It's chilly and chilly outside, which means it's time to get your cookbooks out of the bins and start doing magic. After all, it is so wonderful in the cold season, having walked on the street to your heart's content, come home, brew a cup and, wrapped in a warm (always checkered! :)) blanket, indulge yourself with exquisite homemade delicacies. Cooking resembles a mysterious magical action, when from separate, scattered products that gurgle, hiss, change color and consistency, suddenly something completely special, amazing, appears nothing like its predecessors. Besides, today will be an unusual day: we will learn how to cook raw desserts.

Our mentor will be Julia Bodnar- an experienced vegetarian, the creator of an amazing workshop, actively promoting a raw food diet and completely not hiding the secrets of her amazing creations. Her culinary delights so tasty, healthy and beautiful, and most importantly, they are simple enough to prepare that it is simply impossible to resist the temptation to try to repeat something. My choice today fell on raw chocolate: let's get acquainted with the new taste of the familiar product.

You can buy the necessary components in eco-shops or specialized departments. healthy eating in supermarkets.

To cookraw-chocolate can different ways and Julia invites us to try several options.

Option 1. With a carob.

Ingredients:
- 100g cocoa butter;
- 60g raw
- 60g honey (or raw grape sugar);
- additives to taste (nuts, dried fruits, etc.).

Melt cocoa on steam bath... Add carob into it through a strainer. Mix everything well, then add honey. Melt the resulting mass until smooth, pour into molds. Put in the cold for at least 2 hours.

Option 2. With cocoa liquor.

Ingredients:
- 100g cocoa liquor;
- 30-50g of cocoa butter (depending on the consistency of the cocoa liquor);
- 40g honey (for dark chocolate), or 80g honey (sweeter for lovers), vegans can be replaced with Jerusalem artichoke syrup, grape sugar or other vegan syrup. Fructose and cane sugar will crunch in the product.

Melt cocoa butter with grated cocoa in a steam bath, add honey, mix well. Pour into molds, add fillers, freeze.

Option 3.1: 1.

Ingredients:
- 100g cocoa liquor;
- 80g carob (80-raw, 50-fried carob);
- 50g cocoa butter;
- 40g of honey (for dark chocolate; for chocolate sweeter than 100g).

Melt cocoa butter and cocoa mass in a steam bath. Put honey in chocolate, melt, mix well. At the end, add the carob through a strainer. Pour into molds and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Option 4. White chocolate(glaze).
Ingredients:
- 100g cashews (pre-soak, or grind dry nuts into flour);
- 50g cocoa butter;
- 40g coconut oil;
- 40g of honey.

A raw food diet, as a way of eating, imposes many different restrictions. However, pampering yourself with your favorite sweets, such as chocolate, is still real. You just need to learn how to make a carob so that it tastes like chocolate and pamper yourself if you wish.

Most often, everything that is associated with restrictions on food (both for medical reasons and by one's own decision) is associated with tasteless dishes: bland, low-calorie, serving the desire to think about food. But if you are not too lazy and figure out what the raw food menu consists of, then you can borrow good recipes for healthy and tasty dishes.

What is carob and what is it eaten with

An alternative to chocolate is a properly cooked carob - fruit carob... In our latitudes, this plant does not grow, but it is widespread in the Mediterranean, from where the fruits are brought to us.

Actually, the fruit is a pod, the pulp of which smells of yeast and is half sugar. The beans are quite hard, they are dried and ground into powder, which is then used in cooking. A drink resembling cocoa is brewed from it (a kind of coffee substitute for those for whom caffeine is contraindicated).

In addition, sweets can be made from carob.

The use of carob for nutrition

Raw Chocolate with Almonds

The recipe is quite simple and the list of ingredients is quite affordable:

• cocoa butter;
• shredded almonds(half of a serving of butter);
• carob (half of a serving of oil);
• whole nuts;
• cocoa beans;
• honey (1 tsp).

Cocoa butter is hard and refractory. To turn it into a liquid state, you need to put a container of oil on water bath or a vegan stove, the process will take several hours. During this time, grind the cocoa beans to a powdery state, melt, if necessary, honey.

Add liquid honey and crushed cocoa beans to the melted butter, add ground almonds, mix. By adding carob, you need to ensure that the resulting mass resembles a tough dough.

If for chocolate will be used metal molds, then they need to be lined cling film, silicone does not need to be prepared in any way. Put whole almonds on the bottom of the molds, put the resulting mass on them, distribute evenly and refrigerate for several hours.

Cooking "raw" chocolate can be considered complete when the mass in the molds hardens and can be easily removed.

