Cilantro and Arugula Pesto
Paleo, Salads, Vegan
…aka Coriander and Rocket Pesto. Either way, it’s amazingly good. Peppery, tangy, fresh, and SO worth varying from the basil norm. This is the first year I’ve tried growing veggies…
INGREDIENTS
To make 4 large sized cups
For the raw chocolate:
6 tablespoons coconut butter*
2 tablespoon softened coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa (or raw cacao)
1 tablespoon raw honey (or maple for vegans!)
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
Pinch pink salt
For the raspberry filling:
1 tablespoon coconut butter*
2 tablespoons crushed freeze dried raspberries
3 tablespoons raw honey
Coconut butter: I use this instead of just coconut oil because they hold up a lot better out of the fridge/freezer than if you make them just with coconut oil. I like to make my own because it’s a TON cheaper than buying it pre made. If you want to make it yourself I recommend using 1/2 lb coconut as it’s easier to grind with a little more than what you’ll use in this recipe. Just take unsweetened desiccated coconut/coconut flakes and blend them in a food processor. Then keep on blending. It might take up to five minutes but keep stopping and scraping down the sides till you have a smooth runny liquid, and that’s your freshly made coconut butter! Pour it into a bowl ready to use. If it starts to harden you can just set the bowl in another bowl filled with hot water till it softens up.
DIRECTIONS
Start by making the raspberry filling by just combining all the ingredients together in a bowl! Then spoon the mixture onto parchment paper in 4 blobs and put them in the freezer for about 15+ minutes. They’ll begin to firm up enough to be moldable, and then you want to form them into 4 rough disk shapes. Put them back in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
Then for the chocolate cup, using soft coconut butter, mix the butter, oil, salt and vanilla together in a bowl (or in your food processor) until they’re nicely combined. Slowly and carefully add in the cocoa to the bowl until you get a thick liquid chocolate mixture that you can just pour. If it’s too solid you can warm it a little to soften the oil and butter again so that it’s pourable.
Pour a tablespoon into each of four muffin cases. Press the raspberry disk into each one so that it sinks in slightly but doesn’t touch the bottom of the muffin case. Top the raspberry with just enough chocolate to cover it – about 3/4 tablespoon. To finish, crumble some freeze dried raspberry over the top and pop them in the fridge to cool down.
When you pull them out of the fridge to munch on, just give them a couple of minutes and the centre will be gooey and runny with the outside still having bite. (…or just dive in and they’re equally good, but I love the runny soft middle!)
