Ginger Turmeric Shake

Inspired by Detoxinista's Chocolate Cherry Shake (http://detoxinista.com/2013/04/cherry-chocolate-shake-vegan/) and a recipe for a turmeric tea (cannot find the link to the news story of my local Whole Foods Market).
1 very ripe banana (more brown than yellow), peeled and frozen
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of cayenne (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1/2 to 1 cup of water, depending on how thin you want your shake

Blend everything until smooth.
*It has been suggested that to black pepper assists in reaping the health benefits of turmeric.

Vegan, Sugar Free Persimmon Chocolate Cupcake

I have been experimenting with a black bean brownie/cookie recipe when I stumbled upon another brownie recipe using sweet potatoes instead of black beans. I had a basketful of persimmons (a family friend has a tree and is ecstatic to unload their harvest on us-- lucky me!), so attempted to replace the baked sweet potato with a somewhat firm persimmon. It didn't come out like I wanted so I opted for an all overly ripe persimmon recipe which makes this chocolate cake recipe very dense. 

Makes 2 cupcakes

• 1.5 cups very ripe persimmon flesh (I used Fuyu but I'm sure Hachiya would work as well)
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, powdered ginger
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

1. Melt chocolate in a pot with the persimmon pulp, mashing as you go to achieve a smooth consistency. If you want a very smooth texture, blitzi with an immersion blender/food processor.
2. After chocolate has melted, remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Add chia seeds, stir, and let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. After 15 minutes, pour the mixture into two ramekins or custard cups. Bake in pre-heated oven until set-- about 45 minutes. Let cool and store in the refrigerator. I actually liked this after a day's rest in the refrigerator. It was more pudding like straight out of the oven.