by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

All the main ingredients of this luscious treat are on our aphrodisiac list. So for romantic purposes, how can it go wrong? Oats, maca, almonds, bananas, avocados, and of course let’s not forget the chocolate. Oh and you can count the raspberries too if you use them as a garnish. Meltdown indeed.

“Wait a second,” you say. “Avocado? In chocolate fudge? Seriously?”

Don’t freak out. Avocado can be an amazing chameleon, blending right in with the other flavors—even enhancing them—and it helps give this seemingly decadent (but secretly healthy) dessert its silky texture.

If avocados are not available, you can substitute with two more bananas.

While we can’t really call our Silky Meltdown low-fat, we think we can call it good-fat, all coming from veggie sources, and with no added oil.

This recipe makes a large quantity of about 24 – 30 2×2-inch pieces, because the fudge freezes so well that you’ll probably want to squirrel away some of it for additional romantic occasions in the weeks/months to come, and/or wrap it prettily to give as gifts.

🙂 Diva Tip ~ We had fun using heart-shaped cake cutters in various sizes. Or you can just slice with a sharp knife into rectangles or squares in sizes of your choice. The taste will be great, no matter the shape.

🙂 Diva Tip: Want additional recipes for a yummy, healthy, romantic vegan feast? Click here for a four-course menu, recipes links, and a little article about who inspired it. Hint: Rescue Diva’s hunni and hero.  😉

🙂 Diva Tip: Read Diva’s fun info about 24 Aphrodisiac ingredients for a romantic vegan feast.

SILKY CHOCOLATE ALMOND BANANA FUDGE MELTDOWN (romantic vegan recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup unsweetened or semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

1 cup slivered almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Optional: 1/2 cup maca powder

4 ripe bananas, medium size

2 ripe avocados, medium size (or 2 extra bananas)

1/8 – 1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup (amount depends on how sweet you like to go)

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Silky Chocolate Sauce:

1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon vanilla

If needed: 1/8 to 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk (sweetened or unsweetened, depending on your taste)

[These ingredient quantities make about ¾ to 1 cup of sauce, enough for 2 heaping helpings of the fudge.]

Accompaniment:

½ to 1 cup of prepared vegan “ice cream,” such as Coconut Bliss or Tofutti

Garnish ideas:

Chocolate chips

Slivered almonds

Fresh mint sprigs

Raspberries

Banana slices

Instructions:

1. By hand with a fork or whisk, or in an electric mixer or food processor, thoroughly combine the flour, cocoa powder, maca powder (optional), baking powder, and baking soda.

2. By hand with a fork or whisk, or in a blender, mixer, or food processor, blend the bananas, avocados, agave nectar, and vanilla just until smooth.

3. Slowly add the wet banana mixture to the dry flour mixture, whisking or blending thoroughly as you go to prevent lumps.

4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

5. Pour batter into a lightly oiled and floured 13×9-inch baking pan, or two 9×9-inch pans.

6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Insert a knife into the middle of the fudge to test it. If it’s clean or if only a few crumbs cling to the blade, your fudge is ready. If it’s still too gooey, give it another 5 minutes. Make sure not to overcook, as it will be dry and not very fudgy. A bit of gooeyness is not bad thing in this case.

7. To make the Silky Chocolate Sauce, place the chocolate chips in a small pot on your stovetop at a low setting. Stir constantly as the chips melt. When thoroughly melted, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. If the sauce seems too thick, slowly drizzle in the almond or coconut milk till it reaches a creamier consistency.

8. Arrange fudge pieces on serving plates, scoop on the ice cream, drizzle generously with Silky Chocolate Sauce, garnish, and enjoy!

🙂 Diva Tip ~  If the fudge has cooled, reheat it just before serving for that decadent gooey “meltdown” effect.

🙂 Diva Tip ~ You can make the sauce in advance, but be aware that it starts to solidify very quickly as it cools (witness the top photo above–I couldn’t snap the picture fast enough!), so you’ll have to either keep it on your stovetop or in the oven on a warm setting, or reheat and re-melt just before serving.

Makes about 24 – 30 squares of 2×2 inches

Bon appetit from Rescue Diva!

ROMANTIC VEGAN FEAST—MENU 

(click each dish’s name for recipes)

Zesty Vegan Aphrodisiac Appetizer Dip Platter

Perky Vegan Sweet Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions, Ginger, and Curry

Sultry Vegan Stack of Eggplant, Squash, and Mushroom with Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto-Coulis

Silky Chocolate Banana Almond Fudge Meltdown

Fun info:  24 Aphrodisiac ingredients for a romantic vegan feast

HELP US SAVE ANIMALS — just $2 ! Rescue Diva depends on sales of our romantic fiction to help create real-life happy endings like those of Claire, of Noble, Granger, and Raza, and of Rhea and her Earthquake Puppies.

Enjoy a fun read, spice up your life, and help replenish our rescue fund!  🙂

Rescue Diva proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world. For example:

~ We help Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) in Greece provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla.

~ We donate to Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE), Praying for Paws, Southern California Siamese Rescue, Aniplant (Cuba) and many other groups.

~ We do in-the-trenches rescues of angels like Robin, Chance, and Tiger, with help from San Diego Animal Support Foundation, and of Marisol and Lisa, with help from Last Chance at Life.

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Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, Animal Issues Reporter.com, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).

Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press), coming soon in digital format!