Have your pie and eat it raw.

Last night, we ate a fabulous dinner at an old friend’s house, and I brought this raw Strawberry pie.  The strawberries were really sweet and made the pie very yummy.  Everyone, including me, is always amazed at how good raw desserts are.  Charlie and I ate the rest of the pie for lunch.  That’s right, we had pie for lunch.

Charlie had to meet with clients in Marietta, so I tagged along to check out some shops.  We had heard a lot about a natural food store that had a large selection of raw foods.  Let me just say, the rumors are true: Life Grocery & Café is amazing!  I’ve never seen so many prepared raw foods available for purchase on grocery store shelves.  They had everything from fresh meals to cookies and crackers to granolas.  Their vegan café makes smoothies, live meals, and cooked meals sure to please anyone.   We shared a plate of soft tacos, salad, and a cacao cheesecake.   The salad came with a live Tangy Ginger dressing that was out of this world.  Raw food is so good!  Why do we have to drive out of this bustling city of ours to find places like this?

Raw Strawberry Pie
The Joy of Vegan Baking
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8-12

Crust:
2 cups raw almonds or pecans
3/4 cup pitted dates, preferably Medjool

Filling:
5 cups sliced ripe strawberries
5 pitted dates, soaked 10 minutes in warm water and drained
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Place the nuts in a food processor and grind until they’re a coarse meal. Add the 3/4 cup of dates (for the crust) and process until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into a non-stick or very lightly oiled pie plate or spring form pan.

Arrange 4 cups of the sliced strawberries on top of the crust and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining 1 cup of strawberries with the 5 soaked dates and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Pour the sauce mixture over strawberries.

Refrigerate the pie for 1 hour before serving. This will help the pie set and will be perfect for slicing.