Raw Strawberry Pie

I've been wanting to expand on our raw food experiments for a few weeks, but I just haven't had the time, energy, or reason to really get into making some new things. I figured our family party for Mother's Day provided me the perfect opportunity to try out a raw dessert. So I decided to make a raw strawberry pie from Gone Raw. My friend, Lina, made this a few weeks ago and brought some into work, so I knew it was good. It ended up being so easy to make, too! Yes, there is some pre-planning (soaking the cashews) and down time (letting the crust and pie set up in the freezer), but aside from that, this was super quick and easy to make! It went over very well at my family party, too! This is definitely a keeper recipe! I can't wait to try out some other raw desserts!

Picture to come later... I'll warn you its not the best picture b/c I took it when it was still frozen, but you will at least be able to get the idea.

Raw Strawberry Pie

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

Filling:
2 cups cashews soaked 1-2 hours
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup agave or honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
3/4 cup fresh strawberries
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
1-2 cups sliced strawberries

To make the crust, place almonds or pecans in food processor and process with the S blade until crumbled. Add 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). Press into oiled (with coconut oil) tart or pie pan. Chill in Freezer for 30 minutes before adding filling.

To make the filling, blend all ingredients well in a Vitamix blender if you have one (I used my food processor). Pour part of the filling into the pie crust, just enough to cover the bottom. Take some 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. Decorate with the rest of your cut up strawberries.

This pie needs to stay refrigerated to keep its firmness so make sure you keep in cold up until serving. I put mine in the freezer overnight and the just kept it in the fridge (or in the cooler when we were on the road) in the morning.

Raw Lettuce Wraps

We have been eating more and more raw things lately. We've even had a few nights of all raw meals. We are loving these raw lettuce wraps and have had them a few times now. These pictured just have avocado, cucumber, and carrots. (Kevin has his without the avocado since it gives him an allergic reaction this time of year.) I've added tomato, green bell pepper, and sweet onion to them, as well. They were great both ways! These are a little awkward for Carson to eat, so I just dice up the veggies we're having and shred a little lettuce for him to just eat with a fork. We usually have these with a fresh, raw fruit salad for a raw dinner that is very tasty and very healthy!

Raw Lettuce Wraps

Romaine lettuce leaves
Avocado, smashed
Cucumber
Carrots
Any other veggies you like - bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato, onion, etc.

Wash your lettuce and lay out the number of leaves you need. Smash your avocado and spread on the romaine leaves. Use a veggie peeler or cut in small dices the remaining veggies. Layer them on top of the avocado. To eat, roll in the sides of the romaine leaf to make a wrap and enjoy!

Raw Carrot & Cucumber Salad with Peanut Dressing

I've been trying to add in more and more raw, living foods into our diet and meals. The benefits of eating raw, living food are just too amazing to ignore. I highly doubt we'll ever become totally raw, but I think it would be nice to eat half raw at some point. And now that Kevin is starting to jump on the health food bandwagon and is thinking about what he eats a little more now than he ever has, he's actually game for trying this, too! So hopefully you'll be seeing more and more raw recipes on my blog in the weeks and months to come. I have quite a few recipes bookmarked, printed, or saved on my link list on this blog that I want to try. It'll be easier now that the summer growing season is about to start and the availability of fresh, local, raw foods will be more readily available.

Anyway, we tried a raw carrot and cucumber salad with one of our meals this week. I found the recipe on Gone Raw. This was really good. I didn't use a chili pepper in my dressing since I didn't have one on hand and didn't feel like buying one. I just squirted in a little Sriracha chili sauce - not much because I didn't want to make it too spicy for Carson. We all liked it and I think I'd definitely make it again!

I'll update with a picture later on.

Raw Carrot and Cucumber Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Salad:
2 medium-large carrots
1/2 cucumber
hemp or sesame seeds

Spicy peanut dressing:
1/4c peanut butter (or almond butter if you prefer)
1.5 tbsp tamari (or nama shoyu to be truly raw)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lime juice
cayenne pepper or chili pepper, finely minced and seeded to taste (I just used a squirt or Sriracha)
1/4c water (start with 1/8c and add more as needed)
Add a bit more water as needed to get the right consistency

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Using a veggie peeler, peel thin strips of the cucumber and carrots. You may want to chop the veggies in half first so your pieces aren't too big. Put into a bowl and toss with the dressing until well coated. Top with hemp seeds or sesame seeds.

Note: because of the water in the cucumber, if this salad is saved for the next day or two, it can get watery. So, store the salad separate from the dressing and when you want to eat it, take some and put in a bowl and dress.

Raw Macaroons

Last night, Carson and I made some raw chocolate macaroons. My friend, Lina, had brought these in to work a while back and I thought they were so yummy, so I asked her for the recipe. The recipe comes from the book Raw Food, Real World. Lina let me borrow her cookbook and I copied down several recipes that I hope to try. These cookies are super easy to throw together and then the dehydrator does all the work while you sleep. We woke up to a house smelling like cocoa. :) These really taste great, too. They're very rich. Carson loves them... he kept sneaking tastes of the batter last night while we were making them and I let him have a bite of one as a treat after he ate his eggs and toast this morning. He immediately wanted more, but we'll have to wait till later in the day to indulge again.

Raw Chocolate Macaroons

3 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes (organic)
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder (organic, free trade certified)
1 cup pure maple syrup (local, organic)
1/3 cup coconut butter (extra virgin, organic)
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (organic)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well. You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

Using a small cookie scoop, your hands, or a big tablespoon, spoon rounds of the dough onto dehydrator screens. If you are using your hands, you may want to chill the dough a bit first.

Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 12-24 hours, or until crisp on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside.

For blonde macaroons, replace the cocoa powder with an equal amount of almond flour.