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recipe
recipe
RAW

CANNOLI

BARS

From Blissful Basil by Ashley Melillo
(BenBella Books, 2016)

“Leave the gun.

Take the cannoli.”
— The Godfather

I’ve seen The Godfather more times than I can count.
Around the time, I was just starting high school, it
became a New Year’s Day tradition to watch the three-
hour movie while consuming a comforting Italian feast
with family. Although I’m not down with the violence in
the film, the one thing I can agree with is the above line—
taken apart from the fact that the character that made the
statement had just shot someone, of course. Anger, guns, Makes
and violence? Leave it behind. Let’s eat sweet Italian 12 bars
dessert with a plant-passionate twist instead. 1 hour
+ GF
then process until the mixture
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIO
INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS: NS: then process until the mixture
CANNOLI FILLING
CANNOLI FILLING For the Cannoli Filling begins to clump together, adding
 1 1/2 cups raw cashews  Soak the cashews and dates in hot more dates if needed. It should
 2/3 cup packed and pitted Medjool dates water for 30 minutes to soften; drain. stick together when pressed be-
 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons filtered  Add the soaked cashews and dates, tween your fingers.
water filtered water, lemon juice, almond  Scoop the crust mixture into the
 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice extract, and cinnamon to a food lined pan and use your hands to press
 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract processor. Process for 6–8 minutes, and compact it into an even layer.
 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or until smooth and creamy, stop- To Assemble
ping to scrape down the sides as  Pour the filling over the crust
PISTACHIO CRUST needed. The texture should resem- and smooth out with a spatula.
 1 cup raw shelled pistachios ble a thick frosting. Sprinkle with the cacao nibs and
 1 cup packed and pitted Medjool dates For the Pistachio Crust chopped pistachios. Freeze for 2
 Line a 5 × 10-inch loaf pan with hours to set. Once set, gently lift
TOPPING parchment paper. out of the pan and slice into bars.
 2 tablespoons raw cacao nibs  Add the pistachios and dates to a Store the bars in the refrigerator
 1 tablespoon crushed raw pistachios food processor, pulse 10 times, and to maintain optimal texture.

Keepin’ It Raw? No Problem | To keep this dessert raw, swap out the almond extract for pure almond oil.
No Need to Keep It Raw? | Feel free to substitute roasted, unsalted pistachios for
the raw pistachios and chopped vegan dark chocolate for the raw cacao nibs.
4 4 INSPIRE February § March 2018
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