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Vegan Protein Chocolate with Cacao Powder [easy, quick, healthy] + More Chocolate Dessert Ideas

This Vegan Protein Chocolate recipe šŸ« with Cacao Powder is so easy and quick to make, with minimal ingredients, that anyone can make it at home within minutes! This recipe not only yields market-like yummy chocolate bars, but also is so versatile and can be used for so many other chocolate dessert recipes, some of which I have shared below. Additionally, it is a lot healthier chocolate than what we buy from the market having a higher protein content and good fats.

The last week Iā€™ve been experimenting a lot with homemade chocolate recipes. My goal was to make a healthy chocolate, easy to make and requiring so less time and ingredients that whenever I get a craving for chocolate, I can quickly make it at home! So after a lot of mediocre and failed recipes, I have finally succeeded at making chocolate at home which is vegan and have wayyy healthier ingredients than what we buy from the market and is so easy to make its unreal! šŸ˜‰

Vegan Protein Chocolate with Cacao Powder [easy, quick, healthy]

Coconut oil is a great substitute for Cocoa Butter in this recipe as Coconut Oil has a tendency to solidify, keeping our chocolate in shape. Also it is healthy and widely available. Addition of Peanut Butter increases the protein content of the chocolate along with other vitamins and minerals. It can also be substituted for Almond Butter which is also very high in protein. Using Cacao powder instead of Cocoa powder is also a healthier choice to make as it has more content of protein, fiber, magnesium and iron. Although if it is not easily available, Cocoa powder can also be used.

The biggest benefit of making chocolate at home is that the sweetness can be controlled very easily. The quality of sweetener must be a natural one if we are looking for a healthy chocolate and hence in this recipe of Vegan Protein Chocolate, we are using maple syrup as the sweetener. And don’t forget that pinch of salt. It really helps enhance and bring out the chocolate flavor in the recipe! šŸ˜‰

Watch recipe here

Yield: 9 servings
Time: 30 min
Calories: 48.51kcal (per serving)

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 48.51kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.81g | Protein: 1.10g | Fat: 3.84g | Sugar: 1.44g | Sodium: 1.11mg | Vitamins: B,E,K | Minerals: Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Manganese

INGREDIENTS 

2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tbsp Peanut Butter, plain
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
2 tbsp Cacao Powder
Salt, a pinch

DIRECTIONS

  1. Put a pan on very low heat and add Coconut Oil
  2. Once it melts, add all other ingredients and mix
  3. Keep mixing until everything is well combined and has a chocolate sauce like consistency
  4. Pour into chocolate molds and keep in the freezer to set for at least 20 mins
  5. Once set, demould and enjoy! šŸ˜Š
Vegan Protein Chocolate with Cacao Powder [easy, quick, healthy] + More Chocolate Dessert Ideas šŸ«

I also played around with the remaining chocolate by dipping some strawberries into it and freezing those as well! They turned out really really good.

Strawberries in Vegan Chocolate

Also I made myself some almonds poured with chocolate sauce.

Almonds poured with Vegan Chocolate Sauce

Now you can go crazy here. There are so many possibilities. you can create different kinds of chocolate like I did ā€“ vanilla flavored by adding some vanilla essence, orange flavored by adding some orange zest, cashew covered in chocolate, strawberries covered in chocolate ā€“ sky is the limit!

And with the remaining chocolate sauce in the pan, that I didnā€™t wanna waste, I decided to make this thick hot chocolate! So I put it back to medium heat, added some soy milk and instant coffee. Stir it until well combined, then transfer to a mug, and decorate with some vegan whipped cream and chocolate chips! And just like that you have made yourself a cafĆ© style thick delicious hot chocolate!!

Thick Vegan Protein Hot Chocolate
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Taco Tempeh Salad [with Avocado Cashew Dressing]

Taco Tempeh Salad is an extremely flavorful and nutritious salad, loaded with vegan protein and pairs really well with the Avocado Cashew dressing. I love Mexican cuisine especially tacos and quesadillas. There are so many similarities between Indian and Mexican cuisine in terms of ingredients and spices used. The Taco Tempeh salad recipe that you will find below is made with keeping in mind its meal prep friendliness. Since we are making it in a jar, you can put it together ahead of time and it will last in the fridge for upto 4 days.

But it is very important to layer the ingredients in the right order for it to last long and feel as delicious as freshly made salad. The right order means layering the wet or water rich ingredients at the bottom and as we go up we layer the dry or crispy ones. This is done so that the excess water do not flow down and make the entire salad soggy.

Taco Tempeh Salad [with Avocado Cashew Dressing]

The Avocado Cashew dressing in this recipe is very rich and creamy, eliminating the use of any oil. We are also using Nutritional Yeast in the dressing to make it more cheesy tasting and give it a boost of Vitamin B12. It has juice of one whole lime and a whole bunch of Coriander leaves, which are all the ingredients that give Mexican food its life! They brighten up our salad by bringing in lot of freshness.

All the different vegetables used are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. Black Beans and Tempeh are our Vegan Protein here. Tempeh is very rich source of protein and Vitamin B12. A combination of Spinach and Butter Lettuce ensures the presence of antioxidants and Vitamin K in the meal.

Yield:Ā 2 servings
Time:Ā 15 min
Calories: 358.08kcal (per serving)

Watch recipe here

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories:Ā 358.05kcalĀ |Ā Carbohydrates:Ā 36.88gĀ |Ā Protein:Ā 25.73gĀ |Ā Fat:Ā 15.48gĀ |Ā Sugar:Ā 7.47g |Ā Sodium:Ā 904.88mgĀ |Ā Vitamins: A,B,C,E,KĀ |Ā Minerals:Ā Potassium, Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Manganese

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup Butter Lettuce
1/2 cup Spinach
1/2 can Black Beans
1 cup Tempeh
1/2 cup Tomatoes
1/2 cup Red Onions
1/2 cup Red Bell Peppers
1/2 can Corn

For the Taco flavored Tempeh,


1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Tamari
2 tbsp Water
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

For the Avocado Cashew Dressing,


1 handful Cashews
1 medium Avocado, ripe
1/2 cup Soy milk
1 Lime Juice
1 cup Coriander leaves
1 tbsp Nutritional yeast
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. The night before, soak the cashews in soy milk and keep it in the fridge. This will soften them up for the next day and the dressing will become creamier.
  2. Rinse, drain and chop all the vegetables.
  3. Rinse and drain the corn and black beans.
  4. Rinse and cut the Tempeh into bite-sized pieces.
  5. Heat up the olive oil and sautƩ the Tempeh until brown.
  6. Mix the remaining flavorings together and add into the pan.
  7. SautƩ until all the marinade is absorbed. Keep it aside to cool down.
  8. Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender and blend until it becomes a smooth paste. Adjust any flavoring, if needed.
  9. To assemble in a jar, add the dressing first, then tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, black beans, tempeh and salad leaves
  10. You can eat it right away or keep it in the fridge for upto 4 days. Mix the ingredients before eating and enjoy! šŸ˜Š
Taco Tempeh Salad [with Avocado Cashew Dressing]