in a week and the greatest raw brownies.

It's been a week, you guys.

Between a mega Hispanic Linguistics exam, auditions for next year's classes...basically I was just nervous for the test.

I just wanted to make some brownies.

It's important to visit your local co-op on the weekends because weekends mean samples and samples mean FUN. I just needed a couple things this morning and was pleasantly surprised when I was treated to TOMATO SOUP. GRILLED CHEESE. TANGERINES. PEARS. COFFEE. THREE KINDS OF CHEESE. And a small man sampling his "genius" creation. Raw macaroons. I tried them, of course, and then said "These are real good, what's in them?" He froze up. He didn't want to tell me what was in those lemon poppy seed macaroons. "It's basically just coconut, lemon, and poppyseeds." I call bullshit on you, sir. And I will go home and make my own.

But not today! Because today was dedicated to the raw brownie!

"Why are you making us eat raw brownies, Danie?!"

Because I can. And I will. And they're delicious. And they're easy. And it's fun to pretend you're on a raw foods diet for about an hour (that's about all I can handle).

This recipe comes straight from My New Roots, a seriously stunning blog.

Rev up your food processors, friends.

What. This dark and squishy looking landscape isn't appetizing to you? Think again, suckers. They sure don't taste dark and squishy. Because they taste good.

The Raw Brownie (very slightly adapted from My New Roots)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole walnuts
2.5 cups medjool dates, pitted (unless you want to crack your tooth in half. then don't pit them.)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Grind walnuts in food processor until fine. Add cocoa powder and salt to walnuts and process together. 

Add dates and vanilla to the walnut and cocoa combination and process until a dough forms. 

Mix almonds into dough.

Press into a 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before slicing. Store in refrigerator.

By the way, I'm going to California in seven days to see Señor Mickey. Excited would be the underest of understatements.

By the way way, Deepak Chopra and Oprah's 21 Day Meditation Challenge starts tomorrow. Yes, Oprah. Yes, Deepak. Why aren't you signed up, silly?