Healthy and chocolate aren't words that often appear in the same sentence. It's a shame. Notwithstanding the well documented health benefits of a regular dose of the 'food of the gods' (the subject of one of our previous blogs), we believe there is nothing more healthy than allowing yourself the occasional indulgence. Sometimes only chocolate will do. There's no point, and no need, to deny it.
At FareHealthy this year, we were delighted to be joined by a number of delicious chocolate brands: Raw Halo, Ohso, Raw Health, Well + Happy, and the wonderful Pana Chocolate.
Founded in Melbourne, Pana is all the good stuff: handmade, organic, free from diary and gluten, made without refined sugars, and entirely vegan. Plenty of reasons to like it.
We love it because it tastes delicious.
So we were really excited when Pana told us that they knew about more than just chocolate. Their recently published cookbook is packed with recipes using raw and organic ingredients without making any sacrifices when it comes to flavour. And lucky for you, they let us share one of them right here.
All we can say is, any breakfast that includes panna cotta sounds like a breakfast we want to be at.
On the Beach Breakfast "Pana" Cotta
"Light, summery and oh-so-tropical, this breakfast panna cotta will transport you to warmer climes. Just add tropical fruits to make the perfect dish for weekend brunch, or transform into an indulgent dessert with raw cacao powder and luscious mixed berries."
Serves: 5
Time: 5 mins prep, make at least 1 day in advance, allow 24 hours for dehydrating
Equipment: bain-marie, high-speed blender, 5 moulds or serving glasses, dehydrator
For the panna cotta:
100g cashews, soaked
50g coconut meat
50ml rice malt syrup
50ml coconut water
Zest of ½ lime
50ml coconut oil (melted over a bain-marie)
Mixed tropical fruit or berries, edible flowers, baby herbs, to serve
For the coconut crumble:
100g coconut chips
50g nut flour
50ml coconut nectar
To make the coconut crumble, pulse the coconut chips in a food processor to break up slightly. Pour into a bowl and add the nut flour and coconut nectar. Massage the coconut nectar into the dry ingredients until evenly coated. Allow the mixture to clump together. Place on a mesh dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 40°C (104°F) for 24 hours. Store in an airtight container.
To make the panna cotta, blend the cashews, coconut meat, rice malt syrup, coconut water and lime zest in a high-speed blender until very smooth. Fold in the melted coconut oil.
Pour the mixture into the desired moulds or serving glasses. If you will be serving the pana cotta straight from the glasses, leave in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until set. If you are using a mould, set in the freezer for at least 4 hours (check that it’s super firm) before unmoulding.
To assemble, peel, cut and dice the chosen fruits. If unmoulding, place the pana cotta in the middle of a serving bowl or plate and scatter fruit and coconut crumble around it. If leaving in serving glasses, sprinkle the fruit and coconut crumble over the top. Garnish with baby herbs and/or edible flowers.
Pana Chocolate: The Recipes is out now.