Eat to Evolve! Raw Chocolate Brownies

These scrumptious brownies are raw, vegan and gluten free, 100% flourless and sweetened only with whole, soft, caramelicious medjool dates, a fruit about which I have previously waxed poetic, here.

Mouthwateringly rich and dense, Eat to Evolve! Raw Chocolate Brownies contain few ingredients but offer a deeply complex taste experience. Make them with your choice of walnuts or pecans; both are equally delicious. Either way, I recommend cutting them small, and chewing each bite slowly for full flavor enjoyment.

I made a batch of the walnut version to bring to a picnic yesterday (see above picture), and was lucky to have one, lone brownie left over to take home!

Here they are with pecans inside and on top, an elegant touch.

After receiving many requests to share the recipe, I am pleased to do so here and now. May you enjoy these sweet treats, body and soul.

Eat to Evolve! Raw Chocolate Brownies
Makes one 8" X 8" pan, or about 25 small brownies

3 cups raw walnuts or pecans
20 medjool dates, pitted, at room temperature
2/3 cups raw cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, or sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cold water

Set aside 1/4 cup of raw walnuts or pecans for topping, and add remaining nuts to food processor along with salt. Process nuts and salt together until finely ground. Add remaining ingredients and process until a consistent, well-mixed dough comes together in a ball. If necessary, sprinkle in more water to help mixing along, but careful not too much—you want it moist, not gooey.

Transfer brownie dough to an 8x8 Pyrex baking dish and with very clean hands, press it down until evenly distributed. Peer through the sides of the Pyrex to ensure a regular height all around. Then give a final pressing with the back of a stainless steel spatula, to create a smooth surface.

Chop the reserved 1/4 cup nuts, sprinkle over the top of the brownies and gently press them in with the spatula.* Or if you prefer, decorate the top with whole pecans, in which case, you may need a few more than the 1/4 cup reserved—think 20-25 total, laid out in neat rows so there will be one pecan atop of each individual brownie.

Cover the dish with waxed paper, put foil or plastic wrap over that, and chill brownies in the refrigerator until they firm up. Once they are firm and hard, you can slice them. I like to cut them small, in one-inch squares, or so. To do this, make four cuts on each side to yield 25 brownies per pan. Or, if you decorated with pecans, use the whole nuts as your slicing guide.

Keep brownies chilled until ready to eat. They taste better at room temperature, but store best in the fridge.

*If decorating the brownies with chopped nuts on top, you may wish to pulse-chop the reserved 1/4 cup of nuts in the food processor as a very first step, before you start making the brownies proper.

Everybody loves my Raw Chocolate Brownies! Won't you have one?

Raw Almond Milk, French Press Style

For years I've shied away from making my own almond milk. For one thing, I'm not much of a milk (of any kind) user, but it's the straining step in particular that always seemed like too much trouble.

Okay, full disclosure. The "nut mylk bag" thing really turns me off. You know what I'm talking about: the reusable fine mesh bag, made of nylon or hemp cloth, that you have to suspend over some type of receptacle, pour your blended almonds into, and squeeze with your hands, again and again?

Not that I mind milking things. I've milked a few cows and goats in my time, for instance, and quite enjoyed it. But the cumbersomeness of the nut mylk bag, the slimy factor, the questionable hygiene, the clean up? No thanks. I do own a nut mylk bag. But truth be told, I've never used it. Not even once!

I've always loved the idea of making my own fresh almond milk, though. And lately I've been dreaming of an almond milk green smoothie, say, with bananas, dates, and comfrey added - yum! I know I could use boxed almond milk, but that doesn't really appeal to me either: too dead and processed.

So, it was with great excitement that I learned, from fabulous N.Y.C. Food Coach Dana James, of a new, bag-free option for homemade almond milk production: the French Press method.

Mais oui - but of course! Why didn't I think of that?

Using a French Press instead of a nut mylk bag to strain the pulp from your blended almonds-and-water mixture is as straightforward and easy as it sounds. I tried it for the first time last night, and I'm sold. You will be, too. Here's the basic recipe:

Raw Almond Milk, French Press Style

1/2 cup raw, organic almonds
water to soak
3 cups fresh, cold water
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon honey, maple syrup or agave

Soak almonds eight hours or overnight. Drain and rinse, then add to high speed blender with 3 cups water, sea salt and sweetener. Blend on high for one to two minutes. Pour into French Press, cover and depress plunger verrry slowly. This will take some effort and patience, but go slowly; liquid may gush out if you plunge too hard or fast. Pour fully-pressed almond milk into a clean glass jar and try to use within a few days for maximum freshness: this is a raw and living food!*

All mixed up and ready to go - love that foam!

