Today's special Meatless Monday treat comes from Rawified:

I can't even begin to describe how amazing these are.  No seriously, I'm not kidding around here - they're incredible. Dense, rich, chocolatey goodness... my self control kind of goes out the window. But it's okay, because they're good for you!

I think I've already talked a fair bit about the health benefits or raw cacao powder, but to put it in short it's packed with antioxidants and contains high amounts of  minerals such as magnesium, copper, potassium, sulfur, calcium, zinc, and iron. Dates are an excellent source of fiber, and contain high amounts of potassium,  magnesium, copper, and manganese.  If that's not enough, the walnuts in these brownies are a great source of omega 3 essential fatty acids - helping to reduce inflammation, improve brain function, and boost the immune system. All in all, I'll think you'll agree that that makes for a pretty healthy brownie!

If you don't have walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts will work equally well here. If you don't have dates, you can replace them with raisins.

Try adding the zest of an orange or some ground chili pepper (1/2 tsp should be good) to the mix, giving your brownies a gourmet twist. You could also top them off with some raw chocolate icing if you want, but I think they're great just as they are.

Ingredients:
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw dates, pitted
1/4 cup raw cacao powder

Directions:
In your food processor, grind walnuts to a fine powder. Add the cacao powder, and pulse to combine. Next you're going to add the dates (make sure they're pitted!) and process until a sticky crumb like consistency is reached.  Press this mixture into the bottom of a pan, and place in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat. Cut into six even squares, and serve. You're done! Easy as that.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 261
Calories from fat: 132.2
Total fat: 14.69g
Saturated fat: 4.05g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 6.8mg
Total carbohydrates: 30.12g
Dietary fiber: 6.38g
Sugars: 17.33g
Protein: 5.7g