Raw Vegan Key Lime Pie

I bought a whole bunch of cashews on a Bulk Barn shopping spree a few weeks ago so that I could make a raw dessert. I see cashews used often in raw and vegan desserts because they have a neutral taste and a creamy texture so they can be used to mimic cream.

Cashews as a substitute for cream are not a calorie saver, but if you’re concerned about eating animal products or if you’re tryng to eat more raw foods then they’re a good option.

I completely forgot about my cashews until last night when I was looking for something to top a Chinese stir fry that I had made for dinner and remembered cashews (because aren’t cashews just the best part of stir fry?)

So I decided to whip up a raw pie right after dinner so I wouldn’t forget . . . but then the hydro went out.

I was unimpressed, primarily because there was no entertaining thunderstorm to accompany the power outage. That would have at least made the it all a bit more bearable.

Eventually, the power did come back on and I ended up pulling out the food processor and whipping up this bad boy at 11pm (which is basically my peak baking time anyhow, so no harm done).

It’s actually quite good. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from a raw dessert but this one is pretty tasty. Of course it doesn’t taste exactly like key lime pie, but you can taste the key lime pie influence on this dish. I definitely ate more of it than I should have– a very good sign.

The crust is sweet and a bit chewy and the filling is creamy and tart.

It was even Matt approved! I can tell that he wants me to make it again because his reaction was:
“Let me guess, you didn’t write down the recipe” (because this literally happens all the time)

But this time, I did.

Raw Vegan Key Lime Pie

makes one deep 5″ pie (which I made in a brie baker)

Ingredients

Crust

1 c. oats
1/2 c. dates
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp date molasses (This is my liquid sweetener of choice, you could also use agave or brown rice syrup)

Filling

1 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. raw almonds
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. date molasses (or agave or brown rice syrup)
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1/4 lemon
water as needed (~3 Tbsp)
coconut flakes (optional, for topping)

Directions

Process the oats in a food processor until they become a coarse flour.

Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse until the mixture comes together. It will be crumbly but you should be able to form it into balls with your hands.

Press the crust into a greased 5″ round baking dish (I used a brie baker for this).

Next, process the cashews and almonds into a flour.

Add the coconut oil, vanilla, date molasses, and citrus juices to the food processor and process until the mixture is smooth. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes. Add water as needed to get the mixture to a consistency of peanut butter.

Spread the filling onto the crust and top with shredded coconut if desired. Refrigerate overnight to allow the pie to set before cutting into it.

(The pie will hold its shape very well. I was able to remove it easily from the brie baker once it had set.)

Superhero Balls

My fridge is broken. Well, only partially. Everything in the crispers freezes but the rest of the fridge is just not cold enough to keep food for extended periods of time. It’s getting kind of annoying. The inventory of my fridge is currently some thanksgiving leftovers, a lemon, a pound of butter and half a dozen eggs (both frozen solid in the crisper), a several bottles of lukewarm beer and icewine, and an uncountable number of condiments.

When I caught Matt in the kitchen eating sweet relish from the jar I knew that I needed to make something for us to snack on. I settled on one of my favourite non-guilty pleasure recipes from Meghan Telpner. She calls them Superhero Balls, and I call them delicious. These raw vegan truffles are rich in nutty flavour with just enough sweet to satisfy, but the best part is that they are loaded with goodness: complete protein from hemp and chia seeds, fibre from wheat bran and flax meal, antioxidants from cacao, vitamin E from almonds, and minerals from molasses. (Meghan puts spirulina in hers, but I was fresh out).

I decided to include these as week 3 in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies because I think they would be perfect for a Christmas cookie tray. I challenge you to make them for Christmas. No one will even know they are healthful, but you’ll tell them of course because this is a recipe that’s meant to be shared

SuperHero’s Balls

(adapted from Making Love in the Kitchen)

Ingredients

2 0z. cacao nibs
1/2 c. whole almonds (or 1/4 c. almond meal)
1/4 c. hemp seeds
2 T coconut oil
2 T molasses
1 T maple syrup
1 T Wheat Bran
1 T flax meal
1 T Chia Seeds
1 t cinnamon
pinch of ground clove
pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Grind the cacao in a spice grinder until it is still somewhat course.

