Instant, dairy-free, raw cacao mousse with chia!

I just had to share this quick one! An instant and nutritious, rich chocolate dessert fix . .  . if you're thinking of reaching for some chocolate you must make this instead! So easy and soooo great!! I get to enjoy this dessert all to myself tonight . . .I promise I won't eat the whole lot :) . . but I'm sure it will be a hit with my girls too. The ground chia goes to work to provide instant thickening power for this recipe, owing to the gelation properties of the soluble fibre contained within the seeds which is released immediately on grinding. 

ingredients
4 tbsp (50g) chia seeds
1 can organic coconut milk (choose one which is additive free & avoid low-fat)
5-6 fresh dates, pitted
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 drops liquid stevia (or to taste)
4 ice cubes 

method
1. Add chia seeds to the TM bowl and grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds into a fine powder.

2. Add remaining ingredients and blend on speed 9 for 30 seconds or until smooth, with the MC lid in place. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. . . and there you have it! Guilt-free, rich, chocolate-y deliciousness! 


Serves 2-4 depending on your appetite :)

This chocolate dessert will even keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. It retains it's mousse-like texture very nicely :) 




variation ideas

• add a few drops of orange or peppermint essential oil for a choc-orange or choc-mint flavour
• grind some hazelnuts with the chia for a 'Baci' inspired flavour
• add 1 tbsp of a superfood powder blend for an antioxidant boost
• if you have a sweet tooth add a couple more dates or another drop of liquid stevia :)
• don't try flaxseeds in place of chia for this recipe, they have a stronger taste

nutrition tid bits
There's nothing better than the feeling you get from satisfying that chocolate craving, whilst fueling your body with a nutrient dense treat! This dessert is packed full of nutrition from chia and raw cacao in particular, which combined provide you with a high-quality dose of omega-3 fats, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, protein and a range of beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants. 

You'll also notice how just one small bowl of this dessert fills you up very nicely :) This is the fibre in chia working to absorb liquid and gel up, not only in your bowl of chocolate goodness, but also in your stomach. Of course, the fibre in chia also helps with your digestion and even slows the conversion of carbohydrates to glucose, reducing blood sugar spikes. All in all, there are many reasons to treat yourself with this dessert every night :) Why not? I say. 

no thermomix?
If you don't own a Thermomix, you'll need a coffee grinder to grind up the chia seeds and a good blender to do the rest :)

source: unfortunately I can't take full credit for this amazing recipe . . . Erin from Earth Energy Yoga is the miracle worker. I have simply made a couple of tweaks and adapted it for the Thermomix. Thank you Erin! Thank you also to the lovely Thermo Bel for sharing this recipe with us on her Facebook page. 

Spelt English muffins

I've been meaning to try my hand at making English muffins for ages. My family loves them, but I choose to avoid the supermarket variety here in Hong Kong, because they are made from all white flour. . . and I just don't do white! When in Australia, I do enjoy wholegrain English muffins, but I'm not sure I'll bother ever again, as you would expect, they just don't compare to a version made in the thermomix :)

The following recipe is based on this one from The Opies Family Food blog, with a couple of changes. My version uses wholemeal spelt flour and added mixed seeds for better nutrition, plus I have sprinkled the muffins with ground millet instead of cornmeal. You can make your muffins ahead of time, and pop them in a ziplock bag ready to toast for breakfast the next day. Or you can go as far as making up the mixture, allow it to prove overnight, and cook your muffins fresh the next morning. They also freeze very well, just split and pack into a ziplock bag ready to enjoy another day.

Spelt English muffins

ingredients
30g whole millet
240g full-cream milk
50g butter
25g raw caster sugar
2 tsp yeast
240 filtered water
375g white spelt flour (or plain flour)
375g wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup mixed seeds/ wholegrains (e.g. chia, flaxseeds, millet, steel cut oats) optional
1 tsp Himalayan salt

method
1. Add millet to the TM bowl and grind for 10-15 seconds on speed 9. Decant into bowl and set aside.

2. Add the milk and butter to the TM bowl and heat for 3-4 minutes at 90°C on speed 1 until the butter is melted. Add the sugar and mix to combine for 5 seconds on speed 3. Decant into a small jug or bowl and allow to cool.

3. Place the water in the TM bowl and heat to 50°C for 1 minute 30 seconds on speed 1. Sprinkle yeast over the water (take care to avoid the blade) and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

4. Add the milk and butter mixture to the yeast mixture in the TM bowl together with 375g of the flour. Mix for 15 seconds at speed 6 until smooth with the MC cup in place. Add the salt and the remaining flour. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 4. Set the dial to closed lid and knead for 3 minutes. Leave in the bowl with the lid on, until doubled in size. The dough will expand to fill the TM bowl - it will overflow through the hole in the lid if you leave it too long :)

5. Use your fist to punch down the dough and remove onto a thermomat. Roll out to approximately half an inch thick. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Sprinkle a sheet of baking paper (or the thermomat) with the millet meal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops with more millet meal, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

6. Grease a large non-stick frypan with a little butter and preheat on low.  Cook muffins for 5 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and turn over, cook for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through. I have a gas cooktop and used the lowest setting possible. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

7. To serve: use a sharp knife to score the muffin around it's middle and carefully split open by hand. Toast and top with your favourite spread, such as butter, honey or jam. They are gorgeous with lemon butter. Or serve with your favourite egg breakfast.

toasted muffins waiting to be topped!

