Hi-Rawkus

The Brazil Nut Milk recipe can be found via this link. Alter the original Brazil Nut Milk recipe by adding 8 more medium dates (for a total of 10 medium dates) and another 1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt (for a total of a 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt). The listed amount for the Brazil nuts and the pure water remains the same. Follow the Brazil Nut Milk recipe instructions as written. The milk used in Nite-Nite will need to be as silky as possible, so be sure to use a nut milk bag to strain the date and Brazil nut pulp from the Brazil Nut Milk.

Using a high-speed blender, process the altered Brazil Nut Milk along with the rest of the ingredients until all of the spices have been well blended and the mixture becomes frothy. That could take several minutes, depending upon your machine—more power, faster process. When the color of the mixture changes from white to caramel, the ingredients will most likely have been properly combined.

After the mixture has been completely blended and turned caramel, the next step is to gently warm it up. If you have a Vita-Mix or other type of powerful blender, you can simply let the mixture continue blending until it becomes warm. Otherwise you can transfer the mixture to a pot and gently warm it up on a stove. Divide the warmed mixture between two large mugs and serve immediately.

Nite-Nite can most certainly be enjoyed on its own, although we absolutely love to pair it with flavor-rich dark chocolate truffles (as shown in the picture above). We tend to drink Nite-Nite in the later part of the evening as it’s very relaxing (hence its name), but it can be served at any time of the day. Enjoy!

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A few tips…

The listed ingredients amount to two comfortable servings. Double or triple the recipe as needed.

Definitely do adhere to the “level” ingredient measurements listed above. We’ve been making this spiced concoction often for well over a year and know through first-hand experience that too much cardamom or too much clove can ruin the batch. Really.

Nite-Nite is best enjoyed freshly made. Any leftovers will not store well as the spices will become over concentrated and the mixture will taste “off” and very bitter. Yep, we’ve tried it! [smiley wink]

Nite-Nite is meant to be served warm enough to enjoy immediately, but not so hot that it has to cool before it can pass your lips.

During the blending process, a substantial amount of foam may be created on top of the mixture. That’s actually a good thing since Nite-Nite is pretty much a raw chai latte. Plus the foam is yummy! However if you prefer less foam, you can let your blender run on the lowest setting for a few minutes to remove some of the air bubbles. Gently warming up the mixture in a pot on the stove will automatically reduce much of the foam.

Because the Brazil Nut Milk pulp leftover from making this recipe will be much sweeter than usual due to the higher amount of dates, I recommend that it be used to make cookies, cakes, sweet crackers or other items with a sweet slant. For more information on how to use and store leftover Brazil Nut Milk pulp, see this link.

Using a high-speed blender, process all of the ingredients for about 2 or so minutes, until the dates and Brazil nuts have been pulverized and the blender has been rendered somewhat quiet. Strain the date and Brazil nut pulp from the liquid and pour the Brazil nut milk into your choice of airtight container. The finished milk should be stored in the refrigerator and used within 3 to 5 days.

Brazil Nut Milk’s distinct flavor works wonderfully in spiced concoctions and is especially good with flavor-rich dark chocolates. “Mmmmm!”

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A few tips…

Double or triple the recipe as needed.

The Brazil nuts were measured before soaking.

In general, soaking nuts allows for greater availability of nutrients and less impact on digestion. Since Brazil nuts are fairly oily and have a very thin skin, I prefer to soak them for only a few hours (up to 4 hours).

Depending on the type of blender you have, the exact length of time needed to process the Brazil nuts will vary. When you first begin the blending process, the Brazil nuts will cause loud rattling, and as they become pulverized the rattling will lessen. It may take a bit of trial and error to gauge how smooth the pulp should be. If the Brazil nuts process for too long, the pulp will be superfine and require more time and effort to strain. However, if the Brazil nuts don’t process long enough, the milk could end up watery instead of creamy. After you’ve made Brazil nut milk a few times, you’ll get the hang of it.

This milk is meant to be mildly sweet. In the list of ingredients, I noted 2 medium dates (or 3 small dates), pitted. Two medium dates is equal to about one tablespoon, as are three small dates. I chose to list the dates freely to make it easier, but you can go with the tablespoon measurement if you prefer.

If your dates are not soft and pliable, you can soak them in a small amount fresh water, just enough to cover the dates, for fifteen minutes or longer until they plump up enough for ease in blending. If you store your dates in the refrigerator, they will become stiff from the cold but will usually soften up somewhat after being left out at room temperature for a while. If they still seem hard, then definitely utilize the soak method.

Depending on your preference and how silky you like your milk, you have the option of using a fine-mesh strainer or a nut milk bag to separate the Brazil nut milk from the pulp. You can also use a paint strainer bag, some cheese cloth, or even a new pair of nylons. Whatever works for you!

