Needing an afternoon pick-me-up today (it’s hump hour of hump week!) I threw a few goodies in the blender and was pretty stoked with what came out. This little ray of sunshine contains a glass of almond milk; handful each of silverbeet leaves and frozen berries; a splash of vanilla essence and maple syrup; and a teaspoonful each of peanut butter and cacao powder. 30 seconds on high speed and voila!

 

Finished dinner, still a bit hungry, feel like something sweet…but am eating a vegan diet. Fruit salad won’t cut it tonight. Should I cheat and have some chocolate? What can I make that will be ready in 5 minutes, be raw and vegan, but still satisfy my sweet craving?

This was my conundrum last night, and this is the invention that necessity was the mother of. Creamy caramel pudding with fresh banana; tasty, velvety, and oh so filling!

 

1/2 cup raw cashews

1.5 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon lucuma powder

1-2 tablespoons rice syrup/maple syrup (to taste)

1 banana

Extra maple syrup for drizzling

 

Blitz half the banana with all the other ingredients (except the extra syrup) in a blender until really smooth and creamy. Share it between 2 bowls. Slice the remaining banana over the top of the pudding, and if desired, drizzle over a bit of extra maple syrup and maybe shake some more cinnamon over the top.

This recipe is not technically raw if using maple syrup, which doesn’t bother me as it’s still a natural wholefood, but you could make it raw by substituting raw honey or rice syrup. Don’t worry if you don’t have lucuma; it adds a nice caramel flavour but won’t make a big difference if it’s not in there.

 

When I was a kid, Saturday mornings used to revolve around the local Harrier club. Groups of like-minded runners would get together and go for social (or not so social) training runs around the hills of Wellington. Pity the poor parent who had to take a gaggle of kids out in the wind and rain (which in my memory there always was).

But my main memory of those Saturday mornings was the cups of tea and peanut slabs enjoyed by all the grown-ups afterwards while they stood around and talked. Fast forward a few years, and I still get the peanut slab cravings after a long run or ride. I thought I’d better come up with a more nutritious way to get that peanut-chocolate hit without the sugar rush that comes with a chocolate bar, so here it is. You’ll be pleased to know it still goes well with a cup of tea.

Base

2 tablespoons rice syrup/maple syrup

3 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3/4 cup almond meal

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

 

Caramel peanut topping

3 tablespoons rice syrup

4 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

6 -8 dates, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes

1/2 teaspoon seasalt

3/4 cup raw peanuts

100 grams good quality 70% dark chocolate

 

To make the base, gently melt all the wet ingredients together. Pulse the oats in a blender until fine, the add to the wet mix with the rest of the dry ingredients. Press into a silicone or baking paper-lined loaf tin and put in the fridge to set.

To make the topping, put all the ingredients except the peanuts and chocolate into a blender and blend until whipped and smooth. Spread over the top of the base. Toast the peanuts in a frying pan over medium heat until lightly browned, then sprinkle and press these into the caramel topping. Finally, melt the chocolate and drizzle of the top. Put in the freezer to set.

You could modify this recipe if you prefer it to be all raw; just make your own chocolate topping from roughly even amounts of coconut oil, cacao powder, and maple syrup. Adjust to taste.

Or, for an even more decadent treat, use twice the amount of chocolate, and dip cut bars into it so they are completely chocolate coated.