Birthday monster. Noun. A person who celebrates his or her birthday to the fullest extent possible, using every possible excuse to create a celebration of the day.
I actually hadn't ever heard that description for someone like me until this past Friday (which, coincidentally, was my birthday) when I had a quick email exchange with a work friend that went something like this.
Birthday coffee?
Duh.
The email exchange was followed by a trip to Starbucks (no guilt for getting a latte on my birthday after all) where I proceeded to tell all the employees it was my birthday. On the way back to the office he commented that I was "one of those birthday monsters." (See above definition).
I am most definitely a birthday monster, which I explained here. And this year was no exception, even if the weather did rain for 48 hours straight. On Sunday we went to my parents' house for a family birthday lunch and my mother made the best shrimp and grits ever and not one but TWO desserts. Naturally, since I was the birthday girl, I partook in a little bit of both.
So today I'm cleansing (more on that later) but oh my word was it ever worth it.
These raw brownies might not look like much:
But do yourself a favor and make a batch pronto. You won't regret it. The primary sweetening agent is dates so it's like a chocolate larabar, which means it's virtually guilt free. And the best part is that they're super easy so you don't have to wait for your birthday for an excuse to labor over them. Whip them right up and be on your merry way, doing your best not to eat the whole pan in one sitting.
Ingredients
1 cup pecans (you can use walnuts in a pinch)
1 cup dates
5 tablespoons raw cacao (cocoa) powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons hone
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Place pecans in your food processor and process until they become small and crumbly. Add dates and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until the mixture turns a dark chocolatey brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.) Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or small cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands.
Refrigerate this raw brownie recipe for a couple of hours. If you can't wait, you don't have to refrigerate it, but it's easier to slice when chilled. Store in the refrigerator (if you don't eat it all in one sitting!)
1 cup dates
5 tablespoons raw cacao (cocoa) powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons hone
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Place pecans in your food processor and process until they become small and crumbly. Add dates and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until the mixture turns a dark chocolatey brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.) Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or small cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands.
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