How to make raw candy

To prepare an analog chocolates from carob, it needs to be mixed into equal parts with melted cocoa butter (same as in the previous recipe). If you take a mixture of honey and cocoa instead of carob, then the candy will not be so sweet.

Molds are not needed; small balls need to be rolled out of the resulting thick mass. You can put a nut inside each, roll the finished candies in almond or coconut flakes... Just like chocolate, candy must be cold for several hours to set.

Raspberry dessert

To bake chocolate muffins with raspberries, you will need:

• coconut oil;
• cocoa powder;
• maple
• fine salt;
• Dehydrated Vegan Raspberry
• almond;
• cocoa nibs.

Mix the coconut oil and cocoa powder well. Add a pinch of salt and maple syrup... After the mass is kneaded until smooth, it needs berries, cocoa nibs and chopped nuts. Ready mix put in tins and refrigerate.

Carob cookies

Lean cookies without milk are very easy to make. As ingredients you will need:

• 3 tbsp. l. carob syrup;
• ¼ Art. vegetable oil;
• 1 tsp cookery fine salt;
• ½ tbsp. pitted cherry jam;
• ½ tsp soda quenched with vinegar;
• 1 tbsp. flour;
• lemon

Put in a deep bowl Cherry jam, add carob syrup and soda to it, mix. Pour in salt and pour vegetable oil into a bowl. Add flour in portions, kneading thick dough that does not stick to your hands.

Wrap the finished dough with cling film and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170 0 С, grease the baking sheet vegetable oil or line with parchment paper. Form small balls from the dough, flatten them at the top and bottom, decorate lemon zest and put on a baking sheet. Bake at the same temperature for 20 minutes. Serve after the cookies have cooled.

Oatmeal cookies

Thanks to the addition of carob to the dough, ready-made biscuits has a very delicate texture enclosed in a crispy oat crust... The proposed recipe does not even require the addition of wheat flour.

You need oat flour (ready-made) - 1.5 cups. If there is no such flour at hand, then it can be prepared at home, it is enough to grind cereals in the coffee grinder. In addition to flour, you also need a glass of whole oatmeal. You need fruits: banana, seedless dates or dried apricots (5-6 pcs.), ½ tbsp. seedless raisins; spices - cardamom (on the tip of a teaspoon), nutmeg, cinnamon, ground ginger, vanillin, salt - just as much as cardamom; 1/3 Art. creamy soft butter, sugar (½ tbsp.), carob (1 tbsp. l.), soda (½ tsp. l.).

In a deep bowl, combine the oatmeal and oat flour, add spices and carob. Season with salt and mix well. In a blender, beat the softened butter with soda (quenched with vinegar or lemon juice) and a banana. You should get an air mass. You need to put it in a bowl of flour.

Grind, add them to a bowl of dough, pour washed and dried raisins there. Mix everything, add sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180 0 С. On a baking sheet greased with vegetable oil or lined with parchment paper, put a tablespoon of cookies. It will be ready in about 15-20 minutes. Serve oatmeal cookies cooled down so that the crust has time to harden.

Carob drinks

The properties of the carob pulp make it possible to use them not only as an ingredient for cold desserts and baked goods, but also for making drinks.

Everyone is free to choose which carob to use for making cocktails - fried or unroasted. The more the carob is fried, the more intense, bitter taste it has:

• the drink, for the preparation of which raw powder was used, resembles a caramel milkshake in color, very sweet, but low in calories;
• with minimal roasting, the color changes, the drink resembles coffee with milk or cocoa, but it is still sweet;
• a strong roast gives a slight bitterness, such a substitute will appeal to those who decide to give up coffee.

In all three cases, sugar is not needed to be added to drinks; carob is an excellent sweetener.

1. Carob can be brewed equally effectively both in boiling water and in hot milk, it dissolves well at temperatures above 90 ° C.
2. Since the powder tends to crumble during storage, it should be sifted through a sieve like flour before preparing drinks.
3. There is no need to add sugar to drinks, carob and by itself gives sufficient sweetness. A small amount of honey is added solely for taste. For the same purpose, spices are added - ground cinnamon, vanillin, cardamom.
4. Carob goes well with coconut milk, you can brew a drink that will serve as an analogue of cocoa.

When brewing drinks, carob, honey, spices are added immediately, in cold water or milk, and then heat everything together, not allowing it to boil, cook for 3-4 minutes and remove from heat.

