Raw HealthNutty Nutella

Have you ever had Nutella? It's evil. So tasty it's addictive. I wanted a version of it that I could make fresh and healthy, so I tried Anni Phyo's recipe in her new book I just bought, "Raw Essentials" but I didn't really care for her version. I tweaked it and mine tastes much better to my tastebuds. It's not as creamy, obviously, as the store-bought stuff, but hey, it's healthy!

The only thing I dirtied for this recipe was my Vitamix and a spoon!

I started with a cup of hazelnuts (filberts); you can, if you are strictly raw leave them in their natural state. I did toast mine a bit for flavor.

I added 2/3 cup of water plus a bit more as needed throughout blending.

Two heaping tablespoons cocoa powder.

Three tablespoons of raw honey.

2 heaping tablespoons of virgin coconut oil.

a dash of salt, and if you like, a tad of vanilla.

Like I said, if you are a strict raw foodie, omit the offensive-to-you items like the not-raw vanilla extract. I'm not strict.

You just blend this yummy stuff up in the Vitamix or a really good blender if you don't have one of these super blenders. Keep going until it's smooth. It takes awhile. If you have the Vitamix you will want to use the plunger to keep the mixture shoved down into the blades. If you don't, you will have to keep stopping and use a spatula or something to keep pushing it down again. Over and over. Yep, but it's worth it.

Now, what can you do with this yummy stuff? Raw or not, you can dip bananas in it, or better yet, coat a banana with this and then lay it on wax paper to freeze it, or several! These are so good you won't crave the naughty treats. Use it for a frosting, either on cooked or raw cupcakes, or sweet crackers. (my kids are wanting some graham crackers to spread this on). Spread it between two peanutbutter cookies...heavenly little sandwhich!

In case you are confused, and not a raw food person, I'll tell you a secret, you can make almost any version of your favorite dish in the raw. No kidding. Raw oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites. The ingredients are often very different, but once you try some you will start to prefer the raw versions.Besides, they are so much better for you, even when you are eating raw sweets you are usually taking in some valuable nutrients as well. I personally cannot stomache store-bought breads, salad dressings, and lots of other things. ugh. Make mine homemade! I taste chemicals that I used to not notice before. That can't be good.