Raw Strawberry Cream Pie

When strawberries go on sale for $0.99/carton, I can't help myself but to buy some! That is normally how my cooking and baking go... I find fruits or vegetables that are on sale or that just look really delicious there in the store, bring them home, and experiment away. It seems to work for me!

This pie is awesome. There is some prep work involved before you start anything. Make sure you soak your cashews and dates in cold water for at least 2 hours (I used the same bowl for this). You'll also want to dice your strawberries and freeze them. You can buy frozen but they probably won't taste as pleasant. 

Crust 

Ingredients:

1 c. raw almonds

1/2 c. raw walnuts

1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp. raw coconut nectar (or any liquid sweetener)

1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted (plus about a tsp. more for the pie pan)

Instructions:

- Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread a little bit of melted coconut oil on the bottom and sides of your pie pan.

- Place all ingredients into food processor. Blend this until it becomes a crumbly mixture.

- Push crust mixture into pie pan. It won't be the same consistency as a regular pie crust -- you'll want to press it in and up the sides to form the crust.

- Pop the crust in the freezer while you prepare your pie filling.

Pie
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. strawberries, frozen
1 1/2 c. cashews, soaked
3 large dates, soaked and pitted
1/4 c. melted coconut oil
1 tbsp. raw coconut nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Instructions:
- Place all ingredients into food processor. Let this run for a few minutes, scraping down the sides every minute or so. You'll want this to be perfectly creamy so be patient!

- Spread pie mixture into your prepared pie pan and top with fresh strawberries.

- Pop in freezer for at least an hour then keep stored in the refrigerator.

Holy crap, this pie was awesome! It has the consistency of a mix between a pudding pie and a cheesecake. The strawberry flavor is so strong and so amazing that it hardly needs any sweetener! The crust turned out a bit more crumbly than I thought it would and I would probably add 1 tbsp. extra of coconut oil next time. Otherwise, this was perfection in a pie pan!