Posts Tagged: chocolate
chocolate and tahini smoothie
As this two kid, two adult, one bedroom scenario plays out before me, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that love grows best in little houses, but lately it feels like perhaps little houses just make you want to flip the freak out. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say we are a sleep-deprived household relying heavily on coffee to get through this difficult stage.
Looking over the list of personal recipes I’ve been working on, it struck me how strongly my current fog has influenced what we eat. I’ve been intentionally keeping things on the healthy side, choosing energizing and immune-boosting ingredients to combat the effects of too few hours of sleep. Almost every item on that list is also fast and easy, with a particularly heavy hand of smoothies. Whether I’m blending up breakfast, lunch, or a snack, I always take a moment to scan the fridge and cupboard for add-ins to increase the nutritional value of my lazy meal. This method produced the superfood tropical smoothie, this chocolate tahini smoothie, and a refreshing green smoothie I’ll be posting soon.
I am equally thankful to coffee and my Vitamix for getting me through the day in good spirits.
Today’s recipe is the most dessert-like of the three but doesn’t leave me with the crash effects of a refined sugar good. This one is date-sweetened with rich coconut milk and nutty tahini. Raw cacao powder, cinnamon, and maca contribute a host of nutrients and give it a sophisticated bitterness and spice. If the amount of fat in the recipe doesn’t work for you or you’re just feeling something a little lighter, replace half the coconut milk with water.
Chocolate and Tahini Smoothie
handful of ice
2/3 c coconut milk
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 Medjool date, pitted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp maca
cacao nibs, to garnish
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve cold, topped with cacao nibs.
Serves 1
cherry chocolate buckwheat porridge
I would really love to be able to hit the pause button right now. A vacation, in the laziest sense. Sleeping in, nothing to do before noon except read and sip a cappuccino. A nap. If I’m feeling particularly rejuvenated, a long walk in the afternoon (preferably with a beach or mountains as background). Well, those things aren’t going to happen before the end of the year, but even pausing to think about them gave me a little serenity.
I’m going to assume your days are as industrious as mine (or that you’re gearing up for a bustling weekend) and get right to the recipe. I love a good buckwheat breakfast, so much so that I have an Amazon subscription for the raw groats. I’ve already told you about the granola and the pancakes, but another application on rotation is buckwheat porridge. This particular combination of cherry and chocolate (once again, pairing heavy hitters with buckwheat’s assertive flavor) borders on dessert, but what keeps this recipe in breakfast territory is a light hand with the maple syrup (I always stop at 2 tablespoons for the 4-serving batch). I also added almond butter, both because it’s a good match with cherry and chocolate and because it makes the pudding, err…porridge, even more satiating.
One more make-ahead breakfast in my repertoire to unclutter the day a bit. Sometimes, I even pause to savor it.
Cherry Chocolate Buckwheat Porridge
2 c raw buckwheat groats
1 1/2 c frozen cherries
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/3 c almond butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2-4 tbsp maple syrup
Cover the buckwheat with water and soak 8 hours or over night. Strain and rinse thoroughly.
Add the buckwheat, cherries, cocoa, almond butter, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add up to 2 more tablespoons maple syrup to reach desired level of sweetness.
Serves 4
mini milk chocolate cakes
I’m late to the mini cake party but I’ve been ogling from this side of the laptop screen, looking but not making until these individual milk chocolate cakes. The recipe itself is a winner, too – The velvety cake and creamy ganache are a reminder that milk chocolate isn’t just for cheap chocolate bars.
Get the mini cake tutorial on Recipe.com, and take a look at some of the tiny desserts that motivated me:
Mini ombre matcha cake with coconut glaze on Two Red Bowls.
Mini lemon sour cream pound cakes with beet glaze on Hummingbird High.
Layered citrus mini cakes on My Name is Yeh.