My 1st Raw Pie

Yes, it's true. It only took me 16 weeks of only making the filling and skipping the crust to finally make an entire raw pie. The strawberries here are still abundant, so I opted for a strawberry pie recipe from gone raw. Everyone loved the pie, but I was hoping for a more strawberry-ish taste. Next time I make this dessert I will double the strawberries in the filling and halve the coconut oil. Overall, I'd say an excellent start to my pie uncooking adventures. Here's the recipe:

CRUST -

• 2 cups almonds or pecans (I used pecans)
• 1/2-1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean
• 4-5 medjool dates, pitted
• pinch of sea salt

FILLING -

• 2 cups cashews soaked 1-2 hours
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup agave (or to taste)
• 3/4 cup fresh strawberries (I used 1 cup and still thought it wasn't strawberry-ish enough)
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

TOPPING -

• 2 handfuls of strawberries, hulled and cut in half

To make the crust, place the almonds or pecans in food processor and process with the S blade until crumbled. Add the coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla and pulse a couple of times. Add the dates last, one at a time and pulse until the crust holds together when you squeeze it between your fingertips. If the crust does not hold, add more dates (again one at a time). Use a bit of coconut oil to grease a pie pan. Press the crust into the oiled pie pan. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes before adding filling.
About 10 minutes before the crust is fully chilled begin making the filling. Blend all the filling ingredients until smooth. Pour 1/3 of the filling into the pie crust (just enough to cover the bottom). Take a handful of the strawberries you cut up for the topping and scatter them on top of the filling. Pour the rest of the filling on top and place in freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. When you're ready to serve, decorate the top with the rest of your cut up strawberries.

A strawberry topping would also be heavenly with this dessert. Simply toss a handful of strawberries in the blender and mix until smooth. Depending on the sweetness of your berries, you may want to add some raw sweetener as well. Drizzle the strawberry topping on the pie. I didn't have enough strawberries leftover, to do this myself :( but I thought it would have been a nice touch (especially since the pie wasn't as fruity as I would have liked).

Happy Summertime everyone!