So, this recipe started off as a fluke, as all the good ones seem to do! I initially set out to make Elana’s cashew milk, because it looked so very easy. See, although I will make my own home made almond milk from time to time, I find its a bit labour intensive. And it really bugs me to buy nut milks that are FULL of preservatives and stabilizers and that darn soy lecithin. And Elana’s Pantry is pretty much awesome because her recipes are so incredibly easy (if you are just starting a GF diet, GO! you’ll be glad you did.)
Anyways, tempted by the sheer simplicity of her cashew milk recipe, I figured I would give it a shot. Which brings me to the deliciousness of the recipe that resulted from it…
I used my handy little magic bullet mini blender for the milk and it did the trick. The only thing was, I had to strain it to take out all the chunky bits. I stared at those chunky buggers. What the heck do I do with them? So, I threw them back into the blender and made a second batch of milk (which, by the way, is a gorgeous white colour, and is perfectly emulsified. No pics for you. I drank that sucker. It was delicious. Had a milky texture on my palate, and was very lightly flavoured. I sweetened it with vanilla and honey. Happy times.).
But the second batch of milk ALSO had chunky bits, just alot smaller. I was starting to think this might be a long night. And then I remembered Heather from YumUniverse, and her awesome Vegan Ricotta recipe. hm. This might just work. I’ve been dying to try it, it looks awesome. She makes spinach ravioli, and a really pretty vegan lasagna with it. Only thing was, I wanted something sweet…. and remembered being little at my parents cottage, hopped up on the couch over looking the river at night with my sister, eating bowls of chocolate ricotta my nonna had made us as a snack.
mmmm. chocolate ricotta. so. much. awesomeness. Thats what I did.
This recipe is a greaaaat higher protein, dairy free version of the original dessert. You might like to add a little agar agar powder to it to hold together a bit more, but I’m personally a fan of how simple this is.
Vegan Chocolate Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, covered and soaked in water over night
- 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp agave nectar (Non Vegan: I looove 1 tbsp honey with this, try it! I much prefer its flavour) Candida diet: use 4-5 drops stevia For other sweetener ideas visit here.
Directions
- Ok, so there are two ways to do this recipe. You can either soak the cashews whole over night, drain them, and blend with 3 cups of water to make cashew milk and strain the chunks, (and keep blending with more water till the chunks are as small as you like them), OR you can grind the cashews as finely as possible (coffee grinder works well) and soak them in 1/2 cup water, coconut milk, or rice milk over night.
- Using the leftover cashew bits, or the ground cashew, mix in the rest of the ingredients.
- Eat.
- yum. :D This would be delicious with pancakes, waffles, or on top of french toast… or as a dessert, add a splash of Frangelico or Amaretto or Galiano. … yumagain.