Vegan Chocolate Truffles You'll Want To Eat Every Day

With the perfect smooth and rich filling, these Chocolate Truffles satisfy even the most sinful chocolate lover’s taste buds! They're beautiful enough to make as a statement piece for after dinner but also easy enough to make at home any night of the week.

Chocolate Truffles

Makes 20 to 24

Ingredients for the Truffle Base

• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup cacao powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 fresh Medjool dates
• ¼ cup dried Bing cherries
• 1 medium ripe avocado

Preparation

1. Process all dry ingredients together until a flour-like consistency in the food processor. Add pitted dates and cherries. Process until dough turns into ball.

2. Add remaining ingredients and process until an even consistency.

3. Roll into bite-size balls.

Ingredients for Chocolate Shell

• ¼ cup refined coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons yacon syrup*
• ¼ cup cacao powder

*Yacon is a liquid sweetener that is low glycemic (scores a 1 on the glycemic chart) and is high in fiber. You can find it on Amazon or at Whole Foods.

Preparation

1. Mix all wet ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Add cacao powder and whisk until well-blended.

2. Dip truffles into chocolate with a fork and place onto a plate lined with parchment paper. Top with your choice of goji berries, coconut, peanut butter drizzle, or any other fun combos you can come up with!

3. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes; serve and enjoy. Extras can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Helpful Hint: Be sure to buy fresh dates that are soft and chewy. This is what helps make the filling extra smooth. If you make this recipe with dates that are slightly out of season, you will find the texture a little less fudge-like.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-23734/vegan-chocolate-truffles-youll-want-to-eat-every-day.html

Chocolate treat.

Indulge Without Bulge

Add: 1/2 oz dark chocolate and 1 dried fig (106 calories)
Subtract: 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter at breakfast and 1 tsp olive oil and the raspberries at dinner (106 calories)

Daily total: 1,503

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/flat-belly-eating-plan?page=5

Foods to Prevent Gray Hair.

Are you on a ruthless routine hunt for gray hairs? Get this — there’s often more to the cause of those pesky grays than simple genetics. Did you know that a number of nutritional deficiencies can actually cause your hair to lose its luster? Reach for foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals to maintain your colourful tresses and enjoy an ample dose of additional health benefits.

1. Leafy Greens

Reach for dark leafy greens to get your essential B vitamins. Your scalp relies on Vitamin B-6 and Vitamin B-12 for the production of red blood cells which transport oxygen and nutrients. Hair colour is also all about hormones and Vitamin B-2 is an important player in hormone production.

2. Chocolate

Copper is essential to the production of melanin — the source of hair colour. As such, copper deficiencies can cause hair to gray. To load up on copper, reach for a sweet treat. Semisweet chocolate packs the power of copper; additional copper-rich foods include lentils and mushrooms.

3. Salmon

Salmon is often touted for its health benefits so it is of little surprise this seafood staple provides a healthy hair essential. The selenium found in salmon helps regulate the hormone production essential to healthy tresses. This trace mineral fights free radicals to boot.

4. Berries

Berries and strawberries in particular — are a delicious way to get an extra boost of Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps produce collagen (found within hair follicles) and fight free radicals which have been linked with the aging process. Additional antioxidant vitamins include Vitamin A (think orange and yellow fruits) and Vitamin E (go for nuts and beans).

5. Almonds

For an on-the-go boost of Vitamin E and copper, reach for almonds. They’re an easy snack to combat the mid-meal munchies and a number of studies suggest that almond consumption can help lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. 

http://www.healthdigezt.com/foods-to-prevent-gray-hair/

Frozen Banana Ghosts.

Ingredients

* 200g bar white chocolate (supermarket own brand Belgian is good), broken into chunks    
* 4 medium-large, ripe bananas    
* 85g desiccated coconut (you won’t use it all)    
* Handful dark chocolate drops

Method:

1. In a small bowl, gently melt the chocolate either in the microwave – in short bursts on high or over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). Set aside for a moment while you get the bananas ready.

2. Peel the bananas, cut in half, and push a lolly stick into the middle of each piece. Spread the coconut out in a shallow bowl. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment, and make sure there is room for the tray in the freezer. 

3. Using a pastry brush, coat a banana half in chocolate, letting excess drip away. Sprinkle with plenty of the coconut until coated, then set it on the prepared sheet. Now add two chocolate eyes and a mouth, and if you like, cut a few little eyebrows from the chocolate drops too. Freeze the lollies for at least 4 hrs, and up to a week.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/frozen-banana-ghosts

Crunchy Chocolate-Dipped Apricots.

Dress up dried fruit for just pennies and Crunchy Chocolate-Dipped Apricots. The bite-sized treat is perfect when you're craving a taste of sweetness and easy to grab on the go! Less than 100 calories.

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup sliced almonds
    3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
    7 ounces dried apricots (about 18)

Preparation

    1. Place almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan often, until nuts are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; chop finely when cool.
 
    2. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a small pan. Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over simmering water. Let stand until chocolate is almost melted, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and stir chocolate until smooth.
 
    3. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Working one at a time, dip about 3/4 of an apricot into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Gently dip chocolate-covered part of apricot into chopped nuts and transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apricots, chocolate and nuts. Place in refrigerator until set, at least 20 minutes. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Dark Chocolate Mulled Wine Sauce.

Dark Chocolate Mulled Wine Sauce.

This dark sauce takes advantage of chocolate's affinity for red wine. Dutch process cocoa lends the
sauce richer chocolate flavor than regular unsweetened cocoa. Store in the refrigerator for up to
one week. Less than 100 calories.

Ingredients:

1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine

1/2 cup sugar

1 sachet mulling spice blend

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped.


Preparation:

Combine first three ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Discard sachet. Add cocoa and corn syrup, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Simmer 2 minutes; remove from heat. Add chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows.

Leave the s'mores to the kiddos. Treat yourself to fresh marshmallows dipped in chocolate and topped with sweet and savory delights like coconut or pistachios. Less than 100 calories. As for topping you'll pick, the options are as broad as your imagination.

Ingredients:

12 marshmallows

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

3 tablespoons toppings (such as chopped pistachios, shredded coconut, and crumbled graham crackers)


Preparation:

Dip half of each marshmallow in the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off, then sprinkle with your desired toppings.  Serve immediately or chill unfirm firm, about 20 minutes.