I so appreciate all the congrats from you guys regarding the impending arrival of our little spawn. I am due next week and officially in “get all the things done!” mode.

I’ve heard over and over again the same advice to stock your house full of foods that are easy to eat one-handed for after baby’s born and you’re carrying him/her around everywhere all the time to keep ’em from screaming continuously. To that end, I decided to make some healthy raw-ish mint chocolate brownies to stuff in my face as needed. I say raw-ish because I didn’t personally bother to use raw cacao powder or raw flavor extracts in these, but you absolutely could if that’s important to you, it just wasn’t for me. To me, this is raw enough.

In fact, I’m letting a lot of things slide lately. Sometimes the dishes don’t get done, and that’s ok. Sometimes I get winded just making the bed and so I just stop half way through. Sometimes the thought of shopping for food makes me want to collapse into tears over a pint of ice cream, so I don’t go and we order out for the 3rd time in a week. Sometimes… my perfectly plated stack of raw mint chocolate brownies topples over before I even get my first shot in, and with a sigh, I decide to just go with it rather than re-plating because it’s a real and accurate depiction of how I’m feeling right now.

“Oh no! That one broke in half! I’ll have to eat it since I can’t possibly photograph it like that.” (Totally happened)

They may look a bit beat up, but I assure you these brownies were just as tasty after their tumble. They have a high moisture content, giving them a truly fudgey and rich texture. The mint flavor is subtle, herbal, and cuts through the richness nicely.

Raw mint chocolate brownies

A no-bake and guilt-free chocolatey brownie with a hint of fresh mint.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Makes 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted walnuts
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 2 cups fresh mint leaves (tightly packed)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (+ more for dusting)
• 2 tsp. chocolate extract
• 1 tsp. raw agave nectar
• pinch of salt

Cooking Directions

1. In a food processor, process nuts until small. Add dates and pulse to combine.
2. Add all other ingredients and process until a paste forms and starts to pull away from the sides.
3. Press mixture evenly into a 9x9 pan lined with plastic wrap or wax paper.
4. Dust over extra cocoa powder and freeze for at least an hour.
5. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

If you would prefer a stronger mint flavor, simply substitute one of the teaspoons of chocolate extract for a mint extract instead. Also, vanilla will be fine if you can’t find chocolate extract too. And if you don’t have one of those nut varieties, just sub in more of one of the others. I like to use macadamias in raw desserts that imitate something that is typically baked because they lend a convincing buttery flavor and texture. I chose walnuts because they tend to deepen chocolate flavors. If all you have is cashews though, it’ll be fine.

I personally like to store these in the freezer and eat them ice cold. They can be messy and melty at room temperature, and the cold makes the mint flavor pop in a cooling and refreshing way. These will be great to hold me over while the little lady is eating her breakfast, and when she’s done I can worry about making something more substantial to eat.

It’s gotten to the point now where I’m on edge all day expecting labor to start at any moment. On that note, I should probably go pack for the hospital, or clean, or draft a living will or something…

July 12, 2013 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 17 comments

I’ve been entertaining the idea of this recipe in my head for ages. Long before berry season I dreamed of these little bite-sized treats and couldn’t wait for my favorite fruit to ripen so that I could make these over and over throughout the warmer months. Strawberries have been tasting sweet and ripe for a few weeks now, but for some reason I’ve had a really hard time getting myself to finally make this recipe that I so longed for all winter.

What it took was a visit from a far-flung friend. Hannah of Wayfaring Chocolate has been staying with me for the Atlanta leg of an epic travel adventure/ global slumber party that she’s about 10 months into now. It has been so much fun to spend time with someone that before only existed in pictures and writing. Blogging is so wonderful in that it has allowed me to create many such friendships with kindred spirits I might never have had the chance to meet in “real life” otherwise. And now that she’s in my house, I must look productive! Cook all the things!

