Small bites- Raw Brownie Bites with Vanilla Icing

Marisa is a young New Yorker from a large Jewish family with a passion for healthy eating and for including as much raw food into your diet as possible while not losing the fun and love that goes into preparing food and sharing a meal. Recently Smaller caught up with her and she told us her about her mission to share raw and healthy foods, and also gave us a  raw brownie recipe to try at home. Raw cooking is great to do with kids as it is so immediately delicious. You can find tons of great ideas for healthy or raw foods on her blog- Marisa's Healthy Kitchen

What inspires you and your blog?
The whole world inspires me! I have always been super interested in cooking and culture. For me one of the most special ways of expressing my love is through food. It makes me so happy to feed people with healthy, nutritious and most of all delicious food.

Do you have any advise for parents/kids who want to try raw "cooking"?

Of course! Raw food is such a perfect way to enjoy cooking with your children. You are never around a hot stove and so many recipes are having fun with your hands. You can keeps recipes simple of make them complex but most importantly you are teaching your children how to eat healthy and all about whole foods from the earth.

How long have you been eating raw and what got you started?

 I have been eating raw for about 3 years. I go back and forth from 70%-100% raw. Although it is wonderful if you can be all raw 100% of the time the most important thing is to incorporate more raw foods into your diet. I try to eat as many raw foods as possible and at least have my delicious green juice. I had been vegetarian since I was 7 years old and always curious about new and exciting things. I feel it was a really natural progression for me to go raw.

What main ingredient can you not live without?My green super juice is the most important food in my life. I love that amazing feeling of super zing, zip around your body with pure goodness. When it comes to solid foods, I am one of those people who likes almost everything and always changes up what they are eating. So all veggies are super important to my diet, I am just constantly changing up which ones I am eating. You have to keep it interesting!

Raw Brownie Bites, with Vanilla Icing

• 2 cups Cashews
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  
• 1/4 cups Raw Agave
• 1/4-1/2 cups Water

Brownie Bites

• 3 cups Pecans
• 2 Tbsp Nut Butter (almond, cashew, etc.)
• 1/4 cups Raw Agave
• 1/4 cups Raw Cacao Powder
• Dash of Celtic Sea salt

Method
First make the icing so it has time to set in the fridge while you make the brownie bites. Make sure to use a Food Processor and not a Vita-Mix, as much as I love my dear Vita-mix it is not for this dessert :) Blend the cashews till they are a fine texture. Add in the vanilla, agave and 1/4 cup of water. It is best to keep the icing thick, so add in more water as you process but never more than 1/2 a cup. After the icing is well combines fill up a pastry bag or ziplock and set in the fridge.

Once you have the icing in the fridge you can begin on the yummy brownie bites. Blend the pecans in the food processor till they are a fine texture. Add the ut butter, agave, raw cacao powder and salt and process until the mixture forms a ball around the blades. Transfer to a bowl and make sure everything is combined with your hands. This is a really fun part if you want to include your kids. Now form little balls of dough and flatten them to make the brownie bite rounds. They should be no more than 1 1/2" wide. Once you have all the bites formed take your icing out the fridge and top the bites. If you want to dress them up more you can add cocoa nibs, dried fruit bits or anything else in your imagination.

These can be eaten immediately or set in the fridge to firm up. They will stay great in the fridge for over a week. ENJOY!

Reported by associate editor Jasmine Astronomo-Berger.