HAPPY (HEALTHY) EASTER!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

So, I don't really do the whole chocolate thing anymore for Easter; well, period. But my favourite new Raw Food Coach Karen Knowler dug up this Raw Chocolate Easter Eggs recipe. I get one awesome raw recipe a week, among other cool raw tips, advice and inspiration by signing up for her free weekly newsletter. She's amazing...and such an inspiration. And this coming from a severely depressed person. Even if you're not into becoming raw (which I am but I can't because I would miss seafood too much), there's no pressure. She's just trying to make us all healthier, more body-aware people. It's great to see that there are ways to cheat the junk food habit, like with these raw chocolate eggs. It's just about living a healthier life. Check her our sometime. Couldn't hurt to click. I've also got an ad up for her in the right column.

Raw Chocolate Easter Eggs
This week's recipe comes courtesy of Russell James, one of my favourite raw food chefs and also our in-house chef on my Raw Coach Trainings. This truly delicious Easter egg recipe makes 3+ good size eggs with chocolate left over for making whatever you desire (see end for Russell's tip on this).

Ingredients:

* 2 cups cashew butter (1 16oz jar)

* 2 cups cacao powder or if no cacao powder available, use 1cup milled cacao nibs + 1cup carob powder

* 2 cups grated cacao butter

* 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract or the inside of 2 whole vanilla pods 1cup agave nectar

Directions

1. Put the grated cacao butter in a bowl and place in a dehydrator at 115 degrees F. The idea is to turn the butter into liquid for use later on in the recipe. You can also achieve this by placing the bowl in a sink of hot water.

2. In a food processor mix the cashew butter and cacao powder (or cacao and carob, if using) thoroughly. This will be easier if the cashew butter is at room temperature.

3. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and add vanilla extract (or pods) and agave. Mix in by hand.

4. When cacao butter has liquidised, pour into chocolate mixture and mix again by hand.

5. Use a spoon to spread chocolate into egg moulds (I got my egg moulds from Lakeland). If you're using cacao nibs and carob you may find that mixture is a little to dry and stiff to work with so you can cover and put into the dehydrator for about half an hour to loosen it up. Be sure to save some chocolate mixture to seal the 2 halves of the egg together.

6. Put egg moulds in freezer until chocolate has set. This could also be done in the fridge if you're not in a hurry. Eggs should now easily pop out of the mould.

7. Use your fingers to apply the chocolate you saved to the edges of one of the egg halves. This doesn't have to be perfect and you can be quite liberal with it as you're going to wipe off any excess.

8. Push the 2 halves together and use your finger to finish off the seal and get a smooth join. Egg can then be put in the fridge.9. Eat while weeping with joy (Karen's words, not mine! :-))

RAW COACH'S TOP TIP:* Russell recommends making chunks of of 'fruit and nut' from the leftover chocolate mix. This can be achieved by adding raisins and pieces of your favorite crushed nuts to the left over mixture and putting into ice cube trays.

© Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach 2008, www.TheRawFoodCoach.com