Serves 2
Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or mixed with other seeds)
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tblsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 dried dates, with stones removed
1 apple
a few strawberries and a teaspoon extra coconut to decorate
Method
Grind the seeds in a food processor or blender. Add the coconut, cinnamon, cocoa and dates, and process briefly until mixed. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core and stalk, but don't peel. Cut each piece in half, and add to the food processor or blender, and process until fairly homogenous.
You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor, depending on its size. With a large one, it may be easier to double all the quantities. However if there are still pieces of recognisable apple or date, it's not a problem.
When it's mixed well, place in a serving dish or tin, and press down firmly. Sprinkle a little coconut on the top, and some halved strawberries, then put in the fridge for an hour or two.
This doesn't cut like a cake, but makes a fairly firm dessert.
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Many years ago, I read the book Raw Energy: Eat Your Way to Radiant Health
by Leslie and Susannah Kenton. I was quite inspired by their insistence that we should eat 75% raw foods, and for a while we followed at least some of the ideas in it. One of their recipes, carob and apple cake, can be found if you scroll down this page about raw eating. I recall making it a few times, but we weren't all that keen on carob powder. Moreover, we found the raw system quite difficult to sustain. So gradually we eased away from it.However, today I wanted to make something quick and reasonably healthy as a dessert. I paged through the book wondering if I could adapt one of the raw cake recipes for two of us, and spotted this one. I didn't want to make the whole thing - the recipe as given would serve six people - so I used just one apple, and very roughly scaled down the other ingredients.
I didn't have any sesame seeds, and didn't have very many sunflower seeds, so I mixed the sunflower seeds I had with some flaxseeds (linseeds) and that worked well. I used cocoa powder rather than carob; it doesn't have as many health properties, but we like the taste better.
While the amount was a bit too small for my food processor, and I had to scrape it down several times, it eventually turned into a fairly homogenous mixture, which I scooped out and pushed into a small dish.
It only had about an hour in the fridge, but set quite well and came out of the dish in tidy portions. It was very good, and the quantity exactly right for two of us. It's neither low-calorie nor low-fat, but is grain-free, has no added sugar, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
