This treat of the week is from The Yoga Kitchen
by Kimberly Parsons – seductive chocolate and maca quinoa pops
At Healthista we’re still feeling the International Yoga Day on the air, and this recipe from The Yoga Kitchen is a magically delicious dessert that will feast your mind and energise your body.
Despite the title, the book is for anybody who wants to reach a synergy between body and spirit with vegetarian and gluten-free recipes that will bring a bit of the yogic philosophy into your kitchen. Her recipe book, titled ‘The Yoga Kitchen’ follows yogic philosophy and combines food and holistic health as a way to connect our energy, mind and body through the food we eat.
For this dessert, she has chosen the herb maca, which, according to her, will work on the endocrine system to balance hormones in both men and women, increasing sexual desire. Maca can be added to your everyday diet and what better way than a cheeky indulgent chocolate quinoa pop? Puffed grains can be used such as millet or buckwheat and the pops are best eaten from the refrigerator.
If you want more indulgent but guilt-free dessert recipes, come back every Friday for a ‘Treat of the week’.
Chocolate and maca quinoa pops
Ingredients
- 120ml (4fl oz/½ cup) melted coconut oil
- 120ml (4fl oz/½ cup) coconut nectar, raw honey or pure maple syrup
- 60g (2¼oz/½ cup) cacao powder
- 40g (1½oz) maca powder pinch of salt
- 80g (3oz/1½ cups) puffed quinoa (or other puffed cereals such as rice, spelt, buckwheat, millet)
- 80g (3oz/½ cup) roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 40g (1½oz/ ¹⁄³ cup) dried unsweetened cranberries, roughly chopped
- 40g (1½oz/¼ cup) raw pistachios, roughly chopped
Method
- Place the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of sweetener of your choice and combine. Now add the cacao and maca powder, plus the pinch of salt and whisk until the mixture forms a loose paste. Remove from the heat.
- Add the quinoa puffs, and stir to combine, making sure all the ingredients are coated in the chocolate paste. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
- Line a 15 x 20cm (6 x 8in) baking tin (pan) with baking paper (parchment paper) and scoop the batter into it. Use the palm of your hands to press everything loosely down into the tin.
- Now sprinkle the hazelnuts, cranberries and pistachios evenly over the surface and, using the palm of your hands again, press everything together tightly and evenly to roughly 2–3cm (¾–1in) deep. Leave to cool, then place in the refrigerator to firm for 30 minutes.
- These bars will last for 1 week in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Kimberly Parsons is the owner and founder of The Retreat Cafés, which offer health conscious vegetarian food and yoga studios in London. She also caters for detox programmes and runs yoga retreats around the world. Kimberly is a trained naturopath and chef and all her recipes are focused on holistic health.
The Yoga Kitchen by Kimberly Parsons, by Quadrille, £ 20
READ MORE:
Treat of the week: Iced yoghurt lollies
Chia pudding recipe with passionfruit and almond butter
Easy chocolate bananas recipe – healthy treat of the week
Healthy truffles recipe: Coffee, cacao and coconut balls
9 Best tasting vegan chocolate bars with ridiculously pure ingredients
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