I have been fixated on omega 3’s (more on that in a minute). I have also been fixated on creating a new dessert bar recipe (I think you can understand that one). Two fixations came together and these tasty raw cacao walnut bars were born.
First, lets talk omega 3’s. Why the fixation, you ask? Well, they are critical for brain and heart health, fight inflammation, and reduce your risk of depression amongst other things. Our bodies don’t make them, we need them and vegan diets tend to be heavy on omega 6 and lacking in the 3’s. In fact, an omega 3 deficiency is prevalent in our diets today because of how our food is processed and the dietary choices we make.
One of the first things we think of for Omega 3’s is fish and fish oil. Interestingly enough, with fish being farmed and fed diets of grain instead of their traditional diet of plants and algae, the levels of omega 3 have been seriously declining. But since a raw, vegan diet doesn’t include fish, where else can you get your omega 3’s? Great sources are flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts! It is good to note that greens also contain higher levels of omega 3’s so drink your green drinks!
With it’s own antioxidant properties, cacao (chocolate) makes a great pairing with walnuts. I made a quick raw cashew crust (yes you can find raw cashews here), a lovely walnut filling and topped the whole thing off with a tasty, easy cacao ganache. Delicious and filling, these bars shout bakery case…no one will believe they are a healthy raw snack!
For the crust, I used raw cashews from Navitas Naturals. They use a special process to keep the extraction under low heat so they are truly raw. You can find them here: Raw Cashews .
To get a fine flour, I used the dry container for my Vitamix.
To get the finest flour, process the cashews in batches, sift and reprocess the left over chunks with the next batch. You will get a beautiful, fine cashew flour that will mimic a real pastry crust.
*Note: These are very calorie dense. A small bar goes a very long way. I cut them in 1″ squares and that is plenty!!
Crust
- 1 cup cashews
- 3 tablespoons cacao
- 1 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
- Process cashews in high-speed blender in three batches. Sift out chunks between batches.
- Stir in cacao powder, melted coconut oil and sweetener.
- Press into glass 8 x8-inch pan and place in refrigerator.
Filling
- 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
- 2/3 cup dried coconut, unsweetened
- 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (not raw but used in many raw recipes)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Mix all ingredients together, spread over crust layer, return to refrigerator.
Glaze
- 1/4 cup cacao
- 1/4 cup agave (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over crust/filling mixture. Chill until set.
