Shelley Alexander’s Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Truffles
11
It is DAY 14 of "Gluten Free Vegan Recipes with Breville" and we celebrate our Breville USA Sous Chef Food Processor Giveaway with the fabulous Shelley Alexander from A Harmony Healing. Shelley is a friend of mine from Women Of The Green Generation and I just adore her! So, I just had to to include one of her fabulous easy recipes in this event.
Shelley is a Holistic Chef, Certified Healing Foods Specialist, Recipe Developer, Food Writer, Blogger, and Healthy Living Consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. Shelley has a Culinary Diploma in Culinary Arts from The Los Angeles Culinary Institute, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and Finance. She’s also a certified Food Safety Manager by The National Registry of Food Safety Professionals®.
Shelley has worked in the food industry for over 15 years. She was the Executive Chef at The Stinking Rose Restaurant, in Beverly Hills; has held Executive Chef Positions with some of the top catering and event planning companies in Los Angeles; and ran her own successful catering company, Escapade Events, from 1997 to 2008, providing global cuisine to clients including top charities and corporations.
In 2010, Shelley started her new company, A Harmony Healing in Los Angeles. This Holistic Food, Nutrition, and Wellness Company was inspired by Shelley's personal struggle with weight gain, digestion, and energy issues. After healing her body holistically eating organic, nutrient-rich healing whole foods and whole food supplements, Shelley was encouraged to use her knowledge, joy, and passion to help empower others to make similar changes for optimal nutrition and vibrant health.
A Harmony Healing provides Health Consultations, Alcat Testing, Cooking Classes, Workshops, Radiance Wellness Parties, and Company Health Seminars to help you rejuvenate and heal your body. She also shares delicious recipes. Some of my favourite include: Baby Kale Raspberry Salad with Nectarine Balsamic Dressing, Broccoflower Lemon Jasmine Soup, and the Chocolate Hemp Chia Ice Cream. There are also fantastic healthy living tips for natural beauty, fitness and wellness, and green issues.
Shelley’s first healing foods cookbook, DELICIOUSLY HOLISTIC will be released in November 2012. With over 154 easy, nutrient-rich recipes, and gorgeous colour photography, it provides readers with the basic tenets of holistic cooking; and includes whole food definitions, healing foods, digestive health tips, a shopping guide, seasonal menus, cooking tips, guidance on the best superfoods, and recommended resources.
Shelley has a penchant for creating delicious, healing recipes made with organic, nutrient-rich, sustainably grown whole foods that increase your energy, strength, and immunity. Shelley's tasty creations will show you that healthy eating can be FUN! These delectable truffles are just one example of her simple, yet creative cooking style. These are SO easy to make in your food processor, and are very popular.
Check out A Harmony Healing and see why Shelley Alexander ROCKS!
Shelley, thankyou for graciously sharing your wonderful recipe as part of this event. I love you xx
Learn about Shelley Alexander at A Harmony Healing
Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+
Shelley Alexander’s Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Truffles
- ¾ cup sprouted or raw walnuts
- 1 cup raw cacao powder
- ⅛ tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp pure alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 1 cup organic maple syrup-grade B
- ¼ cup melted raw cacao butter or virgin coconut oil (see below)
- 2 drops essential food grade orange oil (optional)
- 1/2 cup unsulphured dried cranberries (reserve for later use)
- Place walnuts in Sous Chef® food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse until chopped into smaller pieces.
- Set aside to use later to roll the truffles in.
- Wipe food processor bowl and S blade with a damp towel, dry well, and place back on base.
- Place cacao powder, sea salt, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, melted cacao butter or coconut oil, and essential orange oil if using in bowl of food processor.
- Pulse until truffle base is well mixed and smooth stopping to scrape down sides of bowl if needed.
- Pour truffle base in bowl and stir in cranberries.
- Cover and freeze for 2 hours until firm.
- Scoop out truffles with a large teaspoon or melon baller and form into round 2-inch balls.
- Roll truffles in chopped walnuts to cover completely and place covered in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Remove and enjoy.
- Truffles last for up to 2 weeks stored in the freezer.
- *Note: Using raw cacao butter makes a softer creamier truffle than coconut oil. I prefer the cacao butter but both taste great!
- Makes 10-12 Truffles
Learn about Shelley Alexander at A Harmony Healing
Follow on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+
Piggy Cooking Tips
selecting the best raw walnuts
Raw unshelled walnuts are widely available in pre-packaged bags as well as bulk bins. Always purchase from a supplier where there is a high turnover to ensure freshness and quality. Look for walnuts that are uniform in colour. Avoid the limp and shrivelled ones. Walnuts should smell nutty and sweet. If they smell musty or rancid they are bad. Walnuts are extremely susceptible to rancidity due to their high polyunsaturated fat content. To preserve the precious oils, store walnuts in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to six months. Always soak walnuts before using to remove the enzyme inhibitors and make them more digestible.
Weight
Volume
Temperature
Cooking
Hungry piggies may also like
Piggy Grunts!
Add Your GruntThis recipe of Raw Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Truffles is very good for sweet lovers but follows a gluten-free diet. I love inventing different recipes for dark chocolate. Anything with dark chocolate goes the best for me.
I absolutely agree with you about the dark chocolate Gluten Free Hampers! When you enjoy desserts that are nutrient-dense and gluten-free they are health promoting rather than health depleting.
Here Here! I agree. Yes! This recipe is a WINNER for Gluten Free Vegans. YUMMO!
I was wondering whether the walnuts should be soaked or not. If they are sprouted, they would be soaked, but then sprouted and dehydrated? Important to know so it doesn’t ruin the texture methinks!
Hi Joe, I prefer sprouted walnuts in my recipe. You can soak walnuts in water and then dry until crispy at low temperature in the dehydrator and use in the recipe. If you don’t have time to do this, use raw walnuts. Raw walnuts do have anti-nutrients but are a better choice than commercial roasted walnuts.
Thanks for responding Shelley. Enjoy these truffles Joe. They are DELICIOUS!
Walnuts equilibrate at less than 6 % moisture, which frees them from water activity. Walnuts baked at normal temperatures do well and do not burn.
Hi Tess,
I’m truly honored and thrilled to be a part of your Breville USA Food Processor Giveaway in the company of so many talented and truly amazing people! All of the recipes shared look and sound so fantastic and I thank you for including me and my chocolate truffles!
Love and Light,
Shelley
Shelley, it was a joy celebrating you and your wonderful recipes. Thankyou for your wonderful support of this event. xxx