Lesson 1: Recipes for module 5 Copy Copy

Raw Chocolate

Basic Tempering to achieve Beta crystals, Melt to 48 Degrees , cool to 28 degrees, then reheat to 31degrees. Or Melt in dehydrator at 115 Degrees F for about 1 hour until nearly all melted , then add remaining ingredients and stir until all cacao is melted, place back into dehydrator for 5 minutes then pour into moulds and place in refrigerator or freezer .

* There are 6 different crystal formations in cacao, in order to create a chocolate that has shelf life, will not melt at room temperature and in your hand but will melt in you mouth it is vital to encourage small crystals called beta crystals, these crystals have the highest melting point, this can be achieved by proper tempering. This process gives you a shiny chocolate that is crisp which gives a nice snap when you bite it or break it similar to that of commercial shop bought chocolate.*

Basic recipe:

100g Cacao Paste if melting or (100 g of cacao beans or nibs if stone grinding )

5g organic fine ground liquorice powder

Pinch of Salt

1 Vanilla bean scraped

*Liquid Sweetner*– This is a big question when making chocolate , date paste will not work with chocolate as it contains water, water will split chocolate and destroy it unless water and chocolate are at similar temperature which is how we make the ganache. This is why many choose to use agave or coconut nectar, I find both of these very high on the glycemic index, they both spike the blood sugar very quickly , you also need to use alot of it in the chocolate to have desired effect which is why all chocolate made with these sweetners is at least 25g per 100g in sugar this is classified as a high sugar product. For me real raw chocolate used for medicinal purposes should remain very bitter and should have a maximum of 5g per 100g of sugar or even better zero sugar(liquorice root powder or monk fruit powder). When using another sugar such as coconut sugar , it makes the chocolate very grainy and it is also just too similar to normal sugar , again when using it , you need alot for desired affect and end up with chocolate higher than 25g per 100g. This poses a real dilemma about which sweetner to use. Powdered liquoirce root is a fantastic alternative if you enjoy liquorice and will work really well to keep chocolate bitter and medicinal. Powdered stevia is an option but it does not add any flavour and adds a bad after taste so it certainly would not be used to make a world class cacao product. Xylitol is a low glycemic sugar alcohol , it is a synthetic sugar and tastes very synthetic and so again it does not have a place in a gourmet raw gourmet chocolate. two other sugars often used are organic honey which is not vegan or organic maple syrup or butter which is not raw. Mapbe butter is simply where the syrup has been heated and cooled and whisked agressively to form a butter which is delightful. Many raw chocolate bars are marketed as raw even when using non raw butter simply because raw chocolate means only that the cacao beans have not been roasted , all cacao beans are fermented before roasting and the fermentation generally reaches temperatures of above 50 degrees which is outside the temperatures usualy associated with raw but in this case raw chocolate means unroasted, when left unroasted you have a live fermented product , without the fermentation , the cacao beans would be inedible.

For Stone grinding chocolate which is what we call bean to bar chocolate then you can purchase a home stone grinder , it works amazing for raw stone ground chocolate and raw stone ground nut & seed butters. The Premier 2 litre tilting stone grinder is perfect (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Premier-Litres-Tilting-Stone-Grinder/dp/B006QKSP50). When making raw chocolate using the stone grinder you will also need to use a hair dryer to keep the cacao nibs warm until they grind into a paste, this just takes a couple of minutes. This method is alot more effort than just melting the preprocessed cacao paste but there is a world of difference in the quality and the taste .

For added texture *add before fully cooled and solid*

Course salt

Lavender Flowers

Cacao nibs

To make White chocolate

Leave out the cacao paste, use cacao butter instead

Add coconut flour to melted Butter to achieve correct consistency, then cool.

To add additional Flavors

Add essential oils such as lavender, orange, peppermint or rose.

You can also add a small teaspoon of chilli, maca, mesquite, lucuma, Spirulina or cinnamon.

