Dates, avocados and cocoa. Oh my! An unlikely trio to be sure, but this combination of ingredients makes for a nutritious dessert.

By now most Americans have heard about the health benefits of dark chocolate. Consuming dark chocolate can lower cholesterol and reduce high blood pressure. Remember in order to receive these nutritional benefits the cocoa content must be 65% or higher.

Today I’ll be reviewing a raw chocolate pudding recipe.

A new ingredient to some may be raw cacao nibs. They are simply cacao beans peeled and crushed. Some notable benefits can include an improvement in circulation, digestion and mood. Raw cacao nibs are also rich in magnesium. A surprising 80% of Americans are deficient in this mineral. You can find out more about this unusual ingredient and buy cacao nibs online.

Note: This pudding is very rich; I use it as a dipping chocolate for strawberries. Let me know what you think.

Chocolate Pudding

taken from Angela Elliott’s, Alive in 5

makes 3 servings

½ cup pitted dates, soaked for 15 minutes

1 ripe avocado

2 T. raw carob powder

1 T. raw cacao nibs

1 T. raw agave nectar

1 t. vanilla flavor

1/8 t. Himalayan salt

Drain the dates but reserve the soak water. Place the dates in a high powered blender along with the remaining ingredients, adding just enough soak water to facilitate blending. Process until smooth. Chill  for 1 hour before serving.

Garnish and enjoy.

by Gardenia Coleman

Avocados are in season. Woohoo! I found them on sale at Sprouts Market for .49 cents each and at Sunflower Market 3/$1.00. I bought nine avocados this week, crazy huh. I’ve been scouring my raw cookbooks for all the great avocado based recipes I could find. There are numerous guacamole and salad recipes using avocados but there are also some less traditional recipes for soups, puddings and facial masks. Today I’m reviewing a great raw lettuce wrap recipe.

Over the years avocados have gotten a bad rap. Ever since I can remember people have said they don’t eat avocados because they’re fattening. Pish Posh! You can actually lose weight by replacing poor fat choices with avocados. My advice to you, eat avocados, they’re good for you. Avocados are packed with nutrients and have healthy fats needed for brain function. If you’re like me you need all the help you can get. Check out this website for more avocado benefits.

FYI: For the recipe below I used ¼ cup Red Onion because my market didn’t have Spanish Onions. Also, I’m not a jalapeno girl so I didn’t include it in the recipe.

I love this recipe; even with the changes this dish is flavorful and satisfying. It was a huge hit with the family.

 Lettuce Shell Tacos

taken from Carol Alt’s, The Raw 50

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 medium Spanish onion

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ tsp. ground cumin

1 garlic clove, pressed through a garlic press

2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and drained for 2 hours

1 ½  jalapeno peppers

½ tsp. Himalayan salt

6 medium romaine lettuce leaves

SERVES 6

Cut avocado into bite-size chunks and sprinkle with lemon juice. Chop the onion in the food processor, and then add the parsley, cumin, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, jalapenos, and salt. Process the mixture until smooth and creamy.

Distribute the taco filling equally among the six lettuce leaves and then fold the ends of the lettuce together like a taco.

Did you know the potato chip was born in 1853 at a resort in Sarasota Springs, New York? What began as an answer to satisfy an unhappy customer became the second most consumed food in the world. Who would have guessed 150 years later raw enthusiasts would try to replicate this all American snack in a raw way.

This recipe for raw potato chips is a great answer to anyone craving some crunch. It’s not as time consuming as other raw recipes but there is the slicing and dehydrating time to consider.

When I made the original recipe my family liked the texture of the chips but not the flavor so I made some changes and tried again. These chips have the crunch factor many raw recipes miss but remember to slice the potatoes thin.

This is a good recipe for anyone new to dehydrating and transitioning into the raw life.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Potato Chips (original recipe)

Created by the Nungessers

Adapted from How We All Went Raw

6 red potatoes, thinly sliced

5 cups distilled water

Soak about 2-3 hours:

Rinse and drain to remove starch

In bowl add:

Potato slices

¼ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 tsp unrefined sea salt (or to taste)

¼ cup Ume Plum vinegar

(or raw apple cider vinegar and unrefined sea salt to taste)

Marinate for 1 hour. Place chips on teflex sheets to dehydrate

11-12 hours at 105 degrees F.

Everything is the same except:

_slice 10 potatoes, enough to fill my 9 tray dehydrator

_use raw apple cider vinegar instead of Ume Plum

_double the olive oil, vinegar and spices

_also add 1 tsp garlic and onion powder

Raw tools needed:

Dehydrator and a manual slicing tool (mandoline)