Ani's Raw Food Essentials - Ani Phyo [83]
1 cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed at room temperature until liquid
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 to 4 tablespoons filtered water, as needed
In a food processor, process the hazelnuts until they have formed a butter, scraping down the sides and mixing those nuts with the butter that forms at the bottom. Next, add the agave syrup and coconut oil and process to mix well. Add the cacao powder and as much water as needed to create your desired consistency.
Will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Can also be frozen for a few weeks. Defrost back into a syrup consistency before using.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE
MAKES 1 CUP
A delicious sauce that’s supersimple to make. Just place agave syrup and cacao powder in a small blender, and add a splash of olive oil to add body. Blend and eat right away. If using a larger blender, you may want to double this batch so it blends better. It keeps for a couple of weeks anyway, so it’s a good idea to keep some on hand.
You can substitute maple syrup for the agave, if you prefer. Maple is darker in color than agave, but the chocolate powder will hide that. Choose Grade B maple syrup; it’s less processed and contains more minerals.
This is similar to the chocolate sauce in Ani’s Raw Food Desserts, but I’m including this variation here because I can never have too much chocolate sauce for topping cakes, pies, ice-kream sundaes, and cookies.
½ cup cacao powder
¾ cup agave syrup
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy.
Will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Use Chocolate Fudge Sauce (page 282) to make a sundae by topping your favorite ice kream, and drizzle over slices of cake or cookies before serving.
COOKIES
Inspired by cookbooks that make 101 cookies starting from just one base recipe, I decided to also start from one base recipe created using just four ingredients. From there, you can add whatever you happen to have on hand in your pantry, to create endless combinations of cookie flavors.
BASIC COOKIE DOUGH
MAKES ABOUT 16 COOKIES
Almond meal is sweetened with your choice of syrup and a pinch of salt. Add fillings and flavorings to make a variety of cookies. It doesn’t get much easier than this.
2½ cups almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup agave, maple, or rice syrup
¼ cup filtered water
1½ to 2 cups of your favorite fillings, such as dried fruit, cacao nibs,
chocolate chips, or chopped nuts
Mix the almond meal with the salt. Add the syrup and water; mix well. Add your favorite flavorings and fillings.
Use a 2-tablespoon scooper to portion the dough directly onto the mesh screen of your 14-inch-square Excalibur Dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 104°F for 4 to 6 hours, or to your desired consistency.
NOTE: You can buy finely ground almond meal. To make your own, just process almonds into a powder in your food processor or grinder.
GOJI BERRY-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES
Splashes of beautiful red goji berries and dark chocolate chips make these my all-time favorite cookies. I like to use organic dark chocolate chips, which are hard to find sugar-free. I figure in this one instance, the joy these cookies bring me offsets any negative effects of a tiny bit of sugar. For a completely raw and sugar-free cookie, use cacao nibs instead.
1 recipe Basic Cookie Dough (page 284)
1 cup goji berries
½ to 1 cup dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs
Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Use a 2-tablespoon scooper to portion the dough directly onto the mesh screen of your 14-inch-square Excalibur Dehydrator trays.
Dehydrate at 104°F for 4 to 6 hours, or to your desired consistency.
Will keep in the fridge for one week. Will keep in the freezer for several weeks; thaw for 10 minutes before eating.
ORANGE-CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
MAKES ABOUT 18 COOKIES
Delicious orange and chocolate combine