YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Winter 2015)

GLORIA CABRERA, APD Gloria is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Personal Trainer who loves food, nutrition, cooking, fitness and helping others enhance their health. She works in private practice where she sees clients for weight loss, pre and post weight loss surgery, and chronic health conditions (e.g. diabetes, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome). Learn more about Gloria at www.nutritionsavvy.com.au or visit n4foodandhealth.com Chocolate mousse cake with vanilla cashew cream Gloria Cabrera shares this tantalising chocolate mousse cake recipe. Ingredients Cake 1 cup cooked black beans (or chickpeas if you prefer) 1½ cups almond meal (buy the already mealed version or make meal yourself with almonds – just grind almonds to a powder in a food processor) ½ cup cacao or cocoa powder ¼ cup cocoa butter or oil 3 eggs or chia eggs (see recipe below) ½ cup mashed banana ½ cup stevia powder or preferred sweetener ½ cup chopped nuts (e.g. ¼ cup walnuts and ¼ cup pecans) ½ cup chopped dates Method 1 2 Grease and line a round pop-up baking tin with baking paper (use oil spray on the tray and paper). I used a 20cm to 25cm-diameter tin that was about 8cm high. 3 Add all cake ingredients except the chopped nuts and chopped dates into a food processor and process until smooth. Fold in the chopped nuts and dates but don’t process these. Pour cake mix into prepared baking tin. Place in oven for 15 minutes then put an aluminium foil over the top, to avoid burning, bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes. The cake is still soft when done but hardens as it cools. 4 While cake is baking make the cashew cream. Place all cashew cream ingredients into a food processor and process until it gets as smooth as it can. Place in the fridge until use. 5 Allow cake to cool and then pipe cashew cream on cake or serve on the side. Vanilla Cashew Cream ½ cup soaked cashews (soak overnight or for at least four to six hours; this makes about ¾ cup when soaked) 1 tablespoon coconut oil 2 tablespoons of your preferred sweetener 1 tablespoon vanilla essence or extract 2 tablespoons preferred milk (e.g. almond, coconut, soy, rice or dairy) Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Note: Before you judge, give this cake a chance because you can’t actually taste the black beans and it gives the cake a nice fudgy texture as well as added nutrition like protein and fibre! This cake is delicious but also suitable for those on a gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, lactose-free diet and can be made egg-free and vegan by using chia eggs (refer to the below recipe). How to make chia eggs To make one chia egg, place one tablespoon of chia seeds in four tablespoons water and let sit for five to ten minutes (until it gels). To use this instead of eggs in the above recipe, multiply this quanity by three. 12 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE WINTER 2015

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