Super delicious & nutrient dense too! Coconut milk contains healthy fats & protein, there's fibre in the almond meal base, the avocados are packed with healthy fats, minerals & fibre too. Cocoa & cacao are bitter, so you may need to sweeten it more, with maple syrup, honey, agave or stevia, to your liking. Cacao has more health benefits than cocoa, since it is not heat treated like cocoa, however is more bitter. Good quality, dark chocolate contains magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and antioxidants. Choose ethical, natural chocolate. The yoghurt provides fab source of calcium, protein & probiotics.
This photo shows the choc avo mix topped with vanilla yoghurt. Around a 50/50% ratio of mix to yoghurt (or ice-cream) was ideal for this recipe.
Inspiration: chocolate pairs beautifully with ginger, salt, cinnamon, mint, raspberry, orange, strawberry, saffron, vanilla, hazelnut, almonds, coconut and avocado.
I tried the recipe twice, the 2nd time with less cocoa and still found that the low-sugar, dark choc/avo mix goes beautifully with something sweet, like vanilla yoghurt or vanilla ice cream (choose good quality and grass fed of course). The cashew cream or natural yoghurt is yum, but probably not sweet enough for most palates.
Ingredients:
Avocado-choc mixture
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/ 4 cup (or less) of cacao or cocoa.
2-3 grinds salt (needed to offset bitterness of chocolate)
3 teaspoons raw, natural honey
3-4 teaspoons freeze dried raspberries (taste amazing, but is optional)
2 just ripe avocados
pinch cardamom
Blend in food processor til combined.
Base
3 tablespoons whole almond meal
1 teasp flax meal
1-2 tablespoons approx of fresh orange juice & teaspoon of orange rind.
mix these ingredients in a bowl and then press down in the bottom of the glass
*It'd be yummy to spread it onto a baking sheet and bake it then use as a crushed crumb mix.
Topping
In my opinion (and I don't have a sweet tooth) is that the best pairing for this desert is a good quality vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt. If you'd prefer to pair with cashew cream, coconut yoghurt or natural grass fed yoghurt, the choc avocado mix would need to be a bit sweeter. *I love Maple Hill, Grass Fed organic yoghurt - available in Whole Foods when in Colorado. or natural yoghurts from farmers' markets.
I love using edible flowers, I grow a wide range at our farm, back in Firefly, but whilst temporarily away from there, I had to make-do with this Alyssum outside our apartment. I only eat edible flowers if have grown them myself or know the source. Borage, pineapple sage or Pansies would be so pretty to decorate.
Note: You can add a few spoonfuls of maple syrup, agave or some stevia to the chocolate mix, which will pair well with cashew cream or natural yoghurt.
A sweeter chocolate, melted over double boiler, can be used instead or in addition to the cocoa.
Photo below shows the dessert with natural yoghurt, ice cream and cashew cream.
Have some fun experimenting with avocado and chocolate, there's so many variations, using different milks, nuts & spices & different toppings.
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