Dessert in the Raw

If I ate as many dried fruits and nuts and seeds as I would like to it would be in the pounds and I would be one hefty vegan. That's not to say I don't partake in a rolled coconut date once in a while. When my body craves dried papaya, or dates, or figs, or roasted pumpkin seeds I give in and give moderation a whirl. I'm not particularly fond of moderation, myself. Doing everything in moderation is extremist and once in a while I'd like to gorge myself on nut butters.
On the way home from LA  last week, we bought some dried pineapple rings.They looked like pineapple. They smelled like pineapple. They tasted like a pizza box. We soaked them in OJ which kind of killed the dried fruit thing they had going, but at least the rings were edible, and we upped the "C". 

I love me some raw food. Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley still rocks my boat. Their raw Caesar salad made with nut Parmesan and raw croutons is delicious and fresh and their cashew coconut  almond shakes are tasty and not too sweet. The cocoa nib truffles although delicious are the size of a thumbnail and one would have to trade in their solar powered car to buy a satisfying amount. Last time we were at Gratitude their service sucked. I think we waited an hour for my salad and none of the wait staff ventured near our table to tell us what was up. What the hell takes so long, anyway? Everything is served at room temp. Maybe the dehydration machine was on the blink.


I could never be a raw foodist or nudist foodist all the time. I like high temperatures and blackened broccoli and hot coffee and baked goods that are well uh baked. Those dehydrators piss me off too. I get too thirsty as it is. Still I had to give making raw food a shot. I will definitely make this again.

Me and Mo made these raw brownies on the one sweltering day we had recently. Look how the Rice Dream ice cream is melting.

In The Raw Brownie Adapted From http://therawtarian.com/

1 C walnuts

1 C dates

5 T cocoa powder

4 T shredded unsweetened coconut

2 T agave nectar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Place walnuts in food processor and process until the walnuts become small and crumbly.

2. Add dates and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture turns a dark chocolaty brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.)

4. Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or 8 by 11 cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands.

5. Refrigerate for an hour or more. You do not have to refrigerate it, but it's much easier to slice when chilled.

Remember summer is coming , and it'll be hot so you'll want to eat these brownies in the raw, I mean... Oh you know what I mean.