Orange Chocolate Mousse..

I've never really understood why we eat Christmas pudding (the heaviest dessert in the world) after what is generally the biggest dinner of the year... Wouldn't it be nice to actually feel good after your Christmas dinner this year with the added bonus of knowing that your dessert hasn't set your progress back?

Instead of feeling like a Christmas pudding this year, why not try something different? Here's a great recipe for Orange Chocolate Mousse which just happens to be dairy & refined sugar free AND it tastes just like a Terry's chocolate orange bar :)

• 1 can full fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight to help it solidify & separate from the water) 
• 2 tsp Keen almond butter*
• 1 tsp coconut oil (melted)
• zest of 1 large orange
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tbsp raw organic honey

Start by scooping out all the solidified coconut milk from the top of the can (you don't need the water, but it would be great added to a smoothie)

Add the almond butter, melted coconut oil, orange zest & cocoa powder to the coconut milk. Whisk all the ingredients together until they start to thicken (an electric whisk will be better for this but you can use a hand whisk if you're patient!) 

In a separate heatproof bowl set over simmering water, whisk the egg whites & honey together until you have stiff & glossy opaque peaks. You need to whisk this mixture constantly or you'll end up with scrambled eggs! 

Remove from the heat. 

Begin adding the egg whites to the coconut milk mixture, 1/3 at time. Adding the egg whites slowly makes it easier to incorporate fully & prevents over mixing which will leave you with a heavy mousse. 

Once you have full mixed in the egg whites, you can spoon into serving dishes. Garnish with flaked almonds. 

You can serve this straight away, or allow it to chill overnight. 

*I always use Keen almond butter because it's nice to support Irish businesses, I'm too lazy to make my own & a lot of the other popular brands have salt or palm oil added... I've no problem with the salt, but it doesn't usually work in sweet recipes..

Chocolate... Paleo friendly :)

I'm always wary of putting 'dairy/sugar/gluten free' in my post titles... I've lots of sarcastic friends who use it as an excuse to throw in 'taste free' when they comment on my posts! Mind you, I'm slowly but surely converting them, and making them realise that food doesn't need to be laced with sugar to taste good. I can't help but laugh when they call the food I cook 'fake food'... somewhat ironic given the fact that it's actually 'real' food...

*May not be entirely accurate

One ingredient I've struggled with for clean dessert recipes has been chocolate. Yes, you can use chocolate with a high cocoa content which lowers the sugar content, but I still wasn't happy. I try not to compromise what I'm trying to achieve, by adding sugar and artificial ingredients into my cooking. It's all too easy to take short cuts, and totally undermine your efforts to eat clean... before you know it, you're part of the 'IIFYM (If it fits your macros)' crowd, and you're having a breakfast roll with a side order of toast for breakfast! I've said repeatedly, that dessert and cake recipes I post here are for treats only... even though they're using quality ingredients, they shouldn't be forming the basis of your daily food intake! 

Chocolate is pretty amazing... so I decided to make my own. I hereby declare myself Willy Wonka :) 

I don't claim to have created this myself... it's a recipe that seems to be a Paleo favourite online, with a few amendments to suit my own preferences. Selfless as always, I've tried this out a couple of times, and promise it not only works, but it tastes great too... 

For the chocolate:

• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 8 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (I've substituted in peppermint/orange blossom extract....YUM!)
• 2 tbsp organic raw honey

Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. (Don't do this in the microwave... yes it's quicker, but your chocolate will seize, separate and burn!) 

Keep mixing as all the ingredients melt to create a glossy chocolate sauce. Don't allow it to stick and form lumps in the base of the bowl so seriously...keep stirring. 

Once you have a smooth, glossy chocolate sauce, pour into an 8"x8" tin lined with greaseproof paper. 

Allow to cool and set in a cool, dry place. 

If you place it in the fridge, you'll end up with a dull coloured chocolate.... it still tastes great so it won't really matter. (This may have been the case in my photo above!) 

Once set, you can cut into bars, use as chocolate chunks for cookies or paleo trail mix.... It's pretty damn good regardless of how you choose to use it :) 

Spongy chocolate cake (Grain & refined sugar free)

We all LOVE brownies.. they're gorgeous, rich and made of chocolate.. I need to find a man like that!

BUT...

