Saturday night, hubby and I headed off to the monthly “Rawluck”, an amazing raw food potluck we can’t wait to attend every month. As usual, the spread was incredible. We had tastes of fresh fruits – figs, melons, peaches, strawberries, raw pasta, raw lasagna, raw chocolate, raw soups, raw crackers and smoothies. We brought an amazing salad, freshly picked from our garden, topped with my Herb Goddess Aioli / Dressing. And instead of my usual raw chocolate brownies, I experimented with something a little different.
I didn’t have much raw cocoa left in the cupboard and no time to go shopping, but I did have carob. I like carob, but to me, it tastes, well, like carob. To my palette, it’s not a substitute for chocolate. And with my first pass, these bars tasted like weird, slightly spicy chocolates. Not quite right. So I added more spices and that did the trick. These turned out fantastic if you’re a fan of gingerbread, spice cake, etc… At room temperature, they’re little gooey, (but still good) so if you want them a little firmer, refrigerate or freeze and until ready to serve.
Raw Gingerbread Bars
Bars:
2 cups raw walnuts
10 Medjool dates pitted
2 tbs cinnamon
Frosting:
1 ripe avocado
½ cup agave nectar
½ cup carob powder
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cloves
Make the bars first. In food processor with bottom blade, add nuts, dates and cinnamon. Mix until doughy. Spread dough in 9 x 9 glass pan and pat so it is spread evenly. Refrigerate while making the frosting.
In food processor with bottom blade, combine avocado, agave, carob and spices. Mix until very smooth and creamy. Spread on top of bars. Cut and serve (they may be a little gooey) or refrigerate/freeze first.
