Raw Love Parfait for Valentine's Day (V + GF)

February 13, 2015

reading time: 1 min

Did you know that parfait is French for "perfect"? :)

Anyway -

This is super last-minute, but it's also super easy and quick to make, so here's another dessert recipe for Valentine's Day that requires only avocado, dates or bananas, cacao and fresh fruit such as pomegranate, strawberries or raspberries!

I call it "Raw Love" not only because the ingredients are raw, but also because they are said to spark romance and enhance sexual desire. A truly sexy combination of raw chocolate/cacao, pomegranate, banana, avocado (which derives from an Aztecan word meaning "testicle" hahah!), honey (symbol of procreation, Birds and bees ring a bell? ;)), cinnamon, Maca and chili flakes - all of which are supposed to have aphrodisiac qualities.

Dark chocolate for instance causes a spike in dopamine, which induces feelings of pleasure, Bananas with their phallic shape trigger testosterone production, and Chili peppers stimulate endorphins (the brain's feel good chemicals), speed up heart rate and make you sweat, which all mimic how you feel when you're aroused. Cool, isn't it? Or should i say: hot.

So get a spoon and feed this to your loved one ;)

RAW LOVE PARFAIT

Preparation time: 5 mins (+ ideally 30 mins refrigeration + ages to deseed the pomegranate, haha)
Main ingredients: cacao, avocado, banana
difficulty level: easy
serves: 2
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, nut-free, paleo, raw food, and delicious "even so"

Ingredients

Chocolate Pudding:
2 ripe avocados
1 ripe banana OR 1 cup soaked dates OR 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
4-8 tbsp raw cocoa powder (or carob) - i used 5 tbsp
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4-1/2 tsp chili flakes, depending on how spicy you like it (optional)
1 1/2 tsp Maca powder
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp honey (or maple/agave/rice syrup or 1/2 banana if vegan) (optional)
a bit of water, to your liking (optional) - you could use the water from soaking the dates

Parfait:
Seeds from 1 pomegranate (or around 1 cup strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pear, mango, banana slices...), fresh or frozen
Cacao nibs (optional)
Buckwheat groats (optional)

And... loads of LOVE of course ;)

Instructions

For the pudding, combine avocado, banana, cacao powder, honey, maca and spices in a blender or food processor (you can even use an immersion blender for this!) and process until smooth and creamy-thick. Add water as needed until smooth. I always love to add a pinch of cayenne, chipotle pepper or chili flakes to chocolate for some heat, as well as some other love boosting spices such as maca and cinnamon for a little kick, but that's totally up to you.

RANDOM NOTE: These creamy little Hass avocados are handpicked by my Dad when he went on a sailing trip two weeks ago and picked these from my great uncle's garden in La Palma, Canaries. Isn't that amazing? And look at the gorgeous dark rich chocolate pudding they make!!

Set aside the pudding in the refrigerator to chill. In the meantime, deseed the pomegranate. (this takes ages... the trick is to cut around the top - make sure you only cut the skin and not the seeds! slightly twist the top and pull it off. you should see those white "fibers" - cut the pomegranate skin from top to bottom along those fibers. now you can crack open the pomegranate and easily pick out all the seeds! it's even easier if you do this in a big bowl filled with water.)

Now, layer about 2/3 of the fruit at the bottom of a 2 (wine) glasses, then spoon the chocolate pudding on top. Top off with remaining pomegranate seeds or your fruit of choice and perhaps some raw cacao nibs, maybe refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve! It's love in a glass :) ♥

Guys, i'm so thrilled to be featured with this over on Rae Gun Ramblings. Thank you so much, Marissa! And check out the other featured chocolate recipes, the photos make my mouth water :D