To prepare a drink similar to the usual tea, the carob needs to be brewed like tea leaves. Preliminary teapot it is necessary to pour over boiling water, then pour a few teaspoons of carob into it and pour them with hot (not boiling) water. Cover the teapot with a lid and a warm towel, in 10-15 minutes the tea leaves will be ready, you can drink tea.

Flaxseed porridge

Healthy food lovers can pamper themselves ready-made dish, tasty and healthy. Ready-made flaxseed porridge with carob and sesame seeds contains omega acids necessary to maintain the health of the heart and blood vessels; vitamins and minerals; alimentary fiber contributing to the normalization of digestion processes; antioxidants and antiallergic factors; high percentage of protein. Due to its balanced composition and low calorie content, such porridge is perfect product for weight loss.

Carob for diabetics

Carob has a low glycemic index, thanks to which it is included in the group of not just allowed, but even recommended products for diabetes. In addition, carob suppresses hunger and is not addictive, unlike coffee or cocoa.

Delicious friday

Today I will tell you how to make wonderful and delicious homemade chocolate without harmful additives.
The recipe is prefabricated based on various notes on the Internet. After seeing and reading how all this is done, I decided to try. I bought raw cocoa butter in advance, raw beans cocoa, the rest I had. I must say that it takes a little patience.

It is better that you have free time for these experiments, for example, a day off, when there is no need to rush anywhere, you can calmly go about your business and at the same time master this simple cooking.

The first time it usually turns out not quite what you wanted, but the main thing is very tasty, but further repetitions improve the cooking technique. So, I present to your attention a simple, but not fast recipe and a photo of what happened in the end.

The children were delighted! MAMAAA !!! THIS IS A REAL CANDY !!
In the morning I gave them one or two sweets from the refrigerator, since cocoa has a stimulating effect, I did not risk giving any more, because my children do not drink tea and coffee and are not used to stimulants.

So, we need:

Cold pressed cocoa butter 108 g

Refined raw cocoa beans 108 g

Walnuts 60 - 100 g (you can add ground hazelnuts, whole almonds, raisins and other dried fruits to taste)

Natural honey 60 - 90 g

Cedar press - to taste. The more it will be, the more milky taste will turn out in chocolate.

Raw organic vanilla powder.

Preparation:

Soak the cocoa beans. At least a couple of hours. It can be longer, for example, at night. If longer, then it is better to put them in the refrigerator along with water. So they can last a couple of days if your plans change.

Melt the cocoa butter in a water bath at a temperature not exceeding 40C. I melted in the oven, as the temperature in my oven can be adjusted to any. It will melt for a long time, at least 2 hours, so it is better to cut it into small pieces and put it in advance.
For even heating and maintaining the temperature, you can use chocolate fondue in the "Warm" mode (depending on the specific model, this mode gives a temperature of 36-42 degrees). It is advisable to cover the fondue with a plate and wrap it with a towel.

Grind the peeled cocoa beans. You can peel the beans, let them dry, and grind them in a coffee grinder. Or you can immediately grind the peeled cocoa beans in a grinder. The finer the beans are ground, the more tender and uniform the chocolate will be. Grind preferably at a low speed, otherwise the cocoa beans begin to secrete butter and stick together into hard pieces.

Mix the chopped cocoa beans, melted butter in a blender and mix thoroughly, add walnuts, cedar bench press, honey, raw organic vanilla powder.
It can also be stirred, while providing heating - in a fondue or in a water bath. The mass should be quite fluid and homogeneous.

If you need bitter chocolate, then add less honey, if sweet - then more.
Add raw ground or whole nuts, raisins or other dried fruits to taste. If the chocolate is supposed to be eaten immediately, you can put fresh fruits such as a sliced ​​banana.

Pour the resulting mass into molds for chocolate or sweets. They say it is better to use silicone or plastic molds, from which it will be easy to remove the chocolate after it has set. I will use this when I get the molds.
And now I did it easier - I squeezed out of a teaspoon with my finger onto a dish. What happened can be seen in the photo.

Put the filled forms in the refrigerator for solidification for 2-4 hours.

The candies can be wrapped in foil and stored in the refrigerator.
Bon Appetit!
With love to you and your loved ones, Maria Sarayeva.

Making a dark chocolate bar with your own hands is as easy as shelling pears. Vegans and raw foodists will find recipes that will be healthier than traditional ones, because the ingredients do not pass any heat treatment keeping all enzymes and useful material... The main thing is to find quality oil cocoa. And then you can add your own taste to chocolate - sea ​​salt and lemon zest, lavender flowers, orange and cardamom, spices, mint.