You may notice the nut fat and water separate. No worries! That is completely normal. Just give the Brazil nut milk a gentle shake before you use it.

The leftover Brazil nut milk pulp can be either used immediately or reserved for later. If you are not able to utilize the Brazil nut milk pulp right away, you have a few choices as to how to store it for future use. It can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for one to two days, or it can be kept in the freezer and thawed when needed. For long-term storage, it can be dehydrated until completely dry, ground into a fine flour, stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator.

Use the left over Brazil nut milk pulp for making breads, crackers, cookies, burgers, wrap fillings, etc. Using the pulp instead of ground whole nuts gives a wonderfully light texture to your creations.

Other milks to check out:

Almond Milk

Pumpkin Seed Milk

A couple of weeks ago, my husband surprised me with a birthday trip to Grezzo, Alissa Cohen’s vegan raw and living food restaurant in Boston’s North End. We were in town for a few days and visited the restaurant not once but twice! What an experience. [ginormous grin] I’ll apologize now for not taking many photos of what all we ordered. We were too busy gorging and relishing the experience to think much about snapping pics, but we did manage to fit in a few good shots of some goodies that I’ve posted below. I’m telling ya, you won’t be spending much time fussing with a camera once Grezzo’s delectable treats are placed in front of you. Trust me!

Let me start by saying that the restaurant was beautifully decorated and filled with warmth throughout. We were seated next to the window (pictured above) during our second time dining at Grezzo. You can see the menus spaced along the windowsill for passersby to view. We had fun people-watching between servings. In the following picture, you can see the cozy setting with gorgeous pictures hanging on deeply colored walls. Did you notice the artistic niche in between the two paintings? That’s where we sat on our first visit at the restaurant. It was like being next to a zen garden, very relaxing.

Do you see the draped doorway at the very back of the room? That was the entrance to the chef’s kitchen. The restaurant’s cute little restroom was to the left of the kitchen, so you had the opportunity to “unintentionally” peek at some of the goings on as you moved past the crew. I thought that was pretty cool. Ah, if I had only walked by a bit slower! [smiley squint] And to the left of the draped doorway was a charming bar. The overall atmosphere was very welcoming. Oh, and the staff! The Grezzo staff were very knowledgeable and most helpful. Everyone we encountered seemed genuinely happy to be there, and that made our experience even more enjoyable.

Right! Now, on to the eats! [kool-aid smile] On our first night, we each began with a Wild Raspberry and Thyme Sparkler with kombucha. Ooo-la-laa, yum! The bubbly infusion had the right balance of tart and thyme. I did well remembering to sip instead of gulp. [wink] Next we shared a Grezzo Mojito made of fresh lime juice, mint, agave and kombucha over ice. It was the best Mojito I’ve ever had, hands down!

Our appetizer was Gnocchi Carbonara made of hand-rolled dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with pea shoots and crispy eggplant bacon. Okay, this dish had us making noises akin to what you might hear during one of those foodie television programs. Seriously. If anyone had been watching me closely, I would have been embarrassed. Well, maybe! [laugh] We were blown away by the complexity of flavor and lovely texture. We even scooped up the remaining rawmesan with our fingers and then licked them with delight. One of our severs caught us in the act when they came to take away the empty plate, but we didn’t care one little bit! We both took one more swipe at the plate with our fingers and then giggled like children.

Our main dishes were brought out next. We shared Cold Smoked BBQ Pizzeta with feta (vegan, of course), pineapple, crispy eggplant bacon alongside a jicama corn and green apple slaw, and Native Heirloom Tomato Ravioli with house-made black olive boursin, mint, fennel, flat leaf parsley and truffle. The pizza was amazingly rich in flavor and went perfectly with the slaw. I actually at first kept eating away at the slaw before even trying the pizza. The ravioli was nice and mellow, perfect for tomato lovers. You’d think with all that food we wouldn’t have room for dessert. Wrong! [giggle]

I chose The Apple Pave á lá mode with sweet and tart apples, shortbread crumble, whole clove ice cream and lucuma caramel. We both instantly fell in love with the clove ice cream. My husband, aka Mr. Chocoholic, chose the Rich Brownie Sundae with house-made gelato, chocolate truffle sauce, and Brazil nut crumble.

Give up?? [blink] Okay! It was the Rich Brownie Sundae ooey-gooey numminess. Before we knew it our mouths were overflowing with chocolate, our eyes sealed shut, and soft moans escaped our lips. Did we experience mouthgasms? [laugh] We ordered the sundae two nights in a row.

On our second night, we each began with a “warm” tea made of steeped goji berries and fresh mint. The tea is currently the only item on the menu that exceeds Grezzo’s maximum 112-degree policy. After it cooled, I really enjoyed it. I often make goji tea at home, though not quite as “warm”.

