Pistachio + Rose Rocky Road + Positive People

Pistachio + Rose Rocky Road + Positive People
2 April 2015

My lovely friend Jade, from Eat This My Friend, makes the most amazing, good for you, sweet treats. They are also super easy to put together. I am going to get Maya to work on this one today. (Oh and she tells a nice story too, thanks Jade x).

In the past, optimism was a characteristic that seemed to elude me. I could have safely been labelled the ‘glass half empty’ kind. The good news is however, due to the cleverness of the human brain, a hopeful, optimistic attitude is something you can actually acquire.

If optimism is a gene you inherit, I have a friend who was born with two of them. She is well and truly beyond the ‘glass half full’ kind. More like ‘glass is ¾ full’. And then, ‘Yeah, let’s fill that sucker up so it’s overflowing’. I am luckily enough to have that woman as my best friend. Last week, this beautiful optimism was in full force. Bill Callahan, one of our most favourite singer/songwriters, announced he would be performing at the Sydney Opera House. Living in Melbourne, my (more recent) glass half full brain immediately thought, oh, he might come to town! But my friend sees the world a little differently to me.

She told me that we are going to Sydney. And that was that.

She bought tickets that day. It’s happening, and I was coming along for the ride. Because, in her eyes, it just wouldn’t be as much fun without me.

This turn of events really made me think about just how much her positivity has influenced my life over the years. And it’s more than I could have ever imagined, really. There were countless experiences and achievements of mine that could be traced back to her optimism. Her enthusiasm, her motivation, her courage. Such is her level of optimism that it overflows from her, to be shared around with her friends. And where I would have just dusted my hands and walked away if I encountered one too many hurdles, she would be there, filling up my half empty glass with her optimism.

We have been friends for very many years. And luckily for me, my brain has been trained by her brain to be more sanguine. Brains are quite clever like that. They notice immediately if a task is approached in a more optimal way. So the solution, my friends, is rather easily attained.

Just surround yourself with positive people.

Pistachio + Rose Rocky Road

Makes 24 squares. You can easily halve the recipe to make a smaller batch – just use a smaller pan (like a loaf tin).

What You Need

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 4 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 6 Tbsp rice malt syrup
• 1/4 tsp rose water
• 1 cup crushed macadamias (or popcorn if you are not overly fussed about it being raw)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/4 cup goji berries
• 1/4 cup sultanas

What You Need to Do

1. Melt the coconut oil and rice malt syrup together.
2. Whisk in the raw cacao powder and rose water, until smooth.
3. Place remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly to coat.
4. Line a square cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture.
5. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the mixture tightly into the pan.
6. Place in the freezer to set, for at least 2 hours.
7. Cut into squares and serve!