Raw Brownies with Chocolate Pepppermint Glaze (Vegan, Gluten Free)

I love mint and chocolate together. It's quite possibly my favorite flavor combination. I had been wanting to make a peppermint brownie recipe for awhile now and finally got around to it last week. My original plan was to make it from my nut butter brownie recipe using almond butter instead of peanut butter and adding peppermint extract. But when I went to make them I was suddenly inspired to make them raw instead and I am so glad I did. 'Cause guys, these brownies, they're good.

Plus they're made with only wholesome ingredients. Nuts, dried fruit, oats, cacao and coconut oil. It's a brownie you can feel good about. Yup, I just said that. This is a healthy brownie that does not taste like crap. And don't even think about skimping and leaving out the glaze. It's what makes it, plus that's where all the mint flavor is. So do yourself the favor, take the five extra minutes and dirty a couple more dishes and make that glaze. You deserve it.

Raw Brownies with Chocolate Peppermint Glaze
Makes 1 loaf pan.

For the brownie:
-2 cups raw pecans
-1 cup rolled oats
-8 dates
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-Pinch of sea salt
-2-3  cacao

Place the pecans and oats in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a uniform consistency, it should look like a coarse flour. Add in the dates, vanilla, sea salt and cacao and pulse until it creates a sticky dough.  Scoop out the dough and place it in a loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Press the dough firmly until it evenly covers the pan. Place it in the freezer. Time for the glaze!

For the glaze:

-1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

-2 tablespoon raw agave

-1 1/2 tablespoon cacao

-1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients until they are evenly combined. Remove the brownies from the freezer. Slowly and evenly pour the glaze over the brownies, use a rubber spatula to even it out if necessary. Return brownies to the freezer, be sure they are on a flat surface otherwise all your glaze will end up in one side. Allow brownies to chill for 15-20 minutes or until the glaze has hardened. Remove from freezer a minute before serving to allow it to thaw slightly. Enjoy your brownie guilt free. Just try not to eat the whole pan, but if you did it wouldn't be the end of the world.

What's your favorite flavor combination?

Raw Blackberry Crumble Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Grain Free)

Happy Monday Everyone!

And a happy Monday it is- Spring has finally decided to arrive in Colorado. Forget spring, I think we may just bypass to summer. It's supposed to be sunny and almost, if not 80 degrees everyday this week! I cannot explain how excited I am... well maybe I can. I'm so excited that I've set up a new office for myself today (and everyday this week if I have anything to say about it)....

This set-up is perfect! Yes, I had to bring the vase of lemons along to support my decrepit computer. Yes, the only extension cords we have are two-pronged and I need a three-pronger to charge my computer. And yes, it's really sunny so it's hard to see my computer screen. But you know what? I don't care, cause it's warm and sunny and I want to be outside so I declare it perfect!

But you know what really was perfect? Our little Sunday night dinner party last night. Molly does such a good job making the space look beautiful.

Complete with Christmas lights and candles, it was absolutely lovely. Perhaps a little too feminine for the boys who had to prove their masculinity by talking about cars and poop during dinner (boys will be boys, right?), but Molly and I thoroughly appreciated the ambiance. Molly found the chairs and table at a thrift store on Saturday- 75 bucks for all 5 pieces! Not too shabby. The chairs we'll be using inside so we're going to refinish those once we decide on a color, any suggestions? (Our dining table is a deep chocolately-espresso brown). Dinner was delicious (my favorite pizza of the evening being tomato basil) and afterwards we walked downtown to Josh and Jake's for some homemade ice cream! Is it any surprise that I got the Oatmeal Cookie flavor? So good!

Anyway, moving on. Let's get talking about these Blackberry Crumble Bars. They're raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free and delicious. Don't believe me? Make them for yourself and try them- it'll only take you about 15 minutes. You can totally eat them for breakfast, for a snack or for dessert. They'd be delicious topped with some coconut ice cream! And now that summer is finally here, it'd be a great dessert to bring to a potluck or cookout!