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Super Healthy Cheesecake

Most raw foodists use cashew nuts to make cheesecake which ofcourse works very well because of the fat content in cashew nuts when blended it sets very well and it mimics diary very well and so it is used to make milk and cream and cheese cakes. However at Plant Based Academy we do not use or encourage to use of cashew nuts because it is the most toxic nut and needs alot of processing after picking from the cashew fruit and they are very fatening making desserts very heavy and rich and not so healthy. There are much healthier alternatives which are more refined. The other problem is from a culinary point of view, if you were to use cashews for a raw vegan menu , it is likely they would end up in almost all dishes, this is not refined or healthy and so at Plant Based Academy we teach to use much healthier alternatives such as sunflower seeds in many recipes. For cheesecake making there are also two surprising alternatives which are slow cooked buckwheat or parsnips. When using other nuts for cheesecakes or parfaits etc due to the lower fat content they will not set so well and so in order to make them set you will need to add butters such as coconut butter and cacao butter , to make this work you then need to also add an emulsifier . Again this makes the dessert very rich and heavy and not refined and healthy.

Fruits of the Forrest Cheescake

For the cheesecake filling – These measurements are for a small individual cheesecake ring ( stainless steel xtra deep ring), you can adjust recipe to make large cheesecake using a cake tin. The image below shows this recipe.

150g of slow cooked buckwheat or (1.5 parsnip grated )

50g of organic frozen mixed berries

5 dates or 20g of date paste

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder or 1 scrapped vanilla pod

*optional 1 tablesppon of chia seeds (for a stiffer mixture)*

Blend all ingredient in a high speed blender until very stiff and creamy, almost resembling the mixture of beating egg whites when making meringues. If needed you can add a very small amount of water or berry juice to help mixture turn in blender but be very careful not to make mixture too soft and runny as this mixture will not set properly.

*Buckwheat groats 50og when soaked become 1000g when slow cooked becomes around 2000g*

For the Base:

There are many variations of a base for the cheesecake, the one I like most is similar to the cookie recipe. a general base is blended soaked nuts or seeds with dates or figs with some salt and vanilla using a food processor. this is nice but is also a much heavier base than my favourite one using flour intead of the full nut or seed. I like to use a good herbal tea instead of water or coconut butter to bring the mixture together. this adds great medicinal qualities to the cake but also a great deep taste . Using a flour is a great way to make a nice crumble texture but it also gives a great lightness. you can make flour from any nut, seed or grain by soaking , dehydrating and then grinding. I like to use the oat flour for this recipe. Another fantastic addition to the base recipe to add to the flour is using a butter such as sunflower butter that you can make with your stone grinder or you can buy raw organic nut and seed butters. With the sweetness from the sunflower butter, no extra sweetner is required.

30 gram of oat flour

10 gram of sunflower butter

1 tablespoon of herbal tea of choice ( I use Liquorice, Medicinal Mushroom, Nettle, FoTi root & Dang Gui)

5 grams maca powder

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder or 1/2 scrapped vanilla pod

You can adjust recipe to make the base mixture more wet or dry, then press into the cheesecake ring that has been rubbed with some oil just so the cheesecake can come our easily after setting.

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Chocolate Chaga Donuts:

Blend the Following Ingredients and shape and dehydrate:

Coconut meat, activated oats, date paste, figs, tocotrienols, licorice powder, activated sesame seeds, activated chia seeds, cacao, alkaline water, pink salt, psyllium husk, cacao butter, vanilla, chaga powder, cinnamon, activated quinoa, raspberries, turmeric

Strawberry Rose Geranium Bar:

Blend the Following Ingredients and shape and dehydrate:

Strawberries, dates, licorice powder, dried coconut, coconut meat, activated oats, lemon juice, psyllium husk, vanilla powder, rose oil

Raw Ice cream

1 cup of Pecan nuts or macadamia Nuts

5 Dates

Pinch of Salt

1 Vanilla bean scraped

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until thick and creamy, place into an ice cream maker.

Alternative recipe:

Make berry Yogurt and add this to ice cream maker for a rich, tart creamy ice cream with dept.

Berry Yogurt

2 cups of mixed berries such as raspberries, strawberries and black berries

1 cup of soaked brazil nuts/almons or seeds

5 dates optional

Blend all ingredients until smooth, place in container and ass 2 teaspoons of probiotic powder. (https://psychosocialsomatic.com/product/ultimate-probiotic/)

Leave overnight to ferment, then add pinch of salt, 1 vanilla bean scraped and ½ cup of melted coconut butter. Blend all and place into ice cream maker.