Post-plunging. Observe strained almond pulp at base:

Serving Suggestion (I had this for dessert, but could be breakfast, too):

Hail Merry Grawnola, Holy Crap Cereal and Jungle Peanuts topped with Fresh-Pressed Almond Milk

* The Sad Truth About "Raw" Almonds
It's been a challenge to find really raw almonds since the almond pasteurization laws went into effect in 2007. Almost all storebought organic almonds are now "pasteurized" with steam, while non-organic raw almonds may be treated with surface chemicals or radiation (scary). It is still possible to purchase unpasteurized, truly raw almonds, however. Californians can buy direct from farmer in quantities of less than 100 pounds, and some online vendors carry them, but the cost is often high. I offer economically priced, really raw almonds through my Community Superfoods shop. Local readers, please email me if you're interested and I'll hook you up!

Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread with Cucumber Chips

When I was a little girl, my parents sometimes would host cocktail parties where, along with tinkly drinks, hors d'oeuvres would be served. In our house circa 1972, hors d'oeuvres meant yummy treats like Pigs in a Blanket (frozen miniature hot dogs wrapped in puffy dough that you'd heat in the oven, stab with toothpicks and dip in Gulden's Spicy Brown mustard), carrot and celery sticks, and assorted boxed crackers and cheeses served on a plate.

Once I was old enough, my mother put me in charge of arranging the raw veggie and cracker plates, and I used to really enjoy making an artistic display with all the different shapes and colors. Fast forward a few decades and things haven't changed much. Except now I'm the adult, the crackers are made of thinly sliced raw cucumbers, and the cheese is made of nuts!

I brought this platter of Cucumber Chips with Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread to my friend Emily's annual summer garden party extravaganza, and was pleased to see it greeted with as much delight as my Triscuit and Port Salud creations of yore. The whole spiral of tasty bites disappeared in minutes (the kids loved them, too!), and a good time was had by all.

Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread can be made in advance - it keeps beautifully for up to a week in the refrigerator. If serving with cucumber chips, it's best to slice the cukes at the last possible minute, though, to retain freshness and nutritional value.

I made this spread with freshly dried oregano from my herb garden. It would also be delicious with thyme, basil or any Italian Herb blend.

Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread
1 cup raw Brazil nuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon dried oregano (plus 1 tsp for garnish, optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons cold water

Add the first five ingredients to a food processor fitted with the S-blade, and pulse process into a crumbly meal.

Add lemon juice and water and pulse until the cheese spread comes together in a ball. For a creamier spread, add more water.

To make Cucumber Chips, thinly slice 3 or 4 small cucumbers with a mandolin or very sharp knife.

Spread each cucumber chip with Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread and arrange on a plate, with additional oregano sprinkled over the top.

Bon appetit!

Solar Return Energy Smoothie

I made myself the most delicious green smoothie this morning for my solar return (i.e. birthday) breakfast! It's packed with fresh ingredients and superfoods, including organic banana, grapefruit, wild dandelion greens (aka "weeds"), maca, spirulina, chia, ginger-burdock tea and more. YUM!

One of the things I love best about drinking green smoothies is the instant energy boost they give me - brain and body both. One sip and my eyes just widen right up. Seriously! Talk about a wake up call.

Even the cats are interested. Here's Clyde, ever the smooth operator (pardon the pun), moving in to investigate the situation.

I confess, a cupboard full of superfoods and a Vita-Mix bring out the nutritional alchemist in me, hence, as you'll see from the recipe below, I ended up adding about a dozen synergistic health and energy-boosting ingredients to this drink... but please don't let that deter you! Following this recipe to the letter is hardly required. Just use it as a launching pad, as my friend Melissa likes to say, for making your own amazing, health-empowering green smoothie creations!

See my quick-reference glossary of superfoods and nutritional ingredients below the recipe to learn about their benefits, and become your own kitchen alchemist. ❤ Diana Banana & Co.

Ten-Day Vipassana Retreat: a Taste of Burma

I celebrated summer solstice quietly this year, entering a 10-Day silent meditation course at the Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne Falls, MA, on solstice night itself. I’ve been going to VMC to sit and serve since 1985, and have participated in many courses over the years. The daily program and technique remain the same at every 10-Day Course, but each time I go, the experience has its own unique characteristics and flavor, depending on the various changing factors of the time—both outside and inside my mind.

This year’s solstice course was unique in a very particular way. It was a bilingual course, conducted in English and Burmese. More than half the students were Burmese, the assistant teachers were Burmese, audio instructions and discourses were given in both Burmese and English and, as a very special treat, the food was bilingual, too!

