Ingredients 

* 3-4 bananas
* 2 heaping tbsp cacao powder
* 3 tbsp agave nectar or to taste
* 3 tbsp kewra water or 1.5 tablespoons rose water
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 tsbp cold-pressed coconut oil
* 1 cup pistachios or other nuts

Directions
In a bowl, mix the cacao powder, agave nectar, coconut oil, kewra water, and vanilla extract.  If the mixture is very thick, add 1 tsp water.  With mortar/pestle or spice mill, grind pistachios until they are in small pieces.  Coat the bananas with the chocolate mixture and then roll in the pistachios.  Put coated/rolled bananas on a plate lined with wax paper, and cover with another layer of wax paper.  Place in freezer overnight.  Done! Woohoo!

Besides that, make sure to leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

–Rishi

Hi everyone! Well, here it is, my first recipe post since I got back from India.  After traveling around for three long months, I learned a lot about how Indian food is put together and what all the spices can be used for.  I also learned a lot about the different styles of Indian cooking.  Food really differs from state to state in India, almost as if each state is a different country with a different culture (each state also has its own set of dominant languages).  Most of the Indian food you are probably familiar with (such as Tandoori Paneer or Naan or Paneer Makhani) is from the state of Punjab (my families home state), but there is so much more variety in Indian food that most people in the West are unfamiliar with.  So I’m going to try to bring some of that variety here, and of course, do it raw!

To start with, I’m bringing you an all-over-Indian all-time favorite known as halva.  Halva is usually made out of semolina, but there are dozens of other varieties like almond, carrot, jackfruit, and strawberry.  Halva was something I grew up with, and it was always one of my favorite desserts/breakfasts.  Its sweet, spiced, buttery, delicate and just overall amazing.  If you’ve ever had freshly made homecooked halva, you know what I’m talking about.  I really tried to capture that traditional halva taste in this raw halva, and I think I hit this on the head.  I hope you all try this one out and enjoy it. And to all of Roshi’s Indian followers who have given up this tasty treat, I hope this brings you back to your childhood like it does for me.

Ingredients

* 3/4 pound almonds
* 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
* 6-7 whole green cardamom seeds (or to taste)
* 2 tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)

Optional Mix-ins:

* 1 handful almonds
* 1 handful raisins

Directions

Put all the almonds into a food processor until they are ground down to be as powder-like as possible. Put the sesame seeds and 3 cups of water into a blender on a low setting.  Don’t allow the blender to run too long because you’ll need the sesame seed pulp.  Using a very fine strainer or cheese cloth, separate the sesame seed pulp from the water.  Take the sesame seed pulp and mix it together with the almond powder by hand.  Skin and grind the cardamom seeds into a powder and add to the mixture.  Next add the agave nectar.

Mix-ins:

Some people like their halva straight, others like a little variance.  For the almonds, crush them up a bit and then mix them into the halva.  For the raisins, you can mix them in straight, or soak them first and then mix them in to give them a more cooked texture.

And that’s it!

Simply the best raw halva you’ll ever try.  We promise!

Pictures from India

I’ve uploaded a select few photos from my trip to India for everyone to see, and by few I mean around 150.  They all have a little caption, and if you follow the link to Google’s Picasa, you’ll be able to see on a map exactly where each picture was taken.  If you’ve never been to India, I hope these pictures will give you an incentive to go there.  It’s really such a wonderful country filled with so much knowledge, mystery, and beauty that everyone needs to see at least once.

–Rishi

(click for more views and to enlarge)

Ingredients

2-3 oranges juiced
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 handfuls cashews
Whatever fruit you have

Directions

Juice your oranges. Put the juice in the food processor with the agave nectar and cashews. Let it run for a good 5-10 minutes until the mixture is really smooth. If its too runny, you might want to add a few more cashews. Once the sauce is right, pour it over mixture of fruit. Dig your spoon in and enjoy!

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Follow the local food movement:

Our home, which we have converted into a suburban farm:

–Rishi