Raw Vegan Brownies from "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet

Raw Vegan Brownies From Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People".
What do you need?  Ingredients and maybe 10 minutes!! 


I can't even remember now when I first started truly "flirting" with Raw Foods.  It was before I had ever been to Pure Food & Wine in New York, but prior to eating there, I had no idea that you could made gourmet raw food or that you could make it so incredible tasting.  Even though the place is uber trendy and dripping in a "Sex in the City" kind of hipness (without Samantha's boyfriend being a waiter), I still consider it the best "foodie" experience I've had (excluding anything my mother makes of course!  And she has been known to make a mean raw vegan carrot cake).  So the Pure Food & Wine experience was the turning point that eating a lot of raw could be very cool and of course I anxiously awaited the arrival of their cookbook at my doorstep.  

Raw Food/Real World: 100 Recipes to Get the Glow

The first book with recipes from the "Pure Food & Wine" restaurant in New York.

Well....it came and it is indeed a beautiful book, but it is not the best "everyday" book nor is it the least intimidating book for raw virgins.  Most recipes have slightly lengthy ingredient lists and a few different "parts" to assemble.   So...I ordered another book, slightly less romantic and no photos of the author showing you, apparently, how "sexed" out you suddenly get if you eat raw, but practical.  And for a middle aged chic who isn't throwing dinner parties for the "who's who" in the world, um, this is the book I needed to have. 

Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people by Jennifer Cornbleet. 

 I think this is the absolute EASIEST, most realistic raw food book I own.  No flax crackers, no 12 step recipes, and no 2 pounds of goji berries or 1 cup of olive oil for an eggplant.  Really healthy eats with basically zero work.  I am into this.  When you get old you don't feel like expending THAT much work for food.  Or you might "feel" like it, but the inertia of your butt makes you more likely to READ uncookbooks than actually USE them.

Can you say 4 ingredient brownies? 

At first I ignored it slightly, as it didn't make any promises of perfect health or overnight beauty by eating raw & it didn't include very many photographs.   But then after I actually read some of the recipes, I realized, Hey, I actually have this stuff in the house at this moment & this looks like it take 5 minutes to make.  Hence, this was probably the first book I actually discovered a few recipes that I could used on a regular basis and no dehydrating or busting open coconuts.  

I bought the Sunfood brand of Cacao because I haven't been using cacao at all but was bringing something to a friend's house.  Well, I had to buy it from Whole Foods and this was the brand they had.  However, if I am planning on using Organic Raw Cacao, then I order it online either from Mountain Rose Herbs or whoever else may have a good price.  Lots of stuff that has intimidating prices at whole foods, such as hemp seeds, chia seeds, rooibos tea, can be found much cheaper elsewhere. I can buy one pound of Rooibos from Mountain Rose for about ten bucks.   Fair trade, Organic.

No fancy tools needed for this recipe.  Food processor!

You can make the brownies whatever texture you choose.  I prefer them a little chunky.  You don't want to "overprocess" them where they get SO sticky that it is difficult to do anything with them.  I have made these brownies with regular (non raw) cocoa powder, and the texture was totally different!  They were super sticky and I had to throw in a whole lot more nuts in order to try to do anything with them.  

Then you just roll them in crushed walnuts or coconut shreds if you want.

You could flatten them more like cookies as well, but I have a really hard time making anything look visually presentable (including myself!).  So, I stick to balls.

Depending on the amount of dates you use or if you add stevia, these brownies are not overly sweet.  I love them that way.  However, if you are nursing a real sweet tooth or transitioning from a real "American Diet", then obviously, add some more sweet stuff!!  Stevia might be your answer because it won't change the texture.  If you add too much of any type of syrup (Coconut Sap) or dates, they may get too sticky.

Here is Jennifer Cornbleet telling you how to make the "Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse".  She uses agave nectar in this video, but you don't need too!!  You can use dates, date sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, whatever!!  This was before the "National Agave Controversy".