Typically, VMC serves very tasty, high quality, vegan and lacto-vegetarian food (i.e. yes milk, no eggs). Dairy products are offered primarily as an option—containers of organic yogurt set out at breakfast, for example, or butter alongside of Earth Balance at the toast station, 2% milk as well as organic rice and soy milk for cereal/tea, and grated cheese at the salad bar. But the majority of the food is strictly plant-based, consisting of fresh and dried fruits, raw and cooked vegetables, whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, sprouted Ezekiel and gluten-free breads), beans (including tofu & tempeh), nuts/seeds, and natural condiments (South River miso, wheat-free tamari, nutritional yeast, tahini, etc). There’s usually an Indian day and a Mexican day, but I'd yet to see a Burmese day, let alone ten in a row!

So it was, I must admit, quite quietly exciting to be introduced to Burmese cuisine on this retreat, during our twice-daily mealtimes. To clarify, only two meals a day are served during a 10-Day Course: breakfast and lunch. This is in accordance with the dietary rules followed by Buddhist monks and nuns, who are required to abstain from taking food after twelve noon. In lieu of dinner, a light tea is served at five o’clock, at which time new students may also have fruit and milk (dairy or non). Old students (such as yours truly) take only clear liquids—tea or lemon water—at five PM.

Eating in silence in a room full of silent people tends to make one quite attentive to one’s food, and this is intentional. Vipassana meditation involves developing a keen awareness of one’s actions at the physical and mental level. Hence at silent mealtimes, we are well-supported to eat with mindful awareness—fully conscious of the food on our plate, our fork, our lips, our teeth, our tongue...bite by bite. Conscious, mindful eating is a meditation in itself, one which we are given regular opportunity to practice during ten days of retreat.

So, practice I did. And what food with which to practice on this English-Burmese course! At breakfast, alongside of the usual oatmeal and stewed prunes with cinnamon and oranges (delicious! trust me) there was always a Burmese breakfast dish. Most often this was white rice studded with soft, roasted peanuts, but one day, a kind of rice noodle salad was given. Personally, I eat very little at breakfast to begin with, and I never eat white rice, so I skipped the noodles and only tried one tablespoon of the peanut rice, just to see how it tasted (answer: yummy), after following the lead of my Burmese co-meditators and sprinkling my portion with fried chili peanuts, a red hot Burmese condiment. A crock of these fried chili peanuts was set out each day at breakfast and lunch, along with other unusual and tasty Burmese condiments such as mango pickles, homemade ginger soy sauce, and spicy potato chips.

Yes, that’s right: spicy potato chips! My “official weakness” was offered twice a day during this course. What a golden opportunity to burn through a food addiction! And burn I did. Not at breakfast, mind you—I am a nutritionist, after all, and not so far gone to be eating chips at 6:30 AM! But at lunch, on several of the days, I did put a few spicy potato chips on my plate. I enjoyed them slowly and mindfully, as part of my meal. I also observed how their particular taste and texture automatically stimulates craving in me, the moment this food item comes in contact with my mouth (if not my eye). And I remained equanimous with the changing sensations I experienced. This is Vipassana!

Vipassana meditation, whose ultimate goal is total liberation from suffering, uses awareness and equanimity as tools for eradicating craving, attachment and misery. For the technique to work, it is very important that awareness is focused on the right objects, and that understanding takes place at the experiential level.

The “right objects” in this teaching are sensation—both physical and mental—and respiration. Why? Because sensation and respiration are two objects that directly and continuously link our conscious mind with our unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is where the roots of our reaction patterns (those pesky, self-perpetuating causes and effects of endless misery) are buried. By providing a means to connect our conscious to our unconscious mind, via respiration and sensation, Vipassana allows us to pull out these roots which bind our suffering. The method, when properly taught and practiced, is brilliant in its simplicity, and dramatically effective. Leave it to Buddha to come up with something like that! What a genius, lol!

Gotama the Buddha lived and taught in Northern India circa 500 BC, but after some centuries, his valuable discovery of Vipassana meditation was lost in its country of origin. Burma was the only place on the planet where Vipassana was maintained in its pure form... until the mid-20th century, when it begin to spread around the world thanks to the efforts of my beloved teacher, S.N. Goenka, and a handful of others.

I feel so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn and practice this wonderful technique in this lifetime.

“But what about the food, Diana!” I hear you asking. Ah, yes. Vegetarian Burmese cuisine—what is it like? Well, it’s incredibly delicious, to begin. It’s full of heat, color and texture. There are plenty of peanuts, plenty of rich savory flavors, and lots of crispy bits, too.

