facing up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes, or until warmed through and starting to brown on top. Transfer to serving plates. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 2 servings

(please don't mind my hideous baking sheet. I promise it's clean)

Per serving: 56 calories, 1 g protein, 14 g carbs, trace fat (saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, trace sodium

from The Biggest Loser Cookbook

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cardamom Scented Cookies!

I just made these and they're delicious!

2 c. Spelt Flour 3/4 c. Rolled Oats 1/2 c. chopped Walnuts 1 c. Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 3/4 tsp. Baking soda 1/8 tsp Cinnamon Pinch Ground Cardamom 2/3 c. Agave Nectar 2/3 c. Grapeseed Oil 2 TBL Water or Almond Milk 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Place dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add wet mixture to dry and stir well with wood spoon. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Place by the tablespoon on a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy with a glass of cold Almond or Rice Milk. from Karmachow.com

Pumpkin Pie

 I made this last weekend for a family party. Ryan's whole family loved it.

Makes  8 servings
Your holidays will be complete with this healthful version of traditional pumpkin pie.
¹/₂ cup sugar or other sweetener
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¹/₂ teaspoon ground ginger
¹/₈ teaspoon ground cloves
¹/₂ teaspoon salt
1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
1 tablespoon molasses
1 ¹/₂ cups fortified soy- or rice milk
1 9-inch Fat-Free Pie Crust or commercial pie crust
Preheat oven to 400°F. 
In a large bowl, mix sugar or other sweetener, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Blend in pumpkin, molasses, and non-dairy milk. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes. 
Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 45 minutes. Cool before cutting. 

Fat-Free Pie Crust

Makes 1 9" crust

This crust is slightly sweet and chewy. It is much lower in fat and easier to prepare than traditional crumb crusts.

1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
¹/₄ cup apple juice concentrate 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix cereal and apple juice concentrate and pat into a 9" pie pan. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool before filling. 

Per serving (1/8 of pie with Fat-Free Pie Crust):
182 calories
1.2 g fat
0.3 g saturated fat
6.1% calories from fat
0 mg cholesterol
3.8 g protein
41.3 g carbohydrate
20.1 g sugar
3.8 g fiber
268 mg sodium
86 mg calcium
5.6 mg iron
2.7 mg vitamin C
3690 mcg beta-carotene
1.4 mg vitamin E
Per serving (1/8 of pie with commercial crust)

• Calories: 198
• Fat: 6.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
• Calories from Fat: 27.8%
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Protein: 3.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
• Sugar: 17 g
• Fiber: 2.6 g
• Sodium: 280 mg
• Calcium: 81 mg
• Iron: 2 mg
• Vitamin C: 2.5 mg
• Beta Carotene: 3690 mcg
• Vitamin E: 1.3 mg

Source: Healthy Eating for Life for Children by Amy Lanou, Ph.D.; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

Karmic Raw Apple Pie

I made this pie yesterday and it was a hit. Such a good alternative to regular apple pie.

Crust

2 c.
Almonds, Walnuts or Pecans

1 c.
Dates, pitted & chopped

splash
Coconut Water

1 tsp.
Cinnamon

Filling

5
Apples, Cored & Chopped with skins on into ¼ inch slices (I use a mix of
apples, make sure to include 1 or 2 granny smith to give a tartness to the
mixture)

1 cup
Golden Raisins, soaked in 1 C. water for 4-8 hours (save soaking
water)

1 cup
Raw Cashews, soaked 4 hours

2 TBL.
Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup or to taste

1 tsp.
Cinnamon

1 tsp.
Nutmeg

½ tsp.
Allspice

1 tsp.
Vanilla

dash
Cardamom

1 Tbl.
Lemon Juice

Place cut up apples in a bowl with water to prevent them from turning brown.

Meanwhile, combine crust ingredients into
the bowl of a food processor and process until combined into a sticky ball. If
too thick add a little OJ or coconut water. Press into glass pie
dish.

Place cashews in blender with 1/4 raisin soak water, vanilla, spices and agave.
 Blend until creamy. If too thick, add more raisin water. Pour into
a bowl. Add raisins and stir by hand. Drain apples and pour cashew mixture over
the apples and stir to mix. Once evenly coated, pour into pie crust and chill
for 2 hours or until firm.

Garnish with fresh berries, cinnamon,
grated coconut or sliced almonds!

from Karmachow.com

delicious raw fudge

I made this fudge a few weeks ago and had to give it to everyone to try. You won't believe how rich it is, but all the ingredients are good for you, so it's guilt free! No one could believe it was raw and healthy! You won't be able to have just one piece, promise.




Combine 1 c coconut oil, 1 c agave nectar (or honey or brown rice syrup), 1 c coconut in a food processor. Take a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill it 3/4 full of carob powder, fill the rest with cacao. Blend. Mix in 1 c almonds. Spread mixture in a 9x13 pan. Put it in the freezer for about 1 hour or until it sets. You can keep it in the fridge or freezer and snack whenever you get a sweet craving.

from http://www.naturesknockout.com