After we found out about my daughter's allergy to nuts, I would often think about the raw pies that I would make with a wonderful nut crust (usually cashews and pine nuts). I thought to myself, there must be a way to make a crust without nuts. I could probably use sunflower and pumpkin seeds. But would it be good?
On the notion that it would probably not be very palatable, I kept putting off the idea of making one. The idea came to me again, and I seized the moment of inspiration. I soaked 1 cup of sunflower seeds, 1 cup of pumpkin seeds and two dates overnight. I would have to make something of out them.
What I made was more than palatable, my husband loved it. I have to say, this pie rocks. Please try it and let me know what you think. All you need besides the ingredients, is a food processor to prepare it.
I do have to say though, that this pie cannot be classified as really being "raw" since I used cocoa powder. But, I did not have any raw cacao. Feel free to substitute.
Crust Recipe:
Overnight, soak 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds along with 1 date
Rinse seeds the following morning. If you don't plan to make the crust in the morning, cover and refrigerate the seeds. I would not recommend leaving the seeds another day, as they could become moldy.
Add to food processor:
1/2 cup of soaked sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of soaked pumpkin seeds
1 soaked date
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon raw honey
Blend well. Stir and keep blending until all the seeds are fully blended.
Add to a pie dish and mold into its contours.
Pie filling:
2 avocados
1/2 cup of liquified coconut oil
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
3 tablespoons of raw honey
Blend until smooth.
Pour into pie dish and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. The coconut oil becomes firm, and in turn the pie becomes firm. It was even great the next day.
Since I originally soaked 1 cup of each of the seeds, I ended up making two pie crusts. I decided to split the recipe for my blog since not everyone needs to make two pie crusts at once.
I got the idea to use the liquified coconut oil in the pie from Kelly at the Spunky Coconut. You can find her blog link on my blog roll. She has some really great recipes. And the coconut oil worked great, my pie was smooth and firm and delicious. I can't wait to make another.
-heather