We both enjoyed sampling these sweet little strawberry sushi. The rice is just lightly sweetened with sugar and zinged up with the subtle tartness of fresh lemon juice and zest. The texture of the thinly sliced strawberry on top is strangely but appropriately reminiscent of fresh sushi-grade fish – firm but giving way to softness and a burst of bright flavor.

These sushi are extremely easy to make. They are made in the temari-zushi style where all the ingredients are compacted into a little ball shape that is meant to resemble an object of Japanese folk art. A temari is a toy ball covered in ornate patterns of colorful thread and sometimes scraps of luxurious kimono fabric. These days, this intricately crafted object is much more art than toy – a collectible piece made by talented artisans while the toy versions are mass produced out of less expensive materials.

I use the plastic wrap method to make them. Just lay down a square of plastic wrap, place a slice of strawberry (or whatever topping you’re in the mood for) in the center of the plastic, add a small handful of rice, and then twist the plastic wrap up around it to compact the whole thing together. You can use as much or as little rice as you prefer. It helps to keep them bite-sized so that you can pop the whole thing in your mouth in one bite and not have to worry about them falling apart upon biting into them. If you make it too big, just pinch off a bit of rice and twist the temari back together again.

Hannah and I both loved these, and I was inspired to try out another long-dreamed-about recipe with her yesterday which also turned out delicious but needs a bit of tweaking before I can debut it here. Her visit is coming to an end soon (sadness!) but we’ve managed to cram in tons of great food memories that I’ll share with you soon too. Making food with friends is so much more fun!

Have you ever made sushi at home?

What flavor dessert sushi would you make?

June 3, 2013 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 28 comments

On Sunday, I ate an entire pineapple all by myself. That has nothing to do with this post, but I needed to tell someone. I feel better now.

This post is about popsicles. Matcha mousse popsicles, to be exact.

I’ve been reorganizing my kitchen and recently came across a set of popsicle molds that I haven’t used in a long time. I immediately thought to try making popsicles using a similar technique as that of the Green Tea and Pistachio Semifreddo recipe in my book, which uses freshly whipped cream as the base for a moussey texture.

I have this set of Tovolo popsicle molds* and I love them. Easy to use and easy to get the popsicles out of. It’s one of those kitchen gadgets that you know you don’t really need, but as soon as you’ve tried them you’ll never be satisfied with the old crooked-stick-in-a-paper-cup method again.

I loved the flavor of these. The tangy yogurt is powerful, but the matcha can stand up to it. They’re just lightly grassy and not too sweet.

The texture is the best part though. You can bite right into them without breaking a tooth. They give easily and dissolve in your mouth like cotton candy.

Matcha mousse pops

Cloud-like moussey popsicles with the springy flavor of matcha green tea and tangy yogurt.

Prep Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 6 popsicles

Ingredients

• 8oz. (236mL) heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 tbsp. powdered matcha green tea

Cooking Directions

1. In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
2. Gently fold in yogurt with a spatula and sift over matcha powder.
3. Beat again to incorporate and re-fluff the mixture to stiff peaks.
4. Spoon mixture into popsicle molds up to about a centimeter from the top and cap with the provided handles.
5. Freeze pops for at least 3 hours. To eat, run the mold under warm water until the popsicle slides out of the mold.

If green tea is not your thing, I’d imagine it would be fantastic to substitute cocoa powder to make a delicious chocolate mousse treat. You could even try using protein powder and convince yourself that it’s an appropriate post-workout snack. 😉 (Hint: It’s not.)

Speaking of my book, Amazon has recently dropped the price on it by a few bucks! This is great news to me since I’ve wanted it priced lower but have been unable to due to the constraints of the printer. Now though, you get it for less and I don’t make any less per sale. WIN! So if you’ve been thinking about picking it up, now would be a great time. I have absolutely zero control over Amazon’s pricing choices so this new price could change at any time and I would have nothing to do with it.

If you’re interested, click the banner in the sidebar or check it out here.

Have you ever made your own popsicles?

What flavor mousse pop would you like to make?

*This is an affiliate link. Product links on this website will always link to items I have actually used and find value in.

May 28, 2013 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 23 comments