Two dishes I particularly enjoyed, and hope to recreate, were Steamed Eggplant, served in a brown sauce fragrant with sweet fried onions and garlic, and Pickled Tea Leaf Salad, made from a base of shredded cabbage and chopped tomato, to which pickled tea leaves (who knew?), peanuts, sesame seeds, green chili, lemon juice and a surprising assortment of hitherto unheard of, crunchy fried ingredients (i.e. split peas, green beans, sweet potato, crispy rice) are added.

Other Burmese culinary delights served on the course included Shredded Ginger Salad (quite similar to the Tea Leaf Salad, but loaded with shredded ginger), creamy Steamed Beans (made with small white beans and mild spices), and a thick, flavorful Spicy Tomato Sauce unlike any I had ever tasted before.

I naturally became curious about all these new foods, ingredients, and how to make them. But with work to do, I focused on my practice and set these thoughts aside until Day Ten, when silence is broken in the morning, following the teaching of Metta (loving-kindness). For the rest of Day Ten, except during group meditation hours, students are permitted to speak freely with each other and the volunteer staff who run and manage the courses.

When this day came, as it always does too soon, and after adjusting to talking again, I gathered my courage and asked Aye Aye, our wonderful Burmese cook, if she would be so kind as to share some recipes with me. These she sweetly did, and I now have two in hand. However, because the portions are for 150-175 people (think 70 pounds of Chinese eggplant!) I’m going to have to modify before I begin, a task I will attempt with the help of my dear friend and gifted chef, the Burmese Mermaid. Stay tuned to see the results of our efforts in future posts.

In the meantime, if you have the desire or the inclination, please do consider taking a 10-Day Course as soon as time allows. Vipassana has been such a gift and blessing in my life, as it is for the many thousands of human beings fortunate enough to come in contact with this wonderful technique. I feel so honored to share it with you today, and hope that you may also benefit from its ageless wisdom.

May All Beings Be Well-Fed, Well-Loved, and Happy!

Raw Butternut Fettucini with Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo

I was born exactly 9 years to the day before the first moon walk, on which date the lunar surface was discovered to be covered with...rocks. Before that, people really had no idea what the moon was made of. Really. I remember one theory, quite popular when I was a child, that the moon was made of green cheese. Yes, people used to actually say this; I have no idea why. Not that I ever believed it, but in honor of tonight's new moon and annular eclipse of the sun, I felt inspired to make some Green Cheese of my own.

I had organic cilantro in the fridge, and a loose recipe for Cashew-Cilantro Paté swiped from an old vegan boyfriend of mine, but only a handful of raw cashews remaining in the nut jar. So, I improvised on the cheese, as I am wont to do. And then, inspiration struck! I remembered that I had a nice, big, smooth butternut squash in the pantry...and Raw Butternut Fettucini with Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo was born.

To create this dish, start by making a batch of Vegan Green Cheese as a base for the Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of any combination of the following raw nuts and seeds: cashews, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or brazil nuts. You can see I used about 2/3 raw pumpkin seeds, and 1/3 mixed cashews and macadamias.

Put your nut/seed combination in a bowl, cover by about an inch or two of fresh water, and soak for one hour. When time's up, drain soaked nuts/seeds and place in a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Add 2 Tbs virgin raw coconut oil and 1/4 tsp sea salt (I love the Himalayan pink salt, as you know, but any good quality sea salt will do).

Then pulse and process until contents attain the consistency of a coarse meal.

To this coarse meal, add the juice of 2 or 3 lemons; 1 tsp your choice coconut aminos, Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari; 2 Tbs nutritional yeast; 4 Tbs of water; and 2 large cloves garlic, minced. Process this all together for a while, until things start to get creamy (it may be necessary to add a bit more water to facilitate creaming). When the cheese has balled up and come together nicely, add 1/2 cup (packed) chopped cilantro,

and pulse that in. This is your Vegan Green Cheese.

Put Green Cheese into an airtight container and refrigerate while you make your noodles.

Butternut fettucini noodles are ridiculously easy to make. Start by cutting off the long neck of a good-sized butternut squash, and set the seed-filled bulbous portion aside. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin from the neck of the squash,

and then continue peeling off long, orange strips until you have enough for your dinner (and/or you get tired of peeling).

Your squash neck will turn into a beautiful sculpture, by the way,

which can be refrigerated and used another day in, for instance, a tasty squash curry, a creamy butternut soup, or even Raw Pumpkin Pie (butternut squash stands in beautifully for pumpkin in this recipe).