Coconut Cream:

100 g Desiccated coconut or coconut flakes

1 litre Water ( for soaking and blending)

10 Brazil nuts

Dates or date paste

1 scraped Vanilla bean

Pinch Sea salt

Soak Coconut for at least 24 hours, 48 hours even better, keep covered with water as the coconut will absorb some water. Blend the coconut with Water and press through a strainer to keep as much coconut fiber as possible so a nut milk bag will not work as it will remove too much fibre. Then add all other ingredients and blend to a creamy coconut cream similar to that of double dairy cream,

Variations: add organic whiskey to make a liquir, add melted coconut butter and melted cacao butter to use this as a pie topping or add more brazil nuts to thicken it up, add maca and add to an ice cream machine to make a nice creamy ice cream.

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Warm Raw Apple Crumble (Fruit Crumble)

For the apple:

Apples + pears or other fruit optional

Small amount of Water ( added slowly) just to turn fruit into a puree

Pinch of salt

pinch of Nutmeg optional

pinch of Cinnamon optional

Instructions: Blend all ingredients together using pulse as to give more texture.

For the crumble:

Nut, seed or oat flour ( Sunflower or Oat Groat I like best)

Liquorice powder

Hemp oil or Flax oil or olive oil or medicinal tea

Add other spices as optional such as saffron, nutmeg, cinnamon etc

Instructions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl, slowly add oil or tea and using the rub in method, massage the ingredients , until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then sprinkle on top of the apple and dehydrate for 6 – 24 hours depending on texture you would like.

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Raw Carrot Cake

For the carrot cake:

Carrots ( Juice & Pulp)

Milled Sunflower Seeds ( Sunflower Seed Flour)

Pinch of salt

pinch of Nutmeg optional

Milled Flax Seeds

Milled Walnut Flour & Walnut pieces

Instructions: Juice cleaned carrots with skin removed, collect juice and pulp. In a bowl mix all ingredients. For a different cake like texture you can blend all ingredients in a blender. When blended by hand or with blender add to your cake tin or chef’s ring mould and allow to set.

For the frosting on top:

Aquafaba or Coconut Yogurt or Coconut Cream

Instructions: For this you can use a coconut yogurt or coconut cream or a flavoured aquafaba frosting. Aquafaba is simply made by beating with “egg beaters” which are specialised whisks for making meringues, the cooking water from chickpeas, this will set like a meringue, you can add any flavour you like into this such as a sweetener and even some yogurt. For this raw light refined carrot cake, I like to top it off with some coconut yogurt and grate some orange peel and nut meg on top. For the coconut cream option, you can simply add melted coconut oil to coconut milk and it will set into a cream, you can add vanilla to this also.

Apple Pie

Crust :

Coconut Flour

Nut, seed or oat flour

Date Paste

Salt

Vanilla

Water

Process all ingredients in a food process until in comes together like a dough, press it into your dish and dehydrate for 12 hours.

Apple filling:

5 apples Apples

1/4 cup Water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of Nutmeg

Pinch of Cinnamon

1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil or chia seeds to help Pie to set (Optional)

Blend all ingredients and place on top of the dehydrated crust .Place in the fridge and serve with coconut cream or icecream.

Chocolate Chip cookies

Dry Ingredients

60g ( ⅓ cup ) lucuma
75g ( ½ cup ) oat flour ( or nut flours)
30g ( ¼ cup ) mesquite
5g (1 tbsp ) cinnamon
2g (1 tsp ) vanilla powder
⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

85g (¼ cup ) Date Paste
20g (2 tbsp ) water
60g (¼ cup ) cacao butter, melted

30g (2 tbsp ) cacao nibs or cacao paste, chopped

Method

In a food processor, blend the dry ingredients to combine. Add the wt ingredients and pulse just to bring together. You can either add your nibs or chopped paste /chocolate bar and pulse the mix again to combine, or you can add them in by hand in a mixing bowl. then simply form them into a cookie shape by hand or using a cookie mould. If shaping by hand keep your hands moist so that the cookies to not stick to your hands and you can make the shape, set them into the fridge to set for 2 hours and eat straight from the fridge or Pop them onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dry for 2-4 hours just to crisp the outside.

