Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates are among the ranks of affordable and highly-accessible snacks that still retain an air of sophistication.

Each piece of Ferrero Rocher is individually packaged with a hazelnut and chocolate crust that reveals a chocolate mousse filling bearing a surprise whole hazelnut at the center. The textures are tantalizing, and the taste offers that sweet chocolate fix in just one pop. However, it’s hard to stop at just one, and soon you find yourself a handful deep, having done more damage to your diet that you bargained for. The following Ferrero Rocher remake is vegan and full of sweet satisfaction.

In one serving (3 pieces) of Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates, there are 220 calories, 150 of which come from 16 grams of fat, 5 of which are saturated, 3 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 grams of sugar and 17 grams of total carbohydrates. This is no surprise, considering the sweet snack’s ingredients list includes the likes of sugar, butteroil, artificial flavorings, wheat flour, whey and the leavening agent sodium biocarbonate. Except for the inherent nutrition of the whole hazelnut found at the center of each piece, Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates are doing anything but optimizing your health.

Luckily, the flavors of Ferrero Rocher aren’t so hard to mimic, and with ingredients that actually do your body good!

Homemade Ferrero Rocher Recipe

Makes 16

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 3/4 cup hemp protein powder
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• Dash sea salt
• 16 whole hazelnuts, plus 1/2 cup chopped for coating
• 1 bar 70% dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

In a food processor, blend the avocados, vanilla, maple syrup, protein powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Continue until evenly combined and smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use a spoon to scoop 16 truffles onto it. You do not need to shape them into well-formed balls yet. Push 1 whole hazelnut into the center of each. Place the sheet into the refrigerator to cool. While it cools, melt dark chocolate and coconut oil until smooth. After 15 minutes, remove the truffle scoops from the fridge and use clean hands to shape them into balls. Roll each truffle loosely in chopped hazelnuts, then cover completely with melted chocolate mixture. Place each truffle back onto the parchment paper and return the baking sheet to the fridge to cool. Serve after 20 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

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Photo Credit: GlowKitchen

The post Forget Ferrero Rocher, Homemade Hazelnut Chocolates are Better appeared first on EcoSalon.

What if I told you that you could have a chocolate cake in all its decadence and a welcome chocolate coma to boot without it interfering with your weight loss goals or putting a dent in your dietary lifestyle? This chocolate cake recipe is not only vegan but also packed with a good dose of veggies.

Before you cringe at the thought, rest assured that the vegetable component is none other than beets and the earthy taste and dense starchiness only adds more flavor and texture to what we have come to love chocolate cake for. Grab the forks and gather round, because one piece just won’t cut it. Enjoy!

Regular chocolate cake is full of offenders such as white sugar, white flour, butter, eggs, milk, and preservative-laden chocolate chips. So while the result may be delicious, it’s not the kind of chocolate cake that you can enjoy regularly or be particularly proud of in terms of nutritional stats. This chocolate cake recipe uses unrefined sugar – turbinado sugar – and replaces white flour with whole-wheat flour and spelt flour to up the ante of fiber content. The spices give an aromatic twist and the roasted beets are a surefire vegetable surprise. The beets have such a glorious color and its depth in flavor further accents the chocolate. Because of the beets, the chocolate cake retains a denser, moister texture that makes each bite feel naughty. This recipe is most definitely unique, but it is sure to be a crowd pleaser, especially when you reveal the “secret” ingredient.

Vegan Beet Chocolate Cake

Makes one 10-inch cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 large beets, baked
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

For the chocolate cream glaze:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash beets, remove their stems and wrap each in aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Remove beets, set them aside, and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chop the beets and add them to a food processor along with the liquid they gave off while baking that has collected in the foil. Add the vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Transfer the beet mixture to a large bowl and add the dry ingredients: flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pepper.

Stir until evenly combined, but do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the mixture into a lightly greased 10-inch round baking pan or bunt-cake pan. Put into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center is firm. Test with a toothpick in the center – if it comes out clean, it is done!

Set the cake aside and let it cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil and chocolate chips over a double broiler, stirring constantly. When serving each slice of cake, spoonful the mixture atop each slice before eating.

Image Credit: GlowKitchen

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The post Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe with Beets (And It’s Totally Yummy) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Despite its fruity content, apple pie packs a lot of unhealthy ingredients. That doesn’t mean you have to bamish it from your holiday menu, however. Just use our scrumptious vegan apple pie recipe instead!

One piece of a traditional 9-inch apple pie carries 81 milligrams of potassium and a good dose of vitamins A, C, and B6 as well as calcium. However, these benefits are overtaken by the average apple pie recipe’s darker side. That same serving also holds approximately 300 calories, 14 grams of fat, 4.7 grams of saturated fat (23% of the RDA), 333 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, and only 2 grams of dietary fiber. 

Being the legend that it is, there’s no need to completely change the face of apple pie, when cutting a few simple corners does the trick. This apple pie recipe is vegan and uses higher quality ingredients. The pastry of this apple pie recipe has a whole-wheat base and is free from eggs and dairy. Instead it is fattened up with coconut oil, which carries a few impressive health benefits all on its own. The filling avoids refined sugar and sticks to the brown-sugar-akin, minimally-processed turbinado sugar. Enjoy!

