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dark chocolate

Chocolate Avocado Pie

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Have you ever tried the combination of avocado and chocolate? I have and this Chocolate Avocado Pie recipe is a proof that it is an awesome combination!

When you try this cake out, you won´t feel there is avocado inside. But you will feel good knowing that you used a superfood in your healthy treat.

Avocado is rather unique fruit. Most fruits contain carbohydrates, while avocado is high in healthy fats.

What are other benefits of avocado?

  1. Avocado is super nutritious – besides healthy fat it includes 20 different minerals and vitamins – e.g. Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium, Vitamin B5 & B6, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Copper, Iron, Zinc, etc.
  2. Eating avocado lowers cholesterol – some studies have shown that avocados can reduce total cholesterol level, reduce blood triglycerides, and increase good cholesterol
  3. Avocados are great for vision – Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin, these are two phytochemicals that are concentrated in the eye tissues, where they provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage.
  4. Cancer prevention – one study showed that it may help reduce side effects of chemotherapy in human lymphocytes. Adequate intake of folate from food, which is in avocado, has also shown that it may protect against colon, stomach, pancreatic and cervical cancer.
  5. Improves digestion – an avocado is high in fiber (about 6-7 grams per half piece). Eating foods with natural fiber can help to prevent constipation and maintain a healthy digestive tract.

If you´re looking to try out other cray recipes with avocado, check out this page which shows you several ways to use this super fruit.

Many of you know that dark chocolate is good for us, but for those who don´t, let´s briefly check why dark chocolate is great:

  1. Nutritious – 100 gram of chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains: 11g of fiber, 67% of iron, 58% of magnesium, 89% of copper, 98% of manganese. It also contains phosphorus, zinc, potassium and selenium.
  2. Source of antioxidants– dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that are biologically active and function as antioxidants (e.g polyphenols, flavanols and catechins).
  3. Improves the brain function – some studies showed that 5 days of consuming high-flavanol cocoa improved blood flow to the brain. Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine, which is the reason why cocoa can improve brain function in the short term.
  4. Protects the skin against the sun – the flavonols can protect against the damage caused by sun, it can also improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration.

So what you should do now is to check this Chocolate Avocado Pie recipe and make this super nice dessert for you and your friends and family.

Chocolate Avocado Pie
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Nutritional Values per 1 cake: Calories: 99kcal Fat: 4g Protein: 5g Carbs: 19g
Servings Prep Time
12 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Chocolate Avocado Pie
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
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Print Recipe
Nutritional Values per 1 cake: Calories: 99kcal Fat: 4g Protein: 5g Carbs: 19g
Servings Prep Time
12 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
12 servings 5 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Recipe Notes

Preparation:

  1. Mix the oats in a blender until you get the oat flour.
  2. Place the oat flour into bowl, add cocoa, baking soda, salt and set aside.
  3. Blend bananas, avocado, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla extract.
  4. Pour this batter into the flour mixture and add chopped dark chocolate. Mix well.
  5. Place a parchment paper into a baking dish (I used round form, about 28cm, 11 inches). Pour the batter into it and bake for about 25 minutes under 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).

The picture before baking:

img_6837

Ready to eat 🙂

img_6839

I served it with the greek yogurt, which I mixed with 1 tsp of organic honey.

img_6843

 

Ricotta Chocolate Mousse – delicious afternoon snack

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Ricotta is a creamy white, mild, fresh cheese with a soft texture and a slightly sweet flavour. Traditional Italian cheese-makers originally produce Ricotta from whey left behind in the making of Mozzarella and Provolone. You can also make ricotta cheese at home by separating the whey from whole milk.

Good Ricotta is firm but not solid, and consists of a mass of fine, moist, delicate granules. It can be eaten with a little salt, pepper and fresh herbs, although it is more commonly used in Italian pasta dishes and desserts. It is delicious in salads, dips, or with Prosciutto and melon. Ricotta is a favourite in Lasagne, Cannelloni, and in all filled pastas such as Ravioli and Tortellini. As a dessert cheese, Ricotta works well with honey, fruit, or chocolate, and makes an excellent low-fat addition to cheesecake recipes. It goes well also with berries, tangerines, melon, bagels, sweet rolls, and light white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc.

It is quite fattening and high in calories; however, it has much nutritional value from the vitamins and minerals it contains.