To "cook" the fettucini, it is necessary to marinate the butternut strips in a little oil to which has been added salt and an acid, just like we do for Massaged Kale. For today's marinade, I used 2 Tbs olive oil, 2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp each of Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper, and the last of some dried Thai basil I had kicking around, just to add a little extra flavor. I also added a teaspoon of Mirin (Japanese white cooking wine), just because I could, but that's totally optional. If you don't have white balsamic, use lemon juice and a splash of agave instead.

Stir marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then add the raw butternut noodles, and toss. Allow noodles to sit for at least half an hour in order to soften up, tossing from time to time to keep them all evenly coated.

When the noodles are done (al dente, naturally), it's time to assemble the Fettucini Nutfredo. Measure out about 3 Tbs of Vegan Green Cheese per serving, and place this in a medium sized bowl. Heat up some water on the stove; then little by little, use a fork to blend warm water into the cheese, gradually thinning and transforming it into a thick, creamy sauce of your preferred consistency. Voila! Creamy Cilantro Nutfredo!

Spoon Nutfredo sauce onto the marinated butternut fettucini. Toss gently and thoroughly until all your noodles are well coated with delectabe, saucy goodness.

Transfer to plate(s), and garnish with a sprinkle of any chopped green herb you prefer (I used fresh chives from my garden, along with their pretty purple flowers, but more cilantro would be lovely, too, as would parsley).

This meal takes far less time to prepare than the finished masterpiece would suggest, with plenty of leftover Vegan Green Cheese as a bonus. This will last for up to one week in the fridge, and can be used as a spread, a dip, a filling (for celery ribs, nori rolls, romaine wraps) - sky's the limit. Which reminds me. There's a Ring of Fire annular eclipse happening tonight. The oracle says this brings great opportunity for self-knowing and transformation. May it be so with you, and all your relations.

Curried Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Did you know how easy it is to make delicious, satisfying cream of vegetable soup? All you need is THREE basic ingredients: 1) vegetables, 2) seasonings, and 3) broth or water. Oh - and a blender, of course.

You may have noticed from the above list that what you don't need is cream. As long as you have a good blender and get your proportions and seasonings right, there is absolutely no need to add any dairy or dairy substitutes in order to create a rich, creamy soup.

The best vegetables for cream-of soups are those which are either starchy (think carrots, parsnips, green peas) or "meaty" (think zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms).

Cauliflower fits the bill most perfectly because it cooks quickly, has a beautiful texture when pureed, and provides an inherently mild canvas of color and flavor that offers extreme versatility. In its classic pairing with curry, a cauliflower base yields gorgeous, warm orange-gold tones and deep earthy spice. Love it!

One of the nicest things about making your own cream of vegetable soups is how quickly you'll be eating them. Truthfully, it doesn't take much longer to prepare this soup than it does to open a can of something that was made in a factory. Canned soups have their place in my pantry, and I will use them from time to time, but in terms of freshness and life force, there's no comparison.

To prepare this soup, begin by braising two cups of chopped cauliflower (half a medium sized head) in a cup of vegetable stock. Don't worry about making homemade stock - an organic packaged stock, such as the one from Imagine Foods, pictured above, works beautifully. (Alternatively, stir a teaspoon of powdered veggie broth or a bouillon cube into a cup of hot water).

Braising means, quite simply, "steaming in broth." It is one of my favorite, low-fat cooking techniques for both speed and yum factors. The only trick is to have all your pieces touching the liquid—no stacking!

Use a wide enough saucepan to allow for this arrangement, bring liquid to a boil and add the cauliflower. When the steam is rising again, cover the pan and reduce heat to low.

After braising for five minutes, the cauliflower will have reached its peak nutritional value and be soft enough to blend, so remove from heat and transfer to blender, liquid and all. (Research suggests that the anti-cancer compounds in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower become the most bioavailable to the human body following five minutes of steaming, after which values start to decrease.)

You might want to let the cauliflower-stock mixture cool down slightly before you begin blending, to avoid sputtering, but basically, the soup is ready to be prepped now. Just add a teaspoon of mild curry paste, and use a low to medium blender setting to achieve the desired level of creaminess. If the soup seems too thick, or you are having trouble getting the blending started, add more stock, straight from the box.

Once you have a suitable puree, taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed. You might like a pinch of salt, a pinch of cayenne or more curry paste. A squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice will brighten everything up, so feel free to add that, too, if you have it.

Pour soup directly from the blender into your serving bowl, or reheat gently first. Top with chopped green onions or cilantro for a touch of green, and enjoy!