One of my biggest indulgences and favourite thing to binge on is raw cookie dough. To some, that is disgusting. To others--and you know who you are--it is awesome! The butter, the sugar, the flour, the smooth, gooey and comfy consistency. Forget the cookies, just give me a bowl full of dough and I am good to go. Does it make me feel sick after a few heaping spoonfuls? Yes. Do I continue to eat it? Oh, yes. Love it.
I also love the idea of raw veganism, and if I had my way, I would be one. I try, and some days are pretty successful, while other days dissolve into a horrifying mess of refined carbs and sugar. One of the best things I have discovered while learning about raw veganism is "raw" fudge, and from that recipe I accidentally came up with a "raw" cookie dough. These treats are sweet, indulgent and rich and they are made entirely of fresh, whole foods that are very good for you! No refined sugars or flours, and they are super easy to make. Here is my fudge recipe:
"Raw" Fudge
- 1 1/2 cups of dates (honey dates work best as they are soft enough)
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1/4 to 1/2 cups of shredded coconut
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
- 1 tblsp. agave nectar (optional)
- water (for blending)
- Place everything except water into a food processor.
- Turn it on until everything blends together and forms a smooth paste. Drizzle water while blending to get the right consistency.
- Scoop into a brownie or loaf pan, press down and chill in fridge for at least half an hour.
- Slice into squares and enjoy!
The coconut and cocoa is to taste--some people like more or less. The agave is optional as well--depends on the severity of your sweet tooth!
Then the "raw" cookie dough recipe is a slight variation of the fudge recipe, and actually happened by accident one day. These cookie dough balls look and taste like "real" cookie dough! The ingredients are:
"Raw" Cookie Dough Balls
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- a few drops of pure vanilla extract or a pinch of fresh vanilla beans
- 1 tblsp agave nectar
- 1 cup dates (dried, not too soft, works best)
- water
- In a food processor, combine walnuts, coconut and vanilla. Blend until pretty smooth, using water to achieve best consistency.
- Add dates and pulse a few times just to chop them and blend them in a bit. Or, coarsely shop the dates and fold them through.
- Roll into balls and place in fridge to chill.
I couldn't believe how much like real cookie dough these looked and tasted. The two year-old loved them! I find these recipes are great at allowing me to indulge my sweet tooth while I am trying to be "good." Don't get me wrong, I know they are not fat free, but it is all good fat, and they are so rich, it is unlikely you will eat heaps of these at one sitting, and this coming from someone who has never understand the concept of something being "too" rich. But even if you do eat a bit too much, it's all whole foods, so you could do worse!
Enjoy and let me know how your "raw" efforts turn out!
With Christmas approaching, I am finding my mother's guilt is rearing it's nasty, ugly head on a daily basis. It starts with, "Have I bought them enough stuff for Christmas? Will they be disappointed? Should I get one more thing?" The rational part of me knows they have more than enough "stuff" and I don't want to get caught up in the excessive consumerism that abounds in these parts, not to mention we can't bring toys back to Perth and we will be getting them heaps of stuff when we return, but something in the mother part of me keeps questioning. Then it snowballs into all the other things I feel guilty about:
- Bringing them to Canada--it's been awful for us here; Miss 4 just wants to go back to "her place" in Australia; they are finding the cold almost unbearable.
- Taking them back to Australia--Miss 4 will have to leave behind her little friends here and she won't know anyone at her new school in Perth; she'll be leaving her Nana here; there are snakes in Oz.
- Setting a bad example by being fat and unwittingly passing on my food addiction to my girls.
- Having dark hair when the girls have blonde hair so I look more like the nanny than their mom.
- Every time I yell.
- That I'll be going back to work when we get home and Miss 2 will have to go to daycare and be away from me.
- That I didn't go back to work sooner and put them both in daycare to get away from me.
- Every time I yell.
- Did I mention the yelling?
I'm sure there are more things, many more things. Logical? No. Ever-present? Sadly. On a talk show this week, a psychologist was saying that we feel guilt for a reason, to send us a message about our lives, about something that needs to be dealt with. Looks like I must have a pretty full inbox!
What do you feel guilty about?