Fat and Calories

100 grams of ricotta cheese contain 161 kcal and 13 g of fat,  out of which 8.3 g of fat comes from saturated fat, the type of fat that can mess up with your blood cholesterol levels and lead to an increased risk of heart disease.  Part-skim ricotta has obviously less fat and calories per serving.

Carbs and Protein

100 grams of ricotta contain 4.5 g of carbs and 9.2 grams of protein. Both of these macronutrients contribute to your energy needs. Fat-free ricotta provides you with slightly less protein and more carbohydrates than whole milk ricotta; so in this case it´s better to opt for the whole milk ricotta.

Vitamins and Minerals

By including ricotta in your diet it will boost your calcium intake; one serving provides you 51 percent of the daily value. Part-skim ricotta may contain slightly more, but fat-free ricotta contains much less. A serving of ricotta cheese will also provide you with 39 percent of the daily value of phosphorus, 28 percent of riboflavin, 22 percent of vitamin A, 19 percent of zinc and 14 percent of the daily value of vitamin B-12. Amounts may vary in part-skim and fat-free varieties.

Ricotta Chocolate Mousse
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The recipe below make 2 portions. Calories intake for 1 portion: 342kcal Fat: 22.5g Carbs: 27 g Protein: 16.5 g Sugar: 19g
Servings
2 people
Servings
2 people
Ricotta Chocolate Mousse
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The recipe below make 2 portions. Calories intake for 1 portion: 342kcal Fat: 22.5g Carbs: 27 g Protein: 16.5 g Sugar: 19g
Servings
2 people
Servings
2 people
Ingredients
Servings: people
Recipe Notes

Instructions

It´s very easy: Melt the dark chocolate, mix it with ricotta, add maple syrup or honey and mix altogether well.

Serve in a glass and if you like you can top it with walnuts or any kind of nuts you wish or even with a fruit.

Home made Twix Stick

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twix stick

The original Twix is super delicious treat, however, it is very caloric and not the healthiest either. Why not to experiment and create something that is equally delicious but better for your body?

The Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc, which consists of biscuit with other toppings and coatings like caramel and milk chocolate.

The original Twix Stick (58grams) has 286kcal and my home made Twix contains 179kcal (about 50g).

Sometimes not only the calories intake counts, but also the type of ingredients you use in cooking or preparing your meals.

Let´s compare the ingredients I used with the ingredients of the original Twix. Check it out below.

Original Twix (source):

MILK CHOCOLATE (SUGAR, COCOA BUTTER, CHOCOLATE, SKIM MILK, LACTOSE, MILKFAT, SOY LECITHIN, PGPR, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), SUGAR, ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PALM OIL, CORN SYRUP, SKIM MILK, DEXTROSE, LESS THAN 2% – SALT, COCOA POWDER, SOY LECITHIN, FOOD STARCH-MODIFIED, BAKING SODA, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

My Twix recipe

PEANUTS, PEANUT BUTTER, PROTEIN POWDER, MAPLE SYRUP, BAKING SODA, COCONUT OIL, DATES, CINNAMON, SALT, WATER, DARK CHOCOLATE

What do you think? It´s a little bit different, right? 🙂 Ready to try out the home made recipe? Check below!

 

Home made Twix Sticks
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1 Twix stick contains 179kcal
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 2 hours
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 2 hours
Home made Twix Sticks
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
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Print Recipe
1 Twix stick contains 179kcal
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 2 hours
Servings Prep Time
12 pieces 20 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 2 hours
Ingredients
Servings: pieces
Recipe Notes

Preparation

BASE: Put all ingredients into blender and mix well until it creates a mass. Place the baking paper into the small banking dish and transform the mass from blender into the dish. Press carefully with your fingers along the whole dish. Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes under 180 degrees celsius (356 Fahrenheit). After let it cool down and put aside.

CARAMEL: Soak the dates in a hot water for about 5 minutes until they get soft. Afterwards place them into the blender together with all ingredients for the caramel. Mix well and add water as necessary to dilute the mass. Spread the caramel on top of the baked mass.

GLAZING: Melt the chocolate together with the coconut oil in a pot. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and keep in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. Then cut into pieces and enjoy 🙂

And the result 🙂

twix stick

 

Chocolate & Lemon Curd Cheese Muffin

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You`ll love this Lemon Curd Muffins Recipe, but first check out some interesting facts about Curd Cheese.

