Something Sweet- No Bake Brownies

For all those readers just interested in the food and not the food facts/story, skip down to the first picture and it will take you to the recipe! For those ready for the full crazy adventure....let's do this. 

Now I have had all sorts of weird symptoms throughout this process. From random fluid filled blisters on my hands to passing out while walking to the mailbox. But there is one that has been pretty fascinating in my opinion...weird food cravings! Now I know what you are thinking, food cravings?! Well I get those all the time! No no, these are like suuuuper weird cravings. But it started making a trend that was making sense. My body actually knew what I needed to eat to try and fix itself and make me better! I think it's so interesting how the human body can do that! It was things like orange peppers. And I've hated peppers for some twenty odd years of my life. I'd pick them out of EVERYTHING. Even salsa. I mean I'd go that far. Now here I was wanting to have a pepper. But not a green one, I only liked the orange ones. What?! And I enjoyed it! Help! I later found out the colorful peppers are full of vitamins (vitamin C, vitamin A, and can reduce inflammation) and my body was probably low...hmmm okayyyyy.

Oh my gosh I need some apricots right now! Huh? Who says that?! Apparently I do now. They are full of vitamin A and potassium....even more per serving than what a banana contains! And then my all time favorite- I couldn't sleep and all I could think about was eating an onion. I literally almost got up to make a caramelized one at 2 A.M. What in the world! Onions were not a fan favorite of mine either yet we have them in almost every meal now. Turns out they are a great chelator. Which means they naturally bind and remove toxic heavy metals. Sounds like a good thing to eat to me! So slowly but surely I started realizing all these food cravings matter and are making a difference. Sounds like my doctor knew what he was talking about and more! Eat some apricots, I don't pass out. Hmm. Seems like I should keep listening to the cravings!

Which brings me to everyone's favorite craving....CHOCOLATE!!! I am not even going to interpret this one. I mean it seems like science at this point and I should just roll with it ;)!!! So for everyone with a chocolate craving, this one is for you!! But don't worry, don't worry there's a healthy/ good for you added twist! Sometimes you just gotta have it! So let's make it help out your body too! These are antioxidant filled brownies from a recipe in a book called "How Not to Die" by Michael Greger, M.D. The cookbook is all about reversing disease through foods. Basically everything I was slowly discovering but already in a cookbook form! Perfect!

Here are the stars of these no-bake brownies:

-Dates. I know we talked a little about these last time. There are just not enough good things to say about them! Why not take them from dinner to dessert. Whole dates contain potassium, selenium, magnesium, antioxidants, iron, fiber, vitamin B, and are anti-inflammatory. Definitely a good thing to add to your day! (You can read all the food facts on healwithfoods.org)

Let's go nuts! For these next few ingredients I am obtaining facts from a book called "101 Foods That Could Save Your Life" by David Grotto, R.D. A big shout out to my Aunt who introduced me to this awesome and science filled book!

-Walnuts. This superfood sure earns its title. Walnuts contain omega-3 fats, vitamin B, magnesium, vitamin E, antioxidants, may aid in fighting cancer as well as diabetes, help keep you feeling full longer (and therefore may assist in weight management), aaaaand contain melatonin which helps you to get a more restful night of sleep. Perfect for after dinner! 

-Pecans. These aren't just for garnishing our dish, they have helpful qualities too! They contain antioxidants, magnesium, fiber, protein, and are heart-healthy.

-Almonds. Almonds contain protein, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, iron, and antioxidants. It has also shown to help keep you feeling full, help in heart-health, and in fighting cancer.

-Pistachios. I have been craving these lately so I added these into the dish. The choice is yours to add them or leave them! Pistachios are high in fiber, contain protein, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B, vitamin E, aid in fighting cancer, are heart-healthy, enhance blood flow throughout your body, and are good for eye health too!

Time to give this a try! (I realize this is long winded but I kinda had to back up my chocolateness)

So. It's dessert time! Here we go!

**This is my slight twist on the recipe. The original recipe will be included below.**

Ingredients:
-3/4 Cup Walnuts
-1/4 Cup Pistachios
-1 1/3 Cup Pitted Dates
-1/2 Cup Chocolate Coconut Almond Butter
-1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 
-1/3 Cup Crushed Pecans
8 inch Baking Pan
Parchment Paper
Cook Time: NONE! It is a super fast and easy chocolate fix! Recommend letting it chill before cutting and serving to make it easier to eat/serve.

**Original recipe is 1 cup of walnuts, 1 1/3 cup of pitted dates, 1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/3 cup crushed pecans.

First and most importantly, remove the pits from your dates! You definitely don't want a bite of those getting in the way of your chocolate fix! Just gently slice through the date so that you can pull it apart and remove the long pit inside. I made a bowl of the pits to throw away at the end. Easy day!

Next place your walnuts and pistachios into your food processor or blender. I have a blender and it worked like a charm. Pulse the nuts until they become fine and no longer chunky. 

Next add the dates and pulse until well mixed. It should start sticking together a little more at this point. 

Now add your almond butter and cocoa powder. I used a chocolate coconut almond and cashew butter. This allowed me to use half the amount of the cocoa powder from the original recipe since this already has a great chocolate flavor. This almond butter has a ton of added benefits (like flax seeds and pumpkin seeds) while giving it a nice sweet hint of coconut! Blend everything together thoroughly and transfer to your lined pan. 

Your 8 inch baking pan should be lined with parchment paper in order to help you get it out of the pan later since you will be forming it and chilling it in there. 

Press the mixture down with your hands (or the back of a spoon) to evenly spread it out in the pan.

Sprinkle the top with your crushed pecans and push them down slightly to ensure they stick. 

All done!!! Just cover and place into the fridge to chill about an hour or so before serving. 

The parchment paper made it easy for me to lift the brownies out of the pan once cut and move them to a serving tray. 

Time to enjoy!!! They are a lot more sweet and chocolate-satisfying than I would have guessed from the ingredient list! 

Delicious and nutritious! Until next time!

Let's get to Cookin'!

~Abigail