I loved the house-made patties much like a cat “loves” catnip, or maybe how the alien creatures in District 9 loved cans of cat food. Either way, they were quite good and very filling. I kept nibbling until there were only crumbs left. And then I ate the crumbs! I could have easily been content if I had been only given a plateful of plain patties to eat for that entire night, but there was so much else to try. “Eep!”

Our next dish was a repeat from the night before, Gnocchi Carbonara. Yep! My husband was determined to have that scrumptious flavor in his mouth again, and I went right along with him. Then we shared a bowl of Vietnamese Coconut Soup with lemongrass and ginger consommé, mustard greens, mint and basil.

After the soup, we shared the California Maki Roll with quinoa “krab” salad, cucumber, avocado and spicy mayo (pictured below), and the Mediterranean Style Pressed “Lasagna” with summer squash, zucchini, tomato, shiitake ricotta and herb salad.

I don’t know how we managed to take even one bite of dessert, but somehow we did. Remember the Rich Brownie Sundae ooey-gooey numminess that I mentioned earlier? We ordered it again on night number two. Added to our list of sweet treats, but saved for later, was the Cheesecake of the Day, and the Chocolate Torte with a limey macadamia nut and cranberry crust alongside a lavender blue gelato.

The lavender blue gelato helped balance out each potent bite of chocolate, and the cranberries added a nice dimension. I can’t imagine any one person polishing off an entire piece. The two of us were unable to finish the one we shared! However, we thoroughly enjoyed it. But wow, watch out! [laugh]

Both visits to Grezzo were wonderful, and it was very special for me to share the experiences with my husband. We’ll definitely go back anytime we’re in Boston.

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A note to strict raw foodies and strict vegans: All of the dishes served at Grezzo are completely free of honey and any items that are not considered raw such as maple syrup, nutritional yeast, and distilled vinegar. Menu selections are seasonal. Inquire for more details when you call to make your reservations.

EDIT:

Grezzo is now closed. Find out why by reading Alissa Cohen’s blog post here. Ah, well… It was fun while it lasted. [sigh]

Champagne grapes are lovely for garnishing fruit salads and parfaits, or for mixing with a creamy concoction of your choice. They also add a wonderfully delicate sweetness to wild greens. You could even freeze a bunch for a fun summertime treat. Do try them if you can while they’re still in season from now through late fall.

Using a high-speed blender, first blend together the almond milk, dates and vanilla bean seeds until creamy. Then add the diced strawberries and coconut butter and blend again until the strawberries seeds have been completely incorporated. If you have a Vita-Mix or other type of powerful blender, the end result should be virtually seedless. Pour the mixture into a tall glass. Garnish the glass with a small strawberry. Serve!

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A few tips…

The listed ingredients should amount to roughly 18 to 20 ounces of strawberry shake.

This shake isn’t overly sweet, however if your strawberries are quite tart, you may need to increase the amount of dates to help balance it out. And, of course, if your strawberries are pretty sweet, you can decrease the amount of dates. Keeping the shake “just sweet” was my original intention, but it’s really going to come down to your individual preference.

The almond milk used for this recipe is a pre-sweetened blend. If you use plain almond milk, you may need to add a larger amount of dates to suite your taste.

Bourbon vanilla has a wonderful deep, dark flavor that at first seems mellow but then becomes more apparent as it lingers on the taste buds. It’s perfect for this recipe since the strawberries are the star characters and the vanilla plays a supporting role.

In the list of ingredients, I noted 1 tablespoon raw coconut butter. The coconut butter used in this recipe consists of coconut flesh blended with coconut oil, not to be confused with solidified coconut oil as the term “coconut butter” had suggested in past years. Coconut butter is rather concentrated but does not give an oily aftertaste. It is actually reminiscent of creamy white chocolate, perfect for desserts or for enjoying straight.

In the list of ingredients, I noted 6 small dates (or 4 medium dates, or 2 very large dates), pitted. Six small dates is equal to about two tablespoons, as are four medium dates and two very large dates. I chose to list the dates freely to make it easier, but you can go with the tablespoon measurements if you prefer.

If your dates are not soft and pliable, you can soak them in a small amount pure water, just enough to cover the dates, for fifteen minutes or longer until they plump up enough for ease in blending. If you store your dates in the refrigerator, they will become stiff from the cold but will usually soften up somewhat after being left out at room temperature for a while. If they still seem hard, then definitely utilize the soak method.

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Other smoothies to check out:

Peaches & Cream Smoothie

Morning Spice Smoothie

Island Paradise Smoothie

My ‘lil’ Cacao Smoothie

Basic Green Smoothie