Tart Recipes:

Tart Crust or base: * this call also be used as a base to a power ball or bar, simply adding more superfoods to it such as maca, Spirulina, carob etc will make lovely healthy power bars. Shape them as you desire. To put them into a tray and then cut them into desired shapes you will need to add more melted cacao butter and melted coconut butter so they will solidify and be easy to cut and shape.*

Any nut or seed Soaked and dehydrated or replace with nut / seed butter

Pinch salt

1 scraped vanilla bean

Dates or date paste or figs or soaked apricots

Melted Coconut butter

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor and place into a cake tin that has been greased with coconut oil* if the nuts or seeds are not dehydrated you can still use them it will make a wetter texture that you can then dehydrate as a tart crust or leave it as a wetter , heavier tart base.**Optional (cacao powder, carob powder, Chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, orange zest or orange essential oil , Maca Raisons, goji berries, Be adventurous and play full out, it is desserts!) * *Nuts and seeds that work best (Pecans, pumpkins, brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds) *

Tart filling or custard:* this is like a thick nut milk such as a nut milk blended with nuts, butters, sweetners and flours to get a thick custard consistency that can be tuned into ice cream or used to top off pies and tarts)*

Brail nuts ( or hazel nuts or almonds or cocont)

Water

Dates or date paste

Irish moss Paste ( optional)

1 scraped vanilla bean

Pinch of salt

Melted Coconut oil

Lecithin

Blend all ingredients together in a blender until thick and smooth. Pour onto crust or base and leave in fridge to set. These cakes can also be stored in freezer and eating from the freezer. Optional *(Chia, Cacao nibs, cacao powder, lemon juice, frozen berries, cinnamon, lavender flowers, essential oils such as orange and lavender,)

Raw Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

For the fudge base: 2 cups/ 224g raw organic almonds/brazil nuts/macadamia/walnuts, 2 cups/ 240g unsweetened organic shredded coconut, 5 soft medjool dates or 20g fine liquorice powder, 1 cup/ 100g raw organic cacao powder, Pinch of fine sea salt

For the ganache:5 organic dates or 20g date paste or 20g fine liquorice powder, 1/4 cup/60g extra virgin unrefined coconut oil, 1/2 cup/50g raw organic cacao powder, Pinch of fine sea salt, ¼ cup/30g of raw cacao nibs

Instructions

Make the fudge base:

Place nuts in the bowl of food processor and grind until very finely ground (be careful to not over process the nuts into butter)
Add the shredded coconut and process until well combined and fine in texture. Add the pitted dates and process until a soft paste forms. Add the cacao powder process again.
Finally add the pinch of salt and process to combine until a creamy texture is achieved scraping down the sides as needed.
Press firmly into a parchment lined square or rectangular pan or mold.
Place in fridge while making the ganache topping.

Make the ganache topping:

In the food processor, blend together the dates, date paste or liquorice root powder and coconut oil until well combined.
Add in cacao powder and a pinch of salt and process until smooth scraping down the sides as needed.
Pour over fudge base and spread out evenly over the top. Sprinkle with cacao nibs and return pan to fridge to set and firm for at least one hour.
Cut into squares and serve the fudge cold. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Other Fudge Recipe:

100g cacao butter melted

100g coconut butter melted

pinch of salt

teaspoon of vanilla powder

tablespoon of maca

10 dates or 20g liquorice root powder

20g of carob powder or cacao powder if desired

Blend all ingredients and place into a dish with a baking sheet and freeze until fudge has set.

Chocolate & Nut Cupcakes

Makes 6 Cupcakes
125g ( ¾ cup ) buckwheat – soaked 1 hour and sprouted 10-12 hours
50g ( ¼ cup ) Nut or Seed butter
250g ( 2 cups sliced) courgette, peeled and chopped
50g ( ¼ cup ) water
50g ( ½ cup ) cacao powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
200g ( ½ cup ) Date paste
45g ( ¼ cup ) cold pressed oil – hazelnut, sesame and walnut work well

