I love finding recipes for healthy sweet treats. I found a few below that don't contain sugar, gluten and dairy, but they're still yummy! Plus they're green so they are perfect to whip up this St. Patty's Day weekend. Indulge in these without feeling guilt. Take a look at a few below or click HERE for more!
Ingredients
- 2 medjool dates, pitted
- 1 Avocado
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup ice cubes (or more, add to desired consistency)
- ½t. peppermint extract or 1 T. fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. This makes a very thick shake. If you would like a thinner consistency, add more ice cubes just a few at a time.
- 1 (13.5oz) can full-fat coconut milk – must be the canned type
- 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp pure peppermint extract
- pinch pure stevia OR 1 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste
- optional: 1/8 tsp spirulina or a few drops green food coloring (I used spirulina)
- optional: chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
Instructions:
Open the coconut milk, and if it’s not already super-thick, leave the can in the fridge overnight. (Don’t shake the can before you open it.) The coconut milk should get very, very thick. (Every now and then, you may unfortunately encounter a can that just doesn’t have enough fat content and therefore never gets thick. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen Organic. Or, if you can find coconut cream at an Asian market or Trader Joe’s, you can use that instead – it will work every time! A hint is to shake the can when you’re at the store. If you can hear the liquidy contents swishing around, it’s probably too thin to work for this recipe.) Once thick, transfer only the thick and creamy portion to a bowl and whip in your sweetener with a fork, or with beaters if you want to be fancy and get stiff peaks like real whipped cream! (I used a Magic Bullet for the frosting shots in the photos.) Best to store frosted cupcakes in the fridge, or frost at the last minute, so icing stays firm.
Mint Chocolate Chip Cashew Cream Cake
Crust:
- 10 medjool dates
- 1 1/2 cups raw nut(s) of your choice (pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia or any combination of these will work, too)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder (regular cocoa powder will work, too)
Filling:
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight, or at least 4 hours)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid state
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (honey would also be really nice, just not vegan)
- 4-6 tablespoons water (you may want a little more if it is too thick)
- 1/2 cup organic coconut cream (as is, or scooped from the top of a chilled can of organic coconut milk)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 2 large handfuls organic baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1/4 cup vegan mini chocolate chips (I like thisbrand)
Optional for topping:Whipped coconut cream
Instructions:
**DO AHEAD** Soak the cashews overnight the night before you are making this. If the dates are really dry and hard, soak them for about 1 hour before you make the crust.
Line the bottom of a round 9″ springform pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process the nuts, salt, coconut, cacao powder until you have an almost flour-like consistency, leaving some bits of the nuts make for a nice texture. Add the dates and pulse until combined into a sticky and chunky mixture. You aren’t looking for this to be smooth, you should still see flecks of dates and the raw nuts. Press mixture into the prepared springform pan, then cover with plastic or foil and freeze until ready to use.
Once the cashews have soaked, discard the soaking water, give them a quick rinse and add the cashews to the container of a high speed blender or food processor. Add the coconut cream, coconut oil, maple syrup (or other sweetener), vanilla and water. If the mixture is too thick, add just a little more water, one teaspoon at a time. It should be a very thick mixture so don’t add too much. Add the fresh mint, mint extract and baby spinach, adding a little more water if necessary. It should be smooth and creamy and you will see some small flecks of green. Once blended, pour the cashew mixture over the crust, cover in plastic wrap or foil and freeze overnight, or until solid. Once the filling has set a bit, sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top.