And here is my post on Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Vegan Hummus" made with Zucchinis.



And another post that includes Jennifer Cornbleet & Awesome Raw Vegan Chocolate/Carob Avocado Pudding!



Or if you feel like hot & spicy food packed with unbelievable amounts of protein, that is dirt cheap to make & simple!! Then check out Kala Chana (Black Chickpea Curry" from Anupy Singla's "The Indian Slow Cooker" book!

Do any readers have this book (Raw Food Made Easy)??  What are your favorites from it? 

I have tried the Marinara, the Mousse (chocolate avocado), Walnut and Sunflower Pates & more.  I really liked everything!  There are a lot of simple raw collard/kale/swiss chard types of salads in this book too!

 My auntie "Artina" recently expressed an interest in raw foods and veganish stuff (that is healthy, no white flour cake books here!).  Does anyone have any suggestions for a Raw or Vegan flirt that doesn't want to spend that much time in the kitchen and probably wants to eat a more "simple" diet?  With an emphasis on healthy??  Tell me your favorites & which books you use the most from your shelves!  Which books do you suggest she buy first??


I don't have a lot of vegan cookbooks because when I went vegan, there were only a couple!!  My favorite, most used "cook" book is "The Indian Slow Cooker" by Anupy Singla.  But this isn't the best book for my auntie Artina because she is not a spice or Indian food lover.  My most used raw books are probably Ani Phyo's, Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people, some of Cafe Gratitude's recipes, Alisa Cohen's "Living on Live Food".  Gosh, I usually have a few recipes I gravitate towards in each book.  Oh, I do love Renee Loux Underkoffler's "Living Cuisine" and have made a lot of her cracker & snacky recipes.  This was the Raw Vegan Carrot Cake that my folks made me for my birthday one year.  It ROCKED!

Raw Vegan Zucchini Hummus from "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people" by Jennifer Cornbleet

Ingredients for:

Zucchini Hummus from "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 people" by Jennifer Cornbleet

                                                                  Raw Food Made Easy

Ingredients in Food Processor.  Push Go. Done. And for you "Forks Over Knives" fans, this is pretty the only fat this has is from the tahini so either this Raw Vegan Hummus or Normal Chickpea Hummus would probably fit the bill for that.  Just don't add Olive Oil!!

I have had her book for years and I think it paid for itself in a week because of the Brownie Recipe made with Walnuts, Dates & Cacao and also for the Chocolate Mousse made with Avocado, Dates, and Cacao.  Of course these types of recipes are all the rage now & ubertrendy but nearly 5 years ago, this wasn't the case!!  The great thing about her book is that it really doesn't require the traditional raw food "tools".  You don't have to have a Vitamix or an Excalibur, or even a spiralizer.  Of course, some sort of tool to make the veggie noodles makes it easier, but you can make the zucchini pastas in her book with a veggie peeler as well.  (Buy the Spirooli though!).  For this hummus you replace chickpeas with zucchini and there is a little tahini involved as well.  I wish I loved this hummus as much as "real hummus" but I miss the fat & creaminess of the chickpeas.  I have a major tendency to binge on beans though (although Whole Foods one Day Organic Cherry Sale has me binging one at least 15 lbs. of cherries for the next few days!!), however weird that is, so I thought I would try this style again.  Think the night before I made a vat of chickpea hummus, and well, there is NONE left.  This hummus is still in the fridge though....waiting to be finished.  

Verdict:  Zucchini Hummus is good & if ya want to make it creamier than just up the tahini content.  If you are newish to raw foods or just like easier dishes to prepare, then get this book.  It isn't ovewhelming in information and it doesn't include flax crackers & 48 hours of dehydrating.  Staple recipes in it include her kick-a** Cashew based Sour Cream and Chive Dip and her Marinara Sauce for the Veggie Pasta.  And of course all of the desserts.  I wasn't crazy about the Key Lime Mousse made with Avocados as the lime didn't really conceal the avocado like the cacao.  I adore avocados but think in that dish it freaked me out a bit, but then my avocados probably weren't perfect either!