Vegan Apple Pie Recipe

Makes 1 pie serving 8-10 people

Ingredients:

For the Pastry Crust

• 2 ½ – 3 cups + 1-2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup coconut oil
• 1 cup nut milk (Make it yourself!)
• Coconut oil cooking spray (or any oil cooking spray)

For the Apple Filling

• 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
• 3 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour

Directions:

Put a layer of paper towels over a large baking sheet. Spread the apple slices evenly across the paper towels and set aside while you prepare the pastry. This helps to remove some moisture from the apples.

For the pastry, sift together 2 ½ cups of flour and salt in a bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the oil and milk. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until it clumps together. If too sticky, add another ½ cup of flour. Use clean hands to shape the dough into 2 equal-sized flat balls. Cover each in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Lay one dough portion on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle its top with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to the size of a pie dish plus a few inches – you want the dough to overlap the dish’s edges. Repeat with the other dough portion. Spray the pie dish with cooking spray and place one of the sheets of pastry into the bottom of the dish, making sure it sticks to the corners and sides.

Back to the apples — pat the apple slices dry with the paper towel — and place in a large bowl. Pour the lemon juice over the apples and toss with you hands. Mix the cinnamon, salt, sugar and whole-wheat pastry flour in a separate bowl before sprinkling over the apples. Use your hands to toss the apples with the cinnamon mixture. You want the apples to be evenly coated. Pour as many of the apples as possible into the pie dish, atop the pastry. Top the apples with the other pastry sheet. Use your fingers to pinch together the edges of the both pastry sheets, sealing the pie filling shut. Trim any excess edges with a knife.

Use the knife to slice a few decorative lines across the top pastry layer several times. This will allow steam to escape while baking and prevent bubbles. Sprinkle turbinado sugar atop the crust and line the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, keeping an eye on the pastry. You want a crusted, browned top, but want to avoid burning the pastry.

Related on EcoSalon:

21 Apple Recipes to Celebrate Late Summer and Early Fall

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Thanksgiving Dinner: The Glossies vs. Real Life                                        

Photo Credit: benimoto

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Apple Pie Recipe (+A Vegan Twist!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Springtime is special. The birds and bees are out and about doting over every gorgeous flower. It’s a vibrant, flavorful time of year; and for the sweet tooth, it’s the berry best vegan dessert time of year!

Who doesn’t love a good dessert? As a vegan, I’ve learned to do without, more often than not, those cakes, cookies, tarts and pies that are usually slathered in butter and full of eggs. I can skip the wintery fruitcakes, pumpkin pies and heavy chocolatey treats, but it’s not quite the same in spring.

Spring is full of so many seasonal yummy berries and fruits that make desserts taste light and fresh, especially when they’re vegan. They’re certainly nothing to feel guilty about…at least not that guilty, anyway. In fact, some of them can be a bit on the healthy side…although, it’s never an excuse to overdo it!

Where to begin? How about the most spring of all treats…

Rhubarb

It’s the sweet treat of the season. And while a fruity rhubarb pie is a must, consider some of these other options, veganized:

1. Strawberry and Rhubarb topped Sundaes

2. Poached Rhubarb

3. Rhubarb Sorbet

4. Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

Berries

Of course they’re perfect all by themselves…but sometimes we want to eat fancy foods.

5. Strawberry Shortcake

6. Strawberry Cobbler

7. Strawberry Pistachio Tart

Citrus

Citrus fruits are available year round, but their true season is winter through the end of May or so. And it’s a good thing because they make some of the best vegan desserts ever.

8. Key Lime Pie

9. Lemon Bars

10. Lemon Ginger Cookies

11. Lemon Cake

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: various brennemans

The post Tart, Sweet and Fresh: 11 Springtime Vegan Dessert Recipe Ideas appeared first on EcoSalon.

Foodspotting’s top pick for vegan pastries in Portland: Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pie.

We launched our Foodspotting channel last week, and since then we’ve gotten plenty of tips and recommendations for readers’ top locavore picks. In conjunction with our guides, Foodspotting is kindly highlighting their top recommendation from our list.

This week we’re featuring our Vegan Pastries in Portland guide – a list of eight mouthwatering vegan goodies in this sustainable foodie capital. Here’s Foodspotting’s top pick:

Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies @ Back to Eden Bakery Boutique

Whoopie pies were said to be the next dessert trend, and while these cream filled cake sandwiches haven’t taken the mainstream by storm quite yet, they have found a home in bakeries everywhere in a myriad of flavors to compete with the cupcake. At Back to Eden Bakery Boutique, an adorable bakeshop specializing in vegan-friendly sweets, the strawberry shortcake whoopie pie offers dessert lovers a summery treat free of all animal ingredients. – Amy Cao

– Spotted by Vegiegail

Check out the full guide and enjoy!

Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

The post Foodspotting Friday: Vegan Pastries in Portland appeared first on EcoSalon.