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Valentine’s Day Desserts for the Vegan (or Non Vegan) in your life, by Meredith Hesse

As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches you might find yourself looking for the perfect dessert to compliment the amazing meal you just prepared for your loved one.  If the aforementioned loved one happens to be vegan, you might be wondering what you can make that is not a fruit salad.  Not to worry, I am here with a few suggestions that will leave even the non vegan in your life asking for seconds.

A website that I have found to be simply amazing, and can help you prepare the most amazing meals, not to mention desserts, is ohsheglows.com.  I know most of you reading this article are probably nodding your heads in agreement right now.  Oh She Glows offers a variety of vegan recipes from beverages to desserts, that even the most hardcore carnivore would like.  The author actually started creating her recipes with her non vegan husband in mind.  Angela Liddon’s dessert options on Oh She Glows are endless, so I picked a couple that seemed most appropriate for Valentine’s day.  If these don’t do it for you, check out her website for more ideas.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles

Yield 23-24 trufflesIMG_7346

Ingredients:

1 cup walnut halves, finely chopped and toasted

1 cup dried tart cherries

2 tbsp agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)

1.5 cups of your favorite vegan chocolate chips

3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (use the cream from the top of the can)

1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

12 drops red food coloring

1.  Preheat oven to 325F and toast the chopped walnuts for 12 minutes.  Set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, soak the cherries in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes.  Drain and add to food processor along with 2 tbsp of agave or other sweetener.  Process until finely chopped.

3.  In a medium sized pot, heat the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring as necessary.  Add in coconut milk and stir well.  Add toasted walnuts, cherry mixture, and almond extract.  Stir again until combined.  Now add kosher salt to taste.  The salt should give the sweetness a bit of a pop.  Add a touch more sweetener if necessary to achieve your desired taste.

4.  Spoon the truffle mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring every half hour.  After 90 mins, stir again and transfer bowl to the fridge for another 20 mins until chocolate is firm and workable.

5.  In a small bowl mix the coconut and food coloring together until pink.  When the truffle mixture is firm enough to handle, roll into small balls (you can use wet fingers if necessary-it will be very sticky!) and then roll into coconut mixture until you have about 23 balls.  Store in an air-tight container in the freezer or fridge (they will become very soft at room temperature).  They should keep for a couple weeks in the freezer in an air-tight container.  Place in a plastic baggy first to prevent freezer burn.

Chilled Double Chocolate Torte:  The No-Bake Version

No Bake Chocolate Crust:JJH_5769-1.jpg.662x0_q100_crop-scale

2 cups pecans

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Chocolate Avocado Mousse:

2 cups avocado flesh (approx 3 small avocados) pitted and scooped out

1/3 cup almond milk

2/3 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup + 2 tbsp chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy

Directions:

1. Crust:  Oil a 7-10 inch springform pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper.  In a food processor, pulse the pecans until crumbly.  Be careful not to over process them as you still want them a bit chunky.  Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and pulse until just mixed.  Scoop mixture onto prepared pan and press down firmly with wet fingers or spatula.  Pop into freezer to set while making mousse.

2.  Chocolate mousse:  Place all mousse ingredients (except chocolate chips) into food processor.  Process until smooth.  In a small bowl, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave and scoop melted chocolate into food processor mixture.  Process until smooth.

3.  Remove crust from freezer and scoop this mousse on top of crust.  Smooth out as much as possible and then place in freezer for 2 hours to firm.

4.  Once firm, remove from freezer and allow to sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving chilled.  Place leftover torte in the freezer wrapped and placed in a sealed container.

This torte should be served chilled as it gets soft at room temperature.

 

So there you have it.  A couple of great vegan and non vegan friendly desserts for Valentine’s Day.  I hope you have a great one.

 

Meredith Hesse :: Community Lifestyle Editor, Events Director
Meredith Hesse

Meredith teaches yoga, pilates, and private ballet and yoga instruction in Atlanta. When she is not teaching, she is practicing either at home or at one of the amazing yoga studios in the communities she discovers on her travels throughout the country. Meredith is also the East Coast Whole Sale Manager for KiraGrace, a women’s yoga apparel company. She cherishes her time with her her son, and satisfies her curiosities of life through reading, writing, and taking advantage of opportunities to explore the world. One of Meredith’s passions is venturing into communities to dine at local eateries. She shares her food reviews on the My Yoga Scene blog. Meredith loves being part of the global yoga community and enjoys planning events the help bring the growing community together. If you are interested in community lifestyle guest blogging, interviews, promotions, or event sponsorship and hosting, please reach out to Meredith here:  meredithhesse@myyogascence.com

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