Chocolate Superfood Matcha Mint Slice

*This Chocolate Superfood Matcha Mint Slice is Vegan, Raw, Paleo friendly, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Refined Sugar Free.

As always, I’m a little late to the party. In several ways: St. Patrick’s Day is in two days and this dessert is so perfectly green and festive and would be the perfect treat to serve – so of course I am posting it last minute. Also, Matcha has been soooo trendy over the last year or so and I’m finally trying it out for the first time.

WHY do I wait so long to give things a chance?! I’m never one to jump on food trends and I always end up dipping my toe in after they’ve been well established. Such is the case with Matcha. It’s been everywhere, it has the most incredibly gorgeous vivid grass green color and apparently I’ve just been off in lala land looking at every Matcha-containing post that passes my eyes thinking “that’s nice” and “how pretty” but never an ” I should give this lovely-ness a try”.

Well, I’ve finally gotten my act together and used the mighty matcha for the greater good: This Chocolate Superfood Matcha Mint Slice.

This baby starts of with a crust of crunchy walnuts and chocolate, sweetened and held together with Medjool dates. Next, it’s layered with a rich, firm & slightly bitter ganache that makes the perfect base for a layer of sweet, earthy, fresh Mint and Matcha mousse. The mousse is broken in to two layers, the top given a darker green color thanks to the mermaid-esque qualities of Spirulina.

I went a little ‘Jackson Pollock’ on the top of the slice with Raw Cacao Powder ,  Matcha powder, and Spirulina .
 I would totally recommend topping your slice this way as it is complete FUN, but you can also simply dust the top with a little cacao powder.

You’ll notice that the recipe calls for Chia Powder. I did not buy this, but simply made my own by grinding chia seeds in my Vitamix down to a powder. You can buy the powder, if you like, but it’s easy to make at home, yourself. White chia seeds would be best, but black will work just as well (I used black seeds because that’s what I had on hand). The powder simply helps to bind the mousse mixture together, as chia seed powder has a gel-like quality.

Another note-worthy step in this recipe is the blanching and shocking of the mint leaves.  This helps them to keep their vibrant green color and fresh minty flavor. It only takes a few minutes to do but will up the quality of your overall dessert. I wouldn’t have even known about this little trick if it hadn’t been for the incredibly talented Alana, who mentioned it in this inspiring post (seriously, I read this post and had to try blanching and shocking mint for myself, and right away. It works like a charm).

I know this is a dessert, but have you ever seen something packed with so much goodness?! I put superfood in the title because not only does it feature antioxidant boasting matcha powder, but it also gets a bolster from chia seeds, spirulina, and raw cacao powder as well. Lets not even get started on the other ingredients (hello cashews! Walnuts! Coconut Oil!  Mint and Chocolate are the perfect combo and this dessert marries the two in the most nutritious way possible.

Remember: The ingredient list isn’t as extensive and overwhelming as it seems at first glance! Many of the ingredients are used several times over. They are simply broken down into sections for each component of the dessert like the crust and filling portions to make it easier to understand.

More Raw Desserts:

Raspberry Rose Mini Cheesecakes with Pistachio Crumble

Raw Sunflower Butter Cups

Black Bottomed Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Cheesecake

Mostly Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffle Tart

Chocolate Mousse

Raw Key Lime Cheesecake with Coconut Macadamia Crust

Chocolate Superfood Matcha Mint Slice

 

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This slice is made in a standard sized loaf pan. If doubling the recipe the slice can be formed in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan.

Serves: Serves 8-12

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 4 Medjool Dates (pits removed)
• ¼ cup Finely Shredded Dried Coconut
• 1¼ cup Walnuts
• pinch of Salt
• 1 tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder
• 1 teaspoon Coconut Oil
• Ganache Filling:
• ¾ cup Dark Chocolate Chips (60-70% cacao content - look for a brand that doesn't use refined sugars, if possible)
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
• ½ cup Coconut Milk
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla
• Mint Filling:
• 1 cup Cashews, soaked overnight
• ⅔ cup Coconut Oil, liquefied
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla
• juice of 1 small Lemon
• 5 tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 4 tablespoons Water
• ¾ teaspoon Matcha Powder
• ½ cup Fresh Mint (lightly packed)
• 1 tablespoon Ground Chia Seeds
• ⅓ teaspoon Spirulina Powder
• Cocoa Powder, for dusting

Instructions

1. For the Crust:
2. Line a standard sized load pan with parchment paper (or plastic wrap).
3. Place the dates, coconut, walnuts, salt, cacao powder, and coconut oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with an 'S' blade. Process until the mixture is crumbly and nuts are about the size of coarse ground sugar. Mixture should stick together when pressed down upon.
4. Scrape the crust mixture into the lined loaf pan and press it down into an even layer (I like to use the back of a spoon to do this, if helps keep the mixture cool and you can easily press down around the sides of the pan). Place in the freezer.
5. For the Ganache:
6. Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Heat on medium, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla. Pour the mixture on top of the frozen crust , tap on the counter to level the ganache, and place back in the freezer.
7. For the Mint Filling:
8. Heat a small saucepan of water to boiling. Fill a small bowl with ice water.
9. Place the mint leaves in a fine mesh sieve and pour the boiling water over the leaves until they just begin to wilt. Immediately plunge the leaves into the ice water. Let them sit in the water for 30 seconds.
10. Gently give the leaves a squeeze to remove excess water and place them in a high speed blender along with the cashews (make sure you drain them first!), coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice, maple syrup, water, and Matcha powder. Blend until the mixture is very smooth and the mint leaves have been pureed so finely that you can no longer see them. If your blender is not powerful enough to do this you can run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the bits of mint leaf and then pour it back in the blender.
11. Add the chia powder to the blender and process until combined. Pour half of the mixture on top of the chilled ganache layer and tap it on the counter to level. Place the pan back in the freezer.
12. Add the Spirulina powder to the remaining mixture in the blender and process just until combined. Once the Matcha layer has set, remove from the freezer and pour the dark green mixture over the top, tapping one more time on the counter to level. Place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes, or until set.
13. Remove from the freezer and store in the fridge, covered, until ready to serve. When you are ready to serve the dessert, dust a little cocoa powder over the top (you can add in a few sprinkles of Matcha powder and Spirulina as well, if you'd like to get the look shown in the pictures). Remove the slice from the pan and peel back the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8-12 slices.
14. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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