I am Rapture...

Oh, it is rapturous scooping out the innards of a ripe avocado. But, why are you talking about avocados, Ms. “Eat Local and Seasonal”? Well, when Ms. Humble posted a pie contest on her blog I couldn’t resist the temptation to make a Not-So-Humble-Pie. It presented an opportunity to try my hand at a raw goodie. While I had toyed with the idea of taking on the raw diet wholeheartedly, I just love cooked foods too much (I also don’t like how eating raw often requires tropical ingredients like coconut). But, I am going to take a quick break and step down off of my high vegan sustainable pedestal, and embrace the luscious coconut, Brazil nuts, and dates in the following recipe.

My last night in Berkeley before running off to Europe, my friends and I gorged ourselves at Café Gratitude. So in my quest to give raw a go, I first turned to the Café Gratitude “cook” book, I am Grateful. For this challenge, I consulted three recipes to come up with my Strawberry Lemonade pie: I Am Rapture (strawberry shortcake), I Am Lovely (strawberry apple cobbler), and I Am Awakening (key lime pie).

Strawberry Lemonade Pie (AKA I Am Awakening in Lovely Rapture)

Crust

1 ¼ cups Brazil nuts

1 ¼ cups almonds, soaked for 30 minutes and skinned

½ cup finely chopped dates

¼ tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Filling

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 large avocado

½ cup agave nectar

½ tsp lemon extract

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup raw unscented coconut butter

Strawberry Layer

3 cups finely sliced strawberries

1 tbs agave nectar

1 tsp lemon juice

1. Food process crust ingredients except dates until crumbly. Add dates in bits until the crust sticks together. Press into oiled pie pan.

2. Layer half of the strawberries in the crust.

3. Blend all filling ingredients except coconut butter until smooth. Add omitted ingredients until everything comes together. Pour into the pie shell.

4. Use the rest of the strawberries on the top of the pie.

So, what do you think? Rough life those raw dieters have ... eating all that coconut and avocado?