Recipes Archives - Sana Direct

Raw Cacao Avocado Ganache in Ramekins with spoons and rasperries

Theobroma cacao may translate as ‘Food of the Gods’ but chocolatey, rich desserts are not just for supernatural beings. We mortals deserve them also, and preferably without that strange waxiness that commercial offerings sometimes have. Raw cacao avocado ganache? I think so!

This dessert uses our raw cacao powder, which along with being packed with antioxidants, feel-good theobromine and other healthy phytonutrients, is very strong in flavour. You can expect a serious chocolate experience with this semi-sweet dessert, so we’ve put some notes at the bottom of the recipe for toning it down if you’re not quite ready for the zero-to-100 cacao hit.

With those disclaimers in place, here’s our favourite avocado ganache recipe!

Print Recipe

Raw Cacao Avocado Ganache

A rich tasting, healthy dessert that is brimming with antioxidants, healthy fats and beneficial phytonutrients

Prep Time30

Refrigeration Time30

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Avocado, Raw Cacao

Servings: 6

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

4 Large Avocados
3/4 Cup Sana Direct Raw Cacao Powder
100 grams Coconut Oil Melted
1/4 Cup Liquid Sweetener Maple Syrup, Runny Honey, Rice Malt Syrup etc.
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Instructions

Melt your coconut oil on low heat in a saucepan
Scoop the flesh from the avocados and blend to a smooth paste in your processor
Add the cacao powder, salt and vanilla and blend in
Pour in the melted coconut oil while the processor is running, then add the sweetener, stopping for taste tests. See the notes for sweetener options
Put the finished ganache into six serving dishes or glasses and let them set in the fridge for about 30 minutes
Serving options include whipped cream, fresh berries, a sprinkle of cacao nibs or drizzle of syrup or even liqueur

Notes

Click here for Sana Direct Raw Cacao Powder

Customisations:

This dessert is very rich, but not very sweet so you can customise it to suit your palate. To reduce the intensity of the cacao flavour, either reduce the amount of cacao powder or swap it it out for a dutch cocoa powder.

You can replace one or two avocados with large bananas. This will reduce the need for extra sweetener.

Date paste (dates soaked then blended in your processor) can be used in place of the liquid sweetener.

Enjoy!

It may not last, but at the time of writing, avocados are pretty affordable (unlike during last years avocadopocalypse) so we’re making the most of them in many ways, including raw cacao avocado ganache. If you do try this recipe, the resulting dessert keeps well in the fridge for up to five days, but will become firmer with time.

Happy eating!

Related Products

Raw, Organic Cacao Powder, 500 grams

$32.95

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We consider traditional probiotic sauerkraut, made the Austrian way, as one of the must-haves for health and holistic living. However, many people don’t eat it because it’s expensive to buy, and seems very tricky to make. But it’s not hard. Making probiotic sauerkraut is deceptively easy.

Fear not!

“Making sauerkraut is deceptively easy”

But what are the benefits? Here’s our top five.

Traditional sauerkraut is a broad spectrum probiotic
The fermentation process increases quantities of anti-carcinogenic compounds such as glucosinolates and ascorbigen (ref)
It stores well and is a reliable source of nutrients when you should have gone shopping but didn’t want to
It provides some vitamin C, which is a vitamin we are passionate about – not as much as raw cabbage per dry weight, but sauerkraut is very compact
It’s quick and easy to make. Let’s do it!

Print Recipe

Traditional Probiotic Sauerkraut

Learn how to make this tasty probiotic classic for optimal gut health

Prep Time30

Fermentation Time21

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: Fermented Vegetables, Sauerkraut

Servings: 2 Jars

Equipment

Large Bowl
Two sterilised jars (~300 ml capacity each)

Ingredients

10 Cups Finely chopped white cabbage (one large or two smaller cabbages)
1 tbsp Salt

Instructions

Please see the short video in this blog post for a visual of how the various steps should look. The video uses a food processor for the chopping procedure but the process is the same from that point.
Pull any grubby outer leaves off your cabbage, reserving two clean ones for stopping the jars later
Finely chop your cabbages into thin slices and drop loose handfuls into a bowl. Your total weight of chopped cabbage should be about 800 grams.
Sprinkle the salt through the chopped cabbage and let it sit for 5 minutes
Start picking up, squeezing and dropping handfuls of cabbage. The cabbage will start out crisp and become softer and more watery as you continue. If you are unsure how this should look, check the video
Pack your kraut into clean jars, top up with the brine that you just squeezed from the leaves, and stop down the jar with a cabbage leaf so that the kraut is not exposed to air
Lid the jar and let it sit for at least a week in a warm place. Comfortable room temperature is fine. Peak fermentation occurs by week three, so at that point, or when the jar has been opened, transfer to the refrigerator.
Once refrigerated, sauerkraut can last up to six months. To prevent contamination or drying out, re-lid the jar after each use.

Notes

Traditional sauerkraut often includes caraway seeds, which imparts a slight flavour to the kraut, and adds trace minerals. Caraway seeds are also supposed to be anti-parasitic, if you’re worried about that! If you wish to add some tasty caraway seeds they can be sprinkled in at any stage of the process.

You can also substitute some of the cabbage for other veges: grated carrot or courgette are common. You might add some red cabbage for extra phytonutrients. Red cabbage sauerkraut has a lot more vitamin C than sauerkraut made with white cabbage but tends to be crunchier, so you could do that or you could just stick with the white cabbage and top up with some of our Ascorbic Acid?

Extra Viewing

If you prefer a visual for your first adventure into traditional probiotic sauerkraut, have a look at the short video below. We did our best to make it sharp and to-the-point, which was extremely difficult given all the travel stories we have that involve fermentation discoveries.