Cocoa butter and powder are the basis of any chocolate. Only unlike the tiles that are made in production, we will use them raw and leave them without technological intervention. Cocoa butter is a superfood. Natural oil Is a light solid mass with "chocolate" pleasant smell and a melting point below the temperature of the human body - 32-35 ° C. It has antioxidant properties and removes cholesterol from the body. Due to the presence in its composition of caffeine, tannins, vitamin A, fatty acids and microelements, it has a tonic, improves the condition of blood vessels and nourishes the skin. Cocoa butter can even be used instead of body and face cream, and for the skin around the eyes, it will become lifesaver getting rid of dark circles and other consequences of fatigue and lack of sleep.

Raw chocolate

Ingredients

30 g cocoa powder
100 g soft dates
85 g cocoa butter
1 vanilla pod or good vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

1. Lavender and Vanilla: 1 teaspoon of lavender flowers and 1 more vanilla pod
2. Lemon and salt: zest of 1 lemon and an extra pinch of salt
3. Spices: mix ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove pepper
4. Orange and chili: zest of 1 orange and a pinch ground pepper Chile
5. Mint: a few drops of mint essence and a pinch chia seed or flax

Preparation

Remove the stone from dates and mash the pulp with a fork. If necessary, remove hard parts of the rind. Pour a glass of water into a small saucepan and put on fire. When the water heats up, place a bowl on top, put a little cocoa on it. Melt. Add cocoa powder, vanilla bean seeds and salt. Mix thoroughly, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix with the date mass and stir in one of the additives (optional). Mix everything thoroughly and let the mixture cool.

Pour out chocolate mass per sheet parchment paper and shape with your hands "bars" of chocolate. Cover with another sheet and place the chocolate under a small press. You can also use special forms... Leave in the refrigerator to harden.

Here's a recipe for real raw organic chocolate.

To make four 100 gram chocolate bars, you will need:

100 g cold pressed cocoa butter
100 g raw, peeled raw or 70 g
60-90 g raw, agave syrup or real honey
70-100 g of ground hazelnuts, whole almonds, raisins and other dried fruits to taste
0.5-1 tsp vanilla powder or the contents of 3-4 vanilla pods

Melt the cocoa butter in a water bath at a temperature not exceeding 40C.

For even heating and maintaining the temperature, we recommend using "chocolate fondue" in the "Warm" mode (depending on the specific model, this mode gives a temperature of 36-42 degrees) or any device for melting wax with a temperature controller. It melts for a long time, so it is better to cut it into small pieces and put it in advance, 30-60 minutes in advance, depending on the quantity. It is advisable to cover the fondue with a plate and wrap it with a towel.

Grind the raw peeled cocoa beans in a coffee grinder or grinder. The finer the beans are ground, the more tender and uniform the chocolate will be. Grind preferably at a low speed, otherwise the cocoa beans begin to secrete butter and stick together into hard pieces.

Pour cocoa beans into melted cocoa butter and mix thoroughly, while providing heating - in a fondue or in a water bath. The mass should be quite fluid and homogeneous.

Add raw grape sugar or agave nectar and mix very well. If bitter chocolate is needed, then less sugar is added, if sweet - then more.

Secret: instead of grape sugar, you can use honey or raw organic agave syrup to taste - they are thicker and the chocolate will turn out to be more plastic.

Add raw ground or whole nuts, raisins or other dried fruits to taste. If chocolate is supposed to be eaten right away (this is most often the case :)), you can put fresh fruit as a filling, for example, sliced ​​banana.

Pour raw chocolate into chocolate or candy tins.

Secret: it is better to use silicone or plastic molds, from which it will be easy to remove the chocolate after hardening. We recommend using large and small chocolate bar molds.

For raw vanilla chocolate, add ground vanilla at the rate of 1 g vanilla per 100 g chocolate. You can use it - just cut it lengthwise with a knife, scrape out the seeds and add them to the chocolate.

Put the filled forms in the refrigerator for solidification for 2-4 hours.

Hooray! Real raw (live) raw and even organic chocolate is ready! Verified - friends, kids and parents will love it!

Another secret :)

The meditative process of making raw chocolate can be turned into even more fun and fascinating activity, if you get together and arrange a chocolate fondue. To do this, cook more fresh fruit or berries - bananas, pears, watermelons, melons, strawberries, etc. No need to lay out and cool anything, just dip fruits and berries in chocolate and ... who said that a raw food diet is boring? !! ..

The Gifts of the Earth team wholeheartedly wishes everyone Bon Appetit, even more creative and culinary success! Thank you!