I'll be trying my hand at a spiced fruit version next yum! I'll keep you posted :)

For more breakfast ideas see Thermomix does breakfast


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Quick choc-mint fix treat balls

My girls requested these non-stop over our recent trip home to Australia in the July 2012 school holidays. They are a variation of my original treat balls. Great if you don't have raw cacao beans or nibs on hand. Stick to the basic recipe or mix up to your preference. If you don't have the seeds just add more nuts. 

ingredients

20g flaxseeds (linseeds) or chia

80g raw walnuts (or a mix of your fave nuts)

100g fresh dates, pitted

100g mixed dried fruit (e.g. blueberries, sultanas, prunes, cherries, goji or more dates)

4 tbsp raw cacao

5 drops 100% pure peppermint essential oil 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
pinch salt

method

1. Add seeds and nuts to the TM bowl and grind into a fine powder on speed 9 for about 20-30 seconds.

2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix on speed 8 for about 30 seconds until the mixture comes together well and is able to be shaped into balls. If the mixture is a little dry which will depend on the ingredient combination you use, simply mix a little longer to release more oils from the nuts and seeds, or you may need to add a little coconut oil.

3. Shape into approximately 15 balls. Roll in desiccated coconut or enjoy as is. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, if they last that long! 

For more healthy treat ball recipes click here. 

UPDATE (March 2013): For an adults only version, grind a couple of coffee beans with the nuts & seeds for a coffee flavour. I discovered this flavour sensation after grinding some coffee beans first and leaving remnants of the powder in the TM bowl before making this recipe without peppermint oil (+ vanilla) . .  you could always add a little liquor as a flavouring option too :)

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Green superfood balls

I am very excited to hear that we have a new organic health food shop opening in Discovery Bay very soon called Just Green. I just happened to be google-ing organic produce in Hong Kong when I came across this information . . . this may not be news for some DBers, but I have been out of town for most of the Summer :)  I was in the city recently, and popped into their Wan Chai store to check it out. What a gold mine of organic goodies! I was very pleased to find just about everything on the shelves that I have been sourcing in Australia to make my recipes. Plus they sell dehydrators . . ooh how I'd love one of those one day!

So, I walked out of the shop with quite a few goodies under my arm, including some organic dried spirulina, (I take spirulina in tablet form, but I have never used this superfood in cooking). I say 'cooking' but of course you should always use spirulina raw to preserve its nutritional status. I was thinking about grinding up a scoop of it to add to fresh blended juice smoothies for my girls, but I couldn't resist trying it out in a green superfood treat ball :) Here goes . . . .

Green superfood balls
Each ball provides 1g of spirulina (1-5g per day has been associated with significant health benefits and many people take up to 10g daily). I couldn't resist adding raw cacao (also a superfood), which does tone down the green colour of the ball and adds a mild chocolate flavour. Of course, this is only an obligatory addition in my household :) 

Enjoy 2 balls per day for a wonderful energising, appetite-suppressing, nutrient fix! 
Try to buy certified organic ingredients where possible. 

ingredients

30g raw pistachios (shelled), for coating
30g desiccated coconut, for coating 

20g dried spirulina pieces (or powder)

20g organic chia seeds
100g fresh coconut 

75g almonds + 75g walnuts (preferably activated)

150g fresh medjool dates

50g organic dried goji berries 

1-2 tsp vanilla bean paste 
20g organic raw cacao powder (optional)

method

1. Add raw pistachios to the TM bowl and pulse on Turbo 2-3 times. Add desiccated coconut and combine for a few seconds on reverse, speed 3. Set aside in a shallow bowl for coating the balls later.

2. Add spirulina pieces and chia seeds to the TM bowl and grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds. Set aside in separate bowl to the coating ingredients (above).

3. Grate fresh coconut on speed 9 for 10 seconds, set aside with ground spirulina and chia.

4. Add almonds, walnuts and goji berries to the TM bowl and grind on speed 7 for 20 seconds. If you'd like some chunky pieces of nuts in your balls, pulse a portion rather than grind them all.

5. Return the coconut, chia and spirulina to the TM bowl together with the fresh dates, vanilla and raw cacao (optional). Mix on speed 8 for 30 seconds or until the mixture comes together well and is able to be squished and rolled into balls.

6. Roll mixture into small balls. I find it easy to scoop a plastic tbsp up the side of the TM bowl then finish rounding the ball by hand. Coat your superfood balls in a mixture of finely chopped pistachios and desiccated coconut. Makes about 20 balls. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

nutrition tid bits

'Superfood' seems to be the latest buzz word in nutrition these days, and is used to identify any nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being. All of the ingredients in this recipe make this renowned list.

Spirulina, is an edible blue-green algae which could in fact be the most nutritious food known. Widely referred to as a 'powerhouse of nutrition', well over 400 scientific studies have proven it's worth. Spirulina is about 60% complete protein, a good source of the healthy omega fats, the highest known source of B12 and betacarotene (precursor to vitamin A), plus it comprises a huge variety of other vital vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, (NaturalNews). I like to buy spirulina as pure sun-dried pieces and grind it into a powder myself, using my Thermomix of course! Spirulina should be kept in an airtight glass jar in the fridge. You can crunch on this green superfood as a snack, add it to salads or in powder form, add it to freshly prepared blended juices or smoothies (as mentioned above), but if all that sounds a little too adventurous, it does go well in these balls I promise :) 

nutrition per ball

protein 3.2g

carbs 4.4g

total fat 8g

saturated fat 2.2g

dietary fibre 1g

kilojoules 403

calories 96

Extra coconut meat from your freshly opened mature coconut, can be used in your CADA breakfast. It will keep for up to 4 days (grated or in pieces) in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze fresh coconut for up to 6 months. 

For more raw treat ball recipes click here.
Find out why and how I use chia in my recipes here.

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