chocolate peanut butter tofu pie

 A vegan friend made this pie for me more than 20 years ago, and it became a favorite though I haven't made it in many years.  I've been craving it for over a year, and I gradually acquired the ingredients, and boom I just made it.  i plan to have a slice tonight and then to slice them and stash with parchment paper in the freezer, to pull out a slice from time to time when I want a rich treat.  

There are a lot of iterations of this but I just wanted to dump things in and not add sugar besides the chocolate.  So here's what I did.

 Ingredients

• a graham cracker pie crust 9" (or another type of crust that goes well with chocolate and peanut butter)
• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips (I got them from Trader JOe's, 10 oz)
• 1/2+ cup of natural peanut butter  
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 box of silken tofu (mine was about 10.8 oz I think it said) 

Melt the chocolate chips at 30 second increments and stir until melted.  Put all ingredients into a food process and combine.  

Pour into the crust and let chill a few hours before serving. 

cocoa hemp hearts bites

 I somehow convinced myself to get a very large bag of hemp hearts at Costco, and I need to use them up.  So, this recipe for cocoa hemp hearts bites caught my attention.  They're quite tasty, especially with the cocoa doubled and adding some vanilla and salt.  I like the coconut taste and texture, and the peanut butter is there but not overwhelming.  I made about 26 of them, which I'll freeze and take out from time to time to keep a stash in the fridge when I'm wanting a treat.  Edit: continuing to change up the proportions.  Below is latest incarnation. 

Cocoa Hemp Heart Bites

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup hemp hearts 

1/2 cup flaked or shredded coconut

1/2 cup cocoa powder

 

10 - 12 pitted dates

1/2 tsp vanilla

a bit of salt if the nut butter is unsalted 

3/4 cup peanut butter (or alternate nut butter) 

Using a food processor or heavy duty blender, blend together the oats, hemp hearts, coconut, and cocoa.  Next add the dates, vanilla, and optional salt, pulsing until they break down. Add the peanut butter and pulse until well incorporated. 

 

Roll the dough into small balls (bites!), and freeze or refrigerate. 

energy balls

 I'm on a no refined sugar, no refined grains, no industrial seed oil kick, and it's making eating tough.  A stop at Whole Foods led me to something like these, and I'll make my own from these ideas.

Chocolate energy balls from here.

• ¼ cup raw almonds, or other unroasted nut of choice
• ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 2–3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 10 ounces medjool dates
• 1–2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Place almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oats, ground flax seed, and cocoa powder. Pulse until well combined.

Add dates and pulse for 30 seconds, or until mixture is combined and crumbly. Drizzle 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil over mixture and pulse for a few seconds, or until the mixture is sticky and holds together. If still crumbly, add more oil and pulse again.

Roll into 24 1-inch balls and place in a baking dish or on a tray.

Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until firm. Enjoy immediately, or keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

 

Strawberry energy balls from here

• 1 cup dates without pits
• 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 T chia seeds

coconut flakes, as desired

Slice dates and strawberries, chop almonds.  Put everything (except coconut flakes) in food processor and blend until almonds are finer but not paste.  Put in the fridge for an hour, then shape into balls and roll in coconut.

 

Peanut butter energy balls with extra protein and fiber

• 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
• 1/2 cup (125g) smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 cup (180g) white beans, rinsed and drained
•  7-8 medjool dates, soaked (or more if deglet noor)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  
• Soak dates 5-10 minutes in warm water.  Pulse oats in food processor until like flour and remove.  Process PB, beans, and dates.  Then add in vanilla and oats, and form into balls. 
•  

Chocolate date energy balls

• 1 1/2 cups (162 g) pecans or walnuts  
• 1 c (188 g) dates, pitted (if not soft, soak in warm water 5-10 minutes)
  
• 1/4 c (24 g) cocoa powder (or 1/3 c)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt

Grind nuts until a fine meal, then add the rest of the ingredients to food processor until sticky and uniform.