• Then grind the almonds in the spice grinder if you are using whole almonds
• Mix all ingredients together thoroughly until they are able to come together to form balls. Add additional coconut oil as necessary to keep the mixture together.

Dry Ingredients

• Roll roughly 1 Tbs worth of mixture in balls
• Freeze for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

The 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies is being hosted by Abby Sweets.

Week 2: Chewy Spiced Ginger Cookies (Vegan)
Week 1: Double Chocolate Biscotti

day 185: cleansing weekend

Have you ever taken an 86 year old woman shopping for clothes? Let me tell you, it is a nearly impossible task. My sister and I took my Nonna to the mall on Saturday morning to go shopping for a shirt to wear to an upcoming wedding. We always dread taking her shopping for clothes, not because she walks painfully slowly through the mall corridors, nor because she shouts commands at us (“Pay the lady!”) but because she is the world’s pickiest shopper.

You could pick any top off the racks of the most “old lady friendly” clothing store and she’ll find something wrong with it before even bothering to try it on. I believe the standard response to anything that we presented to her was “Oh ca’mon, I look ridiculous!”, a phrase used to mean anything from “I don’t like the colour” to “The sleeves are too short” to “The top is too long”. My sister and I were able to get he to try on several tops just by ushering her into the change room and bringing tops to her that we thought she might not hate. Whenever Nonna put on a top in the change room she would lament at how tight it was on the belly and tell us that she was getting fat. …I guess I know where my fat talk comes from.

So I guess fat talk doesn’t stop with age. It grows with you if you let it. It crosses generational boundaries. I hope that if I live to be a spunky 86 year old woman, like my Nonna, I won’t still be standing in front of the mirror picking at my body. I hope that my wrinkles will tell of all the days I’ve spent enjoying the sunshine, and that my chubbiness will show off my penchant for decadent desserts, and that my grey hair will make me look distinguished (okay, maybe that only works for men, but a girl can dream).

Eventually we were able to find a beautiful sheer black tunic with a grey camisole that makes her look 20 years younger. We even convinced her to buy a trendy long silver necklace to go with the outfit. Before we left my sister and I mentioned that Nonna is very picky when it comes to clothes. Nonna piped up and said: “I know what I want, and that’s what I’ll buy.” So, in spite of her fat talk I’m proud that she knows what she wants and what will make her comfortable with her appearance. I wish I could say the same.

I had intended to make some chia pudding for breakfast because I loved it on my first and second raw days, but I was out late on Friday night catching up with a friend and I totally forgot to make it. Instead I made a Sesame Banana Bowl with a very ripe banana.

1 Banana, sliced; 1 T tahini; 1 t molasses; sprinkling of cinnamon

After I made my dish pretty for the camera, I just mushed it all together and ate it with a spoon. Oh Yeah.

Bananas are my favourite food.

Lunch was a papaya salad from Red Papaya.

Dinner was a raw zucchini and carrot salad with a dressing made of cashews, tomato, and LOTS of basil.

Today was a green smoothie only day. As is tomorrow. I’d be interested if anyone has any good green smoothie recipes they want to share.

Update: Look out tonight for my first post in the Bikini Confidence blogger series!

day 183: second raw day

On to day 2 of raw eating!

I copied yesterday’s breakfast of Chia Pudding. I’m really liking this stuff! Chia pudding for breakfast tomorrow? I’m gonna go with YES.

Today’s pudding was flavoured with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg instead of the oolong tea. I love this spice combination; it reminds me of John R. Park Homestead.