For a recipe similar to this one (Polly's has more tahini! YUM.), go to Polly Noble's Site and see her Homemade Hummus Recipe.  Polly is also beating the f**k out of the Big C and making some delicious recipes while doing it.  She is not doing Gerson, in which case she wouldn't be eating tahini (I don't think).   Alissa Cohen has a Raw Vegan Zucchini Hummus Recipe as well. 

You just put ingredients in the food processor.  Couldn't be easier, really.

Raw Food Made Easy

Guess she has a DVD to go with her book.
Jennifer Cornbleet's Dvd

And if you didn't get a chance already, please check out my last post about a mother & daughter team juicing themselves to health.  Jess, a very young gal, who had to hit the carrots after chemo didn't work and her mom who was just dx with cancer from the Wellness Warrior blog need your help.  I am still curious to hear other people's stories of natural or integrative healing. 

 I personally am not so sold on just doing "Flax Oil" or  Magnetic Therapy, etc....but I am very intrigued by The Gerson Therapy & Hippocrates Health/Ann Wigmore and wondering if other people have immersed themselves in either of these therapies for any type of illnesses.  

Does anyone else have Jennifer Cornbleet's book & if so what are your favorites or flops from it??

My faves are the Brownies, Cacao Avocado Mousse, Walnut Pates, Cashew Dip/Sauce.

Closest to being a "flop" was a one time attempt at "Lime Avocado Mousse" which could have been due to an imperfect avocado.  Or just that I was new to the whole idea.  I think if I tried it again that it would be a different story this time around.

Raw Vegan Carob Choco-Mole Pudding. "Avocado Awesomeness and Elizabeth Kucinich Love".

Raw Vegan Carob Avocado Choco-Mole Pudding.  If you want it perfectly smooth, you can put it in the Vita-Mix instead of the Food Processor.

A few ingredients and a couple minutes in the food processor.  I make Raw Avocado Pudding either with Carob, bananas, or whatever I have on hand all of the time.  Usually eating 2 avocados at a time.  This time I used an actual recipe that was in VegNews magazine, for Choco-Mole Avocado Pudding.  So basically the normal pudding and add some Cinnamon and Mexican Chili Powder.  Recipe used chocolate but I have been on a Carob kick lately and with my Yerba Mate habit being a full blown addiction now, am trying to stay away from yet more stimulants in my diet!

This "Choc-Mole" recipe from Veg-News is loaded with Mexican Chili Powder.  Just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

If you are familiar at all with raw foods, you probably already know about Avocado Pudding!  I first saw it in Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People" book.  Skeptical at first, I gave it a shot as it has so few ingredients.  It was awesome!  I used raw cacao the very first time, which made it very dark and you couldn't see even the slightest green tint.  And no one that tasted it even knew that the base of the pudding was avocado!



Jennifer Cornbleet's book.
This book is great!  You don't need lots of the normal raw food appliances.  The dessert section rocks and this is where I was first introduced to Avocado Puddings (Chocolate Puddings), brownies made from dates and nuts and raw cacao, and Cashew Cream to put on top of the awesome Chocolate Avocado Mousse. 

All you do is throw ingredients in and mix!  Couldn't be easier.  You add some water also.