Sometimes, it's nice to have a light cake... a nice sponge, or just something a little less decadent than a fudgy brownie. Since we're all in agreement that chocolate is amazing.. I threw together this simple grain & refined sugar free chocolate sponge... after all, you can never have enough chocolate cake recipes :)

• 2oz coconut oil
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 small banana, mashed well
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 1oz almond flour
• 1oz unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 160d (fan) and line an 8" square tin with greaseproof paper. 

Start by beating coconut oil and honey together until combined. 

Separate eggs, adding one egg yolk at a time to the oil & honey mixture. (Place whites in bowl of your stand mixer) Beat well between each addition. 

Next mix in mashed banana, yoghurt and vanilla. 

Add sieved almond flour, cocoa & baking soda to this mixture, and mix well. 

Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer/food processor (you can do this using a hand whisk too, it'll just take a little longer) whisk the egg whites with 1 tsp of lemon juice until you have stiff peaks. 

Next using a spatula/large plastic spoon (don't use a wooden or metal spoon as they'll knock out all the air you've just added) add the egg white a little at a time, folding the mixture gently to incorporate the egg white. Be patient... you want a light, spongy texture to this cake. 

Pour mixture into lined tin, and bake for 20 minutes until springy to touch & a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean. 

Cool on a wire rack. You could serve this cake as it is, or add some fresh raspberries as a garnish. It's amazing with coconut and raspberry ice cream (dairy & sugar free)... That reminds me, I must make some so I can post the recipe :) 

I make a quick chocolate almond ganache to drizzle on the top...

Ganache:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1tsp almond butter 
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl and microwave for 15 seconds at a time until melted and smooth. Make sure to stir after each 15 seconds, or the mixture will burn, seize and turn into oily burnt chocolate (believe me... I know! And for the love of God don't taste it to see if you can work with it... you'll most likely need to wash your mouth out with industrial strength mouthwash and you'll still taste burnt chocolate for the next hour!) 

Anyway, I digress... leave the ganache aside for 5 minutes to cool and thicken slightly. 

Drizzle over cake and cut into slices. 

Chocolate & raspberry meringue...

So I had an operation on my mouth last week, and am struggling with solid food or anything hot (and saying anything with the letter 'S'). Instead of giving in, and eating ice cream and jelly (like a 'normal' person) I have had to find ways of eating enough to maintain my energy levels for training, whilst making sure I'm getting enough protein to recover after each session. This recipe packs a serious protein punch, with 35.9g per serving... impressive right?!

I had leftover egg whites from making garlic mayonnaise, and since I hate wasting ingredients I decided to make meringues. That's where the challenge comes in... meringues are basically egg whites and sugar. How was I going to make meringue without truck loads of sugar?

Simply replacing the sugar with honey wasn't going to work, since honey is heavier than whipped egg whites and so would leave you with flat, heavy pancakes instead of cloud-like, marshmallowy meringues. Let the experimentation begin....

Chocolate meringues

• 3 large egg whites
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce (simply stew peeled & chopped apple in microwave until soft and mash until smooth)
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp raw cocoa powder, sieved
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt

In a bain marie (heat resistant bowl set over gently simmering water), heat honey, water and apple sauce until you have a thin syrup. This should take around 8 minutes. Stir regularly to avoid the honey burning. Remove from the heat and beat in sieved cocoa and vanilla. 

Whisk together egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until you have firm peaks. 

Slowly add syrup mixture, while whisking egg whites constantly. 

Once you have combined the syrup and the egg whites, place mixture on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 140d. 

Once you have a firm, baked meringue turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven. (This keeps the meringue crispy on the outside, but tender and marshmallowy on the inside)

Filling: 

I did say I've been conscious of getting enough protein over the past while, and seriously... this really hit the spot, and tasted great! You can of course substitute the fillings to your own taste...

• 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt (I love Fage 0% Greek yoghurt which is available in Donnybrook Fair) 
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein (25g) 
• 1 tsp Meridian almond butter (most good health food stores will stock this)
• small handful of frozen raspberries, crumbled into small pieces
• 1 small kiwi or chopped nuts 

Whisk together first four ingredients until combined. The frozen raspberries will start to melt, giving a gorgeous colour to the yoghurt, as well as adding some moisture so the filling won't be too thick. 

Fill your meringue with the yoghurt, and top with chopped fruit or nuts depending on your preference. 

If you're looking for a dessert that is simple to make, and is full of protein,has healthy fats from the almond butter/chopped nuts and isn't full of refined sugar, then you really need to try this! 

The meringue won't have the same crispy exterior as a standard meringue, it'll be more chewy in texture, but that's okay cos it tastes pretty damn good.