In spite of the 30*C weather, my office is an ice box. I have cute skirts and short sleeved summer shirts that I can’t wear to work because of the temperature. Today I wore a sweater and long, heavy trousers and I had to sit on my feet to keep them warm. This is not my idea of a comfortable work environment. On days like this I wish I were a smoker so I could have an excuse to hang out outside without looking like I were casing the building. Alternately, I’m seriously considering investing in a snuggie strictly for office use and hoping it will catch on as neo-business casual. Let’s all do it. We’ll start a movement.

…Where was I going with all this?

Oh yeah, … I tried to keep warm today by drinking my new favourite tea. Kusmi Prince Vladimir tea. It’s a Russian style black tea that I scored in Montreal that’s flavoured with citrus, vanilla, and spices. I’m a sucker for good quality tea, and this Kusmi stuff is good, plus the package is photogenic. Win-win.

Before you ask, yes I did spend $5.82 on 50g of tea.

I was really excited for lunch today, but it turned out to be a let down. Had I not been so liberal with the seasoning, this mock chicken salad would have tasted awesome. But it didn’t. Instead, it tasted like salt.

I’m not giving up on this recipe because I know it can be good if I just stay away from the salt pig next time.

Mock Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 15 raw almonds
• 15 raw cashews
• 2 T raw sunflower seeds
• 3 stalks of celery hearts
• 1/4 of a green pepper
• 3 fresh sage leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place ingredients in the food processor and process until it forms a chunky paste. Make sure not to over-season the mixture!

Serve with your favourite salad (raw), or in a wrap or sandwich (not raw).

day 182: raw day

Today I did it raw as part of my Final Cleanse before my upcoming birthday. 3 raw meals and countless snacks (of fresh fruit and raw nuts) and it was much easier than expected. I’m actually really looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

Breakfast was by far my favourite meal. Creamy Nut Chia Seed Pudding with Ripe Banana. I whirred with the food processor: 3/4 c almond milk, 2 T chia seeds, 1/4 t cornstarch, 1/8 t salt, 1/2 t cinnamon, 3 dates, 1 t Creamy Nut Oolong tea. And, yeah, I know oolong is not raw. I let the concoction sit overnight in the fridge and, voila, pudding!

Lunch wasn`t extraordinary. Roma Tomato and Basil Salad with Hemp Seeds, dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

I had dinner at my nonna`s house today. In the summertime every meal she makes consists of a salad with radicchio. I swear the woman could live off radicchio, bread, and cheese. I have grown quite fond of the bitter herb in recent years. I generally don`t like a salad entirely made of the stuff but I feel like it does add a different dimension of flavour. Besides romaine lettuce this salad included not one, but 2 types of radicchio: the typical red radicchio and a green variety. Yum!

I topped this salad with sea salt, sunflower seeds, yellow bell pepper, and dried cranberries and dressed it yet again with balsamic vinegar. I found this vinegar deep in the abundant oil and vinegar cabinet and it was almost as sweet as syrup. It was a match made in heaven for the bitter radic`

I`m going to get a bit more creative tomorrow with lunch. Not with breakfast. Breakfast rocked. Same thing tomorrow AM.

I`ve already put together a mock chicken salad for my lunch tomorrow, inspired by a meal I had in Beantown, so stay tuned for the recipe!

In other news, I have a new computer! And by new, I mean a hand me down from my husband whose new gamer laptop was shipped today. Still, I`m excited because it`s a laptop, it`s only 2 years old, and it runs Vista. My PC was a desktop circa 1998 that ran Windows `98 and had no hard drive space (literally, I had to keep deleting files and uninstalling old programs). But the most exciting thing about it is that I no longer have to listen (or pretend to listen) to my husband weigh the pros and cons of every single laptop of the market.

Matt and the new computer with the giant screen.

If you’re interested in writing a post for the guest blogger series on Bikini Confidence, send me an e-mail at samanthaamenzies@gmail.com