35g ( ½ cup ) psyllium husk
60g ( ½ cup ) Tahini or almonds

100g ( ¾ cup ) almonds ground
25g ( 2 tbsp ) coconut flour

Method

In a high speed blender combine the first set of ingredients and blend on high until smooth.
Add the second set of ingredients ( psyllium and nuts or tahini ) and pulse in the blender just to break the nuts down a bit and incorporate the psyllium.
In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds and coconut flour with your hands.
Add the contents of the blender to the mixing bowl with the flours and mix well with your hands to combine.
Allow the mix to sit 2 minutes, during this time it will firm up as the psyllium and coconut flour absorb moisture.
Dampen your hands and the silicone muffin cups.
Roll the dough into small balls, enough to over fill the muffin cups just a bit to get that risen look. Wet your hands and shape the dough as needed to look nice.
Repeat until all dough is used.
Dry for 4-6 hours at 115f, remove from muffin cups and place onto a mesh sheet to dehydrate a further 6 hours.

Nut Butter Frosting

50g ( ¼ cup ) Nut or seed butter
15g ( 1 tbsp ) lemon juice
100g ( ¼ – ⅓ cup ) water
50g ( ¼ cup ) Date Paste
½ tsp vanilla powder or extract
½ tsp tamari or sea salt
70g ( ⅓ cup ) coconut oil, soft or melted
30g ( 2 tbsp ) cacao butter, melted

Method

Process all ingredients in blender until very smooth.
This mixture should be smooth and silky.
Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge or freezer to set, about 1-4 hours.
Bring the frosting to room temp before using or warm/melt ¼ of it and whisk it through the rest of the frosting. This will give you a better consistency for piping.

Salted Caramel

35g ( 2 tbsp + 2 tsp ) cacao butter, melted
40g ( 2 tbsp ) Nut or Seed butter
15g ( 1 tbsp ) lucuma powder
15g ( 1 tbsp ) mesquite powder
35g ( ¼ cup ) Date Paste
1 tsp tamari
½ tsp sea salt

35g ( ¼ cup ) warm water

Method

In a blender, combine the first set of ingredients on low-med speed.
With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the warm water and watch it emulsify.
Transfer the caramel to a container or bowl and use right away or set in the fridge.
Once ready to use, gently melt over a double boiler, whisking all the while so it doesn’t overheat and split.

To serve / assemble

caramel sauce
Shaved chocolate
Sea salt flakes
frosting – set
Piping bag with desired tip

Method

Allow the cupcakes to come to room temp before frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt when it touches the surface.
Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes using whatever tip you desire.
Spoon over some caramel sauce and then sprinkle with shaved chocolate, and flaked sea salt.
They are best served fresh, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Passionfruit Tartlet

Chocolate Crust

Makes 6 Tartlets

60g ( ½ cup tightly packed ) ground almonds
70g ( ¾ cup ) tigernut, oat or almond flour
60g ( ½ cup ) cacao powder
100g Date Paste
50g ( scant ¼ cup ) cacao butter, melted
30g ( 2 tbsp ) water, as needed to bind

Method

In a food processor, blend the first set of ingredient to combine well.
Add the second set of ingredients and pulse to mix. The mix should come together, but not be so moist that it forms into a ball in the machine.
Line the tart tins with cling film, or use a greaseproof paper, and press the crust into the base, bringing it up the sides. Dampen your fingers as needed to smooth it out and keep it from sticking to your hands as you work it into the shell. Don’t over moisten your hands and dampen the crust too much.
Pop in the freezer while you make the filling.
If you prefer a dry, crisp shell, dehydrate them for 3 – 6 hours at 115f.

Passionfruit Custard

Makes 6 Mini Tartlets

300g ( 1 ½ cups ) coconut meat, pat dry
200g slow cooked buckwheat
150g ( ½ cup ) Date paste
200ml ( 2 ½ cups ) passionfruit juice
4 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp turmeric powder ( optional for colour )
Pinch salt

75g ( ⅓ cup ) coconut oil, melted
50g ( ¼ cup ) cacao butter, melted

Method

Blend all ingredients until smooth in a high speed blender. Use tamper if needed to keep it moving.
Pour into the prepared crusts and set in the freezer for 20 mins or until firm to the touch in the centre of the tart.
Serve with fresh passionfruit and shaved chocolate.

Oat Flour

Soak oat groats for 6 hours
Dehydrate for 8 hours
Grind into a flour using a spice grinder

This flour can be used for any of the recipes above requiring a flour and works very well in cookies

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