Apricot Delight

October 9-13, 2011

macadamia-date balls - she's non 1 for sugary desserts, though she loves fresh fruit, together with they seemed to striking the spot rather well. I knew simply what to convey this time: the apricot please I get-go saw on Green Gourmet Giraffe, which I afterwards had the luck to gustatory modality when Mel brought it to the VegMel Picnic.

While the apricot please usually institute inwards supermarkets is sum of sugar, glucose syrup together with oil, these sweet-and-slightly-sour squares incorporate goose egg to a greater extent than than dried apricots, dessicated coconut, water, together with a picayune dear (easily omitted or replaced amongst around other sweetening syrup for vegans). It's no less delightful inwards its simplicity together with wholesomeness! 

Apricot delight
(as seen on Green Gourmet Giraffe,
where it's credited to the Australian Women's Weekly)

250g dried apricots, chopped
3/4 loving cup boiling water
2 tablespoons dear (or choice sweetener)
1 1/2 cups dessicated coconut, addition extra for coating

Place one-half the apricots together with all of the boiling H2O inwards a modest saucepan. Soak the apricots for close an hour. Bring the mixture to the boil together with gently simmer them, uncovered, for close 10 minutes. I topped mine upward amongst around other tablespoon or 2 of H2O every bit they looked similar they were drying out. Allow the mixture to cool a little.

Transfer these soaked apricots to a nutrient processor, add together the dear together with purée them thoroughly. Plonk them into a bowl together with stir through the remaining apricots together with the coconut. The mixture volition shape a reasonably thick dough.

Line a modest tray amongst baking newspaper together with spoon inwards the dough, flattening it across the base. Place a 2nd acre of baking newspaper on the tiptop surface of the slice, together with thence refrigerate it overnight.

When the acre is set, take away the baking newspaper together with cutting the acre into modest squares. Roll each foursquare inwards the extra kokosnoot to coat the sides, together with thence serve or shop every bit you lot wish.

Creamy Cashew-Coconut Slice

January 5, 2014

Since Michael was making a rich salad for this potluck, I figured I should choose to a greater extent than or less dessert. I (correctly) guessed that we'd all hold upwards pretty total in addition to non asset out for a multi-layered chocolate extravaganza, so I referred dorsum to a raw 'cheesecake' while recipe that I bookmarked on It Ain't Meat, Babe iii years ago.

It's cipher y'all haven't seen earlier - dates, kokosnoot in addition to macadamias for a fudgy base, so sweetened cashews in addition to lime juice for the 'cheesecake' topping. It's at the less strict halt of raw cuisine - there's agave nectar, dessicated coconut, melted kokosnoot crude oil in addition to vanilla involved - but too large quantities of soaked in addition to blended nuts, the cornerstone of raw desserts.

The base of operations didn't quite encounter my expectations. I did my ol' swap-soaked-dried-dates-for-fresh-ones play a joke on in addition to at that spot was barely plenty hither to actually bind together the dried kokosnoot in addition to macadamias. It was crumbly in addition to missing the caramel coloring in addition to season I was anticipating.

I was much to a greater extent than pleased alongside the 'cheesecake' top. Though my limes were comically dry out in addition to useless in addition to the topping so lacked a chip of bite, the vanilla enhanced the season in addition to the kokosnoot crude oil did wonders for the texture, creating a dense in addition to buttery texture that reminded me of white chocolate.

This while stores but equally good inwards the freezer equally it does inwards the fridge. Either way, I'd recommend serving it equally nosotros did above, alongside a large bowl of cherries in addition to strawberries for a refreshing halt to an extended meal.

Creamy cashew-coconut slice
(slightly adapted from It Ain't Meat, Babe,
who cites Vegetarian Times)

1 1/2 cups raw macadamias
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 loving cup dried dates
1/4 loving cup dessicated coconut
vi tablespoons kokosnoot oil, gently melted
1/4 loving cup agave nectar
juice in addition to zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In iii split upwards bowls, soak the macadamias, cashews in addition to dates overnight.

Line a 22cm foursquare tray alongside baking paper. Drain the macadamias in addition to house them inwards a nutrient processing, whizzing them until they resemble crumbs. Drain the dates, adding them in addition to the dessicated kokosnoot in addition to blend farther until they're good mixed in addition to the dates firstly binding the crumbs together. Tip the mixture out into the baking tray in addition to role the dorsum of a spoon to press in addition to smoothen it out into an fifty-fifty layer.

Clean out the nutrient processor to role for the instant layer. Darin the cashews in addition to drib them in, blending them equally finely equally y'all can. Add the remaining ingredients in addition to blend rattling thoroughly, to obtain equally smoothen a mixture equally y'all can. Pour it over the base of operations layer, eve it out alongside the dorsum of a spoon. 

Freeze the while for at to the lowest degree a brace of hours, so shop it inwards the fridge. Slice it into squares to serve.

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While this recipe is non truly, 100% raw it is definitely inwards the spirit of so many raw recipes, so I'm contributing it to Catherine's Jan round-up, I Am Vegetarian - Hear Me Raw!.