I was feeling really guilty for eating 2 avocados at a time and calling it "breakfast" but then I googled nutrients in avocados and they are a miracle food!  They have an incredible nutrient panel and may even prevent macular degeneration! due to it's high lutein content.  So according to the package, my breakfast of 2 avocados provides me with my RDA of  80% Vitamin K, 70% Folate, 40% B6, 40% C, 40% E,  40% Fiber, 40% Niacin, 40% Potassium, and 40% Panthothenic Acid (and that was just the 2 avocados, that was NOT including the dates or carob, which are also packed with nutrients and the healing cinnamon & chili powder!).  And that's JUST the vitamins that are listed on the label!  The kicker is the 40% Fiber-just another reason that the girl running on the treadmill while eating fiber for Powdered Fiber Supplements Commercials is just SILLY! And.....in my mind I am thinking that with a fiber content like that, that you probably don't digest all of the fat.  But that is just an amazing nutrient panel for something that comes in it's own package.  Better than any cereal that you buy in a box that just has it's nutrients sprayed on the flakes!  I just don't think people get fat from eating avocados.  At least if you are not eating processed foods..........Plus it's best to buy food in it's own packaging, less waste!

Simple Ingredients.  Avocados, dates or coconut sugar, Carob (you can use raw cacao too), and chili and cinnamon.

Raw Carob Pudding after a little bit of processing.  Throw in some nuts for added texture (and even MORE fat!).

Finished Raw Vegan Carob Avocado Choco-Mole Pudding.

Plotting his next move.

I need more bookshelves.  My weakness is organic food, clothes & shoes (although all of my clothes look the same!  and mostly I only wear my FiveFingers and Hunter Rain Boots), AND books.  We have stacks upon stacks of books around the house, just like this.  About a year ago, I purged ALL of my favorite books including books from my authors like Margaret Atwood which I thought was a major victory.  But then I just replaced them with MORE!  Not too much fiction these days.  The cats enjoy knocking over my piles.  The one above did a number on my "Indian Slow Cooker" book today.......just a few pages with bite marks, still usable!  Just added character I had to remind myself.

Renee Loux is also featured making her famous pudding (raw avocado base) in this movie, "Going Further" with Woody Harrelson (vegan who eats a high raw diet).  She was in a more hippie form there and completely adorable!  Driving around in a plant powered bus, eating veggies, doing yoga, and talking about the environment.  And she has several books.  Go to Renee Loux Website to keep up with her!  Click here for one version of Renee's  raw, vegan, avocado mousse-it is a little different in every place she demonstrates it.

                    

"Go Further" with Woody Harrelson.  Available on Netflix!

Learn How to make an organic chocolate coconut raw pudding. For more Dessert How-To Videos & Articles, visit WonderHowTo.

And another Raw Vegan Chocolate Pudding made by Elizabeth Kucinich (who works for the PCRM, she and Dennis are a dream couple!),  wife of one of my favorite vegans, Dennis Kucinich. (link has Dennis on "The Daily Show").  How can you not love a last name that rhymes with Spinach? You won't catch Dennis going out and eating Philly CheeseSteaks, not unless they are from a Vegan Restaurant!  But then I guess Dennis doesn't have to prove that he is "American", why?  Let's just cut the shit and say the Birth Certificate Bullshit is because Obama is Black (or is considered Black in the news/media culture).  I expect this from peeps that may be a little backwoods (not the good backwoods people that are living off the land and growing Kale), but Trump has no excuse.

Maybe since Hawaii is such a contentious place to be born, we need to require a passport to enter, since it apparently isn't actually a State.  Anyhow, Since Obama gets so much shit anyway, he might as well ditch the cheesesteaks and eat the Avocado Pudding.  I'm convinced the Cheesesteaks were just PR anyway since the guy drinks Kombucha. Like his peeps told him to go out and eat "More American" foods to prove his "American-ness".  Like eating Breaded, Fried, or Full of Saturated Fat Food is required to prove that you are "really one of us".  God forbid we had a president that didn't eat fast food!  I mean, how much more "Anti-American" can you be?  Thinking the avocado pudding would be more in line with what his wife considered "healthy eating".

And above is Jennifer Cornbleet making a Chocolate Mousse Pie (once again, a raw avocado base, no refined sugar needed).


"The pain and suffering inflicted on children by the American diet is so brutal that if it were administered with a stick, parents would be put in jail."   -John McDougall, M.D.