Raw Blackberry Crumble Bars

For the crust and topping:

• 1 Cup Raw Pecans
• 1 Cup Dates, Pitted
• 1/2-1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (depending on how much coconut flavor you'd like, I couldn't taste it with just a half cup)
• 1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• Pinch Sea Salt

For the center:

• 6 Ounces Fresh Blackberries*, Rinsed and Organic if possible
• 2 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
• Sweeten to taste using Raw Honey or Raw Agave

Makes 9 Bars.

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the crust. Pulse until it starts to stick (I'll usually pinch some of the mixture together to test to see how well it'll hold together, if it's still a little crumbly continue pulsing). Once it's reached the desired consistency, set 1/2 cup of the mixture aside. Place the rest in a square container (I used a rectangular 6-Cup Pyrex dish). Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the dish creating a crust, place in the freezer to set. Now wash and dry your food processor. Place the ingredients for the blackberry center into the processor and blend until it's an even consistency. Remove the crust from the freezer and evenly spread the blackberry filling over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture over the filling to create the crumble topping. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing. As always, enjoy!

*If blackberries aren't your thing, feel free to make this recipe substituting any of your favorite berries.  

I promise this will be the last recipe I post for awhile using chia seeds, I know you guys are probably getting sick of seeing them pop up on the ingredient list. What can I say, I love those little seeds!

What did you do this weekend?

Oh! and P.S.- Today is the last day to enter my giveaway. Click here to enter.

Raw Mango Fruit Tarts (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Have you guys met Em over at This Rawsome Vegan Life? I haven't either, but I always leave her blog drooling with a brain full of new ideas. These fruit tarts were inspired by her recent post Just the Bare Fruit. In an attempt to keep my sweet tooth in check, I try to only have raw desserts (I said try!). They're sweet enough to sooth my cravings, but are usually chock full of nutrients so that I feel satisfied after indulging, not reaching for another cookie. 

These tarts are so easy to make it's almost laughable, yet you'll leave your friends and family impressed, with a full serving of fruit and no sugar high. The mango is pureed with chia seeds to give it an almost custard-like consistency. The crust is nothing but fruit and a few nuts for texture. From there you can get as creative as you like, topping it with whatever strikes your fancy. Since I had strawberries, blackberries and shredded coconut on hand, that's what I used. But you can use whatever fruit you'd like. You could also garnish it with lemon or lime zest, chocolate shavings, goji berries....the list is endless. 

Apart from making a custard out of mango and chia seeds, another cool trick I figured out is using mason jar lids as mini spring form pans for the crust. Just press the fruit and nut mixture into the lid and place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set. Then pop up the bottom of the lid and peel off the crust. Viola! A perfectly circular base for your tarts!

Raw Mango Fruit Tarts

Inspired by: This Rawsome Vegan Life

Makes 4 Tarts.

For the Mango Custard:

• 2 Ripe Mangoes, peeled and pitted
• 2 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 inch Fresh Ginger, grated

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a smooth consistency is reached, about one minute. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. Clean and dry food processor for the next step.

For the Crust:

• 1 Cup Dates, pitted
• 1/2 Cup Dried Apricots or Figs
• 1/2 Cup Raw Pecans, Cashews, Mac Nuts, or whatever other nut you fancy
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Place all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until it starts to create a sticky consistency and all the pieces are a uniform size. Press the mixture firmly into the mason jar lids (or whatever you decided to use), splitting the mixture evenly between the four lids, creating a smooth and even layer. You can either make a flat layer or press the mixture onto the sides to create more of a pie crust, both methods work. Place crusts into the refrigerator to set. 

While the custard and the crust are setting, prepare your garnishes. Slice any fruit, shave any chocolate, whatever you need to do. After about 10 minutes, or once you're done with your preparations, pull the crusts from the refrigerator and pop them out from the mason jars. Next, take out the mango custard and spoon it onto the crusts, splitting it evenly between the four crusts. Finally, garnish your tarts however you like. Take a step back, admire your beautiful creation. Serve and consume with a smile.

Do you guys have any fun plans for the weekend?

It's supposed to be warm and sunny here. I'm psyched!