Curd cheese or “Tvaroh” as we call it back at home (Slovakia)…known as Quark is made by warming soured milk until it gets curdled. In general, 1oo grams of curd cheese has only about 110kcal, 2.5 g fat, 4.2 g sugar and 18 g of protein.

Curd Cheese

Tvaroh or Quark can be used in various cuisines as an ingredient for appetizers, main dishes, salads, snacks or desserts. The cheese is most commonly used in these type of dishes: cheesecakes, sweet dumplings filled with quark, pancakes with quark, pierogi (dumplings), etc.

Curd cheese has some nutritional advantages:

  1. Great source of protein – Tvaroh contain casein, the main protein in milk and in cheese. The casein makes you fill full for longer time because it absorbs slower than normal protein.
  2. Slim down – Quark is definitely a great type of food if you are on a diet. Normally, milk products are not the greatest for your diet, however, quark is a great substitute of any type of yogurt
  3. Great snack – low in fat, high in protein

So check out the chocolate and lemon curd cheese muffins recipe below.

 

 

Chocolate & Lemon Curd Cheese Muffins
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The recipe will make 8 muffins.

CALORIES INTAKE: 1 Muffin 138kcal
Servings Prep Time
8 muffins 8 minutes
Cook Time
30-35 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 muffins 8 minutes
Cook Time
30-35 minutes
Chocolate & Lemon Curd Cheese Muffins
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
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Print Recipe
The recipe will make 8 muffins.

CALORIES INTAKE: 1 Muffin 138kcal
Servings Prep Time
8 muffins 8 minutes
Cook Time
30-35 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8 muffins 8 minutes
Cook Time
30-35 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: muffins
Recipe Notes

Instructions: 

  1. Preheat the oven for 180 degrees celsius (356 Fahrenheit)
  2. Melt dark chocolate. Be careful not to burn it, constantly stir while the chocolate is melting. Put aside
  3. In a blender place oats, curd cheese, baking powder, egg, stevia and melted chocolate. Mix well.
  4. On a baking dish place a baking paper and prepare muffin forms.
  5. Pour the dough you mixed in the blender into the muffin forms.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes

And the result will be fluffy delicious muffins 🙂

lemon curd muffins recipe

 

You can use ricotta cheese mixed together with 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice in case you don´t find the lemon curd cheese in your country. Just use your imagination 🙂

Let me know how you like this recipe.

Protein Chocolate & Curd Cheesecake

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Protein chocolate & curd cheese cake
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I was so excited to bake this cake. This is a healthier version of nice and juicy chocolate cake. I made up this recipe after I tried out the dough for chocolate muffins. I thought that the dough wasn´t too bad, so I tried the same one for this cake. In fact, the cake turned out even better than muffins.

As you can see on the picture above, the middle layer looks very chocolatey. And it indeed is! It´s very juicy, delicious, pleasant, not too sweet chocolate flavour! I just love it! Good thing is that it is quite filling! After one piece you won´t crave for more. At least it was my case 😛
Servings Prep Time
15 portions 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
15 portions 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Protein chocolate & curd cheese cake
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
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Print Recipe
I was so excited to bake this cake. This is a healthier version of nice and juicy chocolate cake. I made up this recipe after I tried out the dough for chocolate muffins. I thought that the dough wasn´t too bad, so I tried the same one for this cake. In fact, the cake turned out even better than muffins.

As you can see on the picture above, the middle layer looks very chocolatey. And it indeed is! It´s very juicy, delicious, pleasant, not too sweet chocolate flavour! I just love it! Good thing is that it is quite filling! After one piece you won´t crave for more. At least it was my case 😛
Servings Prep Time
15 portions 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Servings Prep Time
15 portions 10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: portions
Recipe Notes

Easy preparation:

  1. Mix all ingredients (except chocolate) together in a kitchen blender. Melt dark chocolate (add a little bit of milk if you want to make it a less creamy texture). Add melted chocolate into a dough mixture and blend well together.
  2. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit).
  3. Place a parchment paper on top of a baking dish (I used the size of 41x35cm/16x13inches). Pour the mixture into the dish and spread evenly. Place the dish into an oven and bake for about 15-20min until baked well (Try sticking a toothpick inside the cake, when it comes out clean, it´s ready).
  4. Mix the curd cheese (quark) together with yoghurt and stevia. Spread on top of the cake.  Slice strawberries (or any other type of fruit) and place on the top of the cake.

Cut the cake into square pieces and enjoy 😛

Picture credits: Hans