Do these brownies make my butt look big?

Nope.  And you're gonna love 'em...the brownies and what they do for your buns.  You'll love the instant gratification of brownies that are ready to eat in about 10 minutes.  Love turns into lust when you don't have to fire-up the oven.  Yep - they're raw.  Not the raw brownie batter that you scarf down straight out of the bowl while baking traditional brownies; raw like 'unadulterated, pure ingrediented, non-ovenated-nutrient-robbing, chocolate treat goodness.

I will never lie to you.  Especially about food.  :)  Eating raw food is healthful, exciting, adventurous and fun, but it is an acquired taste.  It isn't accurate or fair to compare traditional 'anything' with its raw counterpart.  Many do, but I don't.  It is much better for me to set the expectation that the raw version will be different.  I plug the benefits into my brain before I let the taste buds become judge and jury.  The trade-off in calories alone may be just enough to set the stage.  Read on.

I love chocolate.  Seriously.  Stranded-on-an-island-and-can-only-pick-one-food kind of love.  Okay, maybe some fruit, bread and wine too, all pair well with chocolate...I digress.  The traditional brownie is delicious beyond compare, but packs about 160 calories (give or take, without frosting) per serving.  Okay, so you say, "Big deal.  It's an every-now-and-again treat..."  Definitely.  This recipe offers the option to have a couple of 'bites' that you just pop into your mouth and feel like you've had your 'fix' for about 65 calories each.  Nice.    

Now, make them.

 














Raw Brownie Bites

1 C Raw Pecan Halves

1/2 C (packed) Medjool Dates

3 Tbs Dark Cocoa Powder*

1/4 tsp sea salt

Yield:  16 Bite-Sized Pieces

Place nuts in a food processor and pulse nuts to a very fine powder consistency.  Add the cocoa powder and sea salt to the processed nuts and pulse until blended.  Add the dates and process thoroughly.  The mixture will appear 'crumbly'...don't despair.  This is what you want. 

Test the consistency of the 'brownie' mixture by squeezing about a tablespoon in the palm of your hand.  If mixture holds together, you're there.  If it doesn't hold together, add a few more dates and process again.

Roll a tablespoon portion between your palms to form a ball.  I like to flatten the balls to form a square that more resembles a true brownie.  Garnish and refrigerate!

Garnish Options:  Light cocoa powder, walnut halves, coarse sea salt, powdered sugar, pecan halves, raw unsweetened coconut or goji berries just to name a few.  

Variation Options:  Raw cashews or walnuts as your base instead of pecans or a combination thereof.  I prefer the taste of pecans as the base, by far.  You can add a few drops of pure orange extract for a mandarin fudge-flavored treat.  Wow is this good.  Doubling the recipe has not presented any challenges.

*Hershey makes a Special Dark 100% cacao powder (unsweetened) that is available at most grocery chains.  Remember, the darker the chocolate and the higher percentage of cacao, the better it is for you.

My new KitchenAid food processor is my favorite appliance.  We'll talk more about it another day.  Enjoy your brownies and please come again!

 

Good Will Hunting

Waste not want not.  Who comes up with these sayings?  And in what language?  I interpret that to mean 'don't waste what you don't want.'  I say, please DO waste what you don't want!  If you do, then people like me get to go and BUY it!  I will happily re-purpose your cast-offs.  I'm not talking garage sales here.  I'm talking about air conditioned, carpeted retail space.  Shop at your local Good Will Store or Salvation Army Store.  No kidding.  

Put your pride away and get your keys!  I'm not suggesting that you root through piles of used underwear; stay with me.  This is good stuff.  Just like any other store, 98% of the items for sale are of no interest you.  It's the 2% that you're after.  You just don't know what you're shopping for until you see it.  Go with an open mind, tiny budget and accomplish great things.  Like any other shopping trip you embark on to find treasures for your home, you may leave empty-handed.  You have to leave, go back, leave and go back again.

You may not have a Good Will or Salvation Army store in your area, but I'll bet you have a thrift store of some sort.  Some of the more 'colorful' mom and pop thrift stores present more of a shopping challenge and tend to smell a bit like your Grandma's basement, but press on.  

Would you walk away from a brand-new pair of Nine West leather cowboy boots for $17.00 on clearance at Saks or Macy's?  I think not.  I ran (quarterback-style) straight to the cash register at the Salvation Army Store and bought those puppies.  Actually, I was willing to pay $34.00 for them, but it so happened that I was a thrift Rookie and didn't know that Wednesdays are 1/2 off of clothing and shoes at that particular location!  Keep the change.

How about a large piece of furniture for your foyer?  Say, in black, with a storage bench-seat, hooks for coats and stands 5 feet tall?  Sounds pretty, huh?  Have your visual?  Good.  Ballard Design or Pottery Barn calls that 'The Beadboard Entry Cabinet' and would kindly ask that you pay around $800.00 plus S & H; please, and thank you.  If the piece had a French name or something that sounded like an $800.00 treasure, that'd be one thing.  Back on Planet Earth, our Salvation Army Entry Cabinet was $99.00.

If I haven't quite been able to create a convincing visual to drive the point home, I'll leave you with this:  Play along and choose the item in this picture that cost $6.00.

If you chose the lamp, you win. 


The linen-like barrel shade was found at Ross for $12.00 (Target Home Brand, by the way) making the grand total $18.00 for the lamp.  The shopping high?  Priceless.


Good Will and Salvation Army made michelles LIST.  Have yourself a nice little Saturday and make time to go Good Will hunting.


Teaser:  Do these brownies make my butt look big?