A New View of Healthy Eating: New Year 2017 Decadent Chocolate Vegan Dessert

By Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, and speaker. Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

While I’m still on my vacation sitting at my parents’ pool with the view in Cocoa Beach, I am thinking about New Year 2017 celebration, with a decadent chocolate dessert. I hope you enjoy this amazing recipe, which is totally healthy, gluten-free, vegan, and totally delicious, for your New Year celebration.

Excerpt from new cookbook, A New View of Healthy Eating: Raw Chocolate Bliss

Enjoy this rich, intense raw chocolate dessert, created with raw cacao powder, local Arizona dates, fresh raw almond butter, and vanilla bean, on a pecan maple sugar cinnamon crust.

Raw Pecan Cinnamon Crust

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups raw pecans
3 tbsp maple sugar
½ tsp sea salt
½ tbsp cinnamon, freshly ground

SIMPLE STEPS

Blend all ingredients in food processor until finely minced.
Press crust into 10-inch springform pan using your palms.

Chocolate Filling

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

½ cup raw almond butter
½ cup date paste
¼ cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 ½ tbsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
1 cup raw cacao powder
1 vanilla bean, scraped
½ to 1 cup water

SIMPLE STEPS

Gather mise en place.
Make almond butter. Place raw almonds in food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
Blend date paste. Soak dates in water for 1-2 hours until soft and pliable. Pour off water. Add to high-speed blender and top with water to cover fruit. Blend starting on low, then moving to high, until smooth.
Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth and thick.
Add water if difficult to blend.
Pour filling into crust.
To set, freeze for about 20 minutes or refrigerate for an hour.
Use a knife dipped in hot water for a few seconds, wipe water away, then slice.
Plate with fruit or sorbet.