YUM! Berries! RAW Berry Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust!

Ahh, SUMMER!  One of the best parts of the summer feeling is getting fresh berries to snack on (in moderation, of course) and all those DELICIOUS DESSERTS that come with them.  For this outdoor grilling season and get-togethers, sometimes a good dessert just tops off the evening; so I’ve found a recipe that meets the PALEO standards and truly satisfies the “sweet” bicuspid (should I have said Canine?).  I’ve also listed some properties of locally grown berries so you can put “proof to the pudding”.  ENJOY and share with your friends, save as a power snack, but CAUTION!!! THIS PIE MAKES 12 SERVINGS, SO SLICE IT THIN!!!

Here are some numbers – per slice; 299 cal, 19g fat (9gmono,5gpoly,3gsat), 7g protein, 32g carb, 5g fiber, 5mg sodium naturally derived, 0mg chol.

 

Berries first: 1 cup fresh or frozen = … and what they help fight against!

Strawberries              Raspberries                Blackberries               Blueberries

Cal-49                          Cal-64                          Cal-62                          Cal-84

Vit C – 149%dv            Vit C – 54%dv              Vit C – 50%dv              Vit C - 24%dv

Fiber – 12%dv             Fiber – 32%dv             Fiber – 31%dv             Fiber – 14%dv

Folate – 9%dv              Fiber – 6%dv               Fiber - 9%dv                Fiber – 2%dv

Atherosclerosis           Colon Cancer              Cancer                         Aging Brain cells

RAW BERRY PIE WITH MACADAMIA NUT CRUST

(Taken from “Delicious Living”, June 2011 edition, writer Lisa Turner, check out her site– www.inspiredeating.com )

This is kind of a complex dish, but worth the work!  The Key to this is FRESH NUTS AND MOIST DATES – THIS HELPS MAKE AN AWESOME CRUST.

If Macadamia nuts are expensive or hard to find, substitute cashews in the crust.  Fresh mixed berries are the best, but if necessary substitute two 10-oz packages of frozen mixed berries, thawed.

2 Cups  Raw cashews

10 pitted dates (soak in water if firm or dry), cut into quarters

½ Cup raw Macadamia nuts

¾ Cup Raw Walnuts

½ cup Raisins (soak if dry, drain)

½ tsp Coconut Oil

1-1/2 Cups (6-7oz) Strawberries, sliced

3 Cups (14oz) mixed fresh berries

2 TBS Raw, unfiltered Honey

½ tsp Vanilla extract, (or scrape the inside of ½ Raw Vanilla Bean, add to 1 tsp water and blend)

¼ Cup Whole mint leaves for Garnish

1.      Soak Cashews in water for four hours, rinse and drain.

2.      Place 3 dates in a bowl and cover with ½ Cup water, let stand for 30 minutes, SAVE THIS WATER.

3.      While they’re doing their thing:

In a food processor combine the remaining 7 Dates, Macadamia nuts, Walnuts, and Raisins.  Process on high until mixture STARTS TO FORM A BALL, SCRAPING SIDES AS NEEDED.  Lightly coat a 9 inch pie dish (Glass dish if you have one) with the coconut oil; press the nut mixture evenly into the dish, crimp the top edge for looks.  Chill for a bit to firm it up, maybe 15-20 minutes…

4.      FILLING – Remove Dates from soaking water, saving the water.  In a Food Processor, combine the soaked and drained Dates and Cashews, 1 Cup Strawberries, 2 Cups Mixed Berries(Saving 1 cup for the next step), Honey and Vanilla.  Process 3 minutes until smooth and creamy, adding the reserved water from the dates if necessary.  Add remaining 1 Cup of berries and PULSE until berries are chopped up but still visible.  SPOON FILLING INTO CRUST, SMOOTH TOP, FREEZE  FOR 1 HOUR.

5.      Remove pie from freezer and arrange remaining ½ Cup strawberries around the perimeter.  Place mint leaves between the strawberries (make it pretty, like maybe 1 strawberry and one mint leaf per slice) Remember 12 SLICES.  (If making ahead, remove from freezer at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tell me what you think! 

Next, my very crafty wife came up with an AWESOME IDEA for A Sheppard’s Pie dish.  I’m gonna whip it up and let you know how it works.  Talk to you then!