Sugar And Bake-free Lime, Dates And Walnut Pie
"I cannot explain how excited I am to share this beautiful lime, dates and walnut pie recipe with you. I know, some of my friends that have already tasted (tasted it only because there was very little left at the time) or some who have properly eaten this, fell in love with it instantly and they can’t wait for this recipe to arrive. So, here it is at last! This is a superbly nutritious desert where not a single gram of sugar is added. This pie is totally vegan, bake, gluten and sugar-free and totally and utterly flavorsome. Give this delicious beauty a try and, please, please let me know what you think of it. "
Notes¹ Resting/setting time: 3h
² I really can't recommend enough that you use Medjoul dates as these are simply the best. They are not dry and taste a lot better. If you can't find those and your dates are dry those will need soaking.
³ Please note that although cacao and cocoa are coming from the same tree they are not the same and the difference is quite significant cacao being the raw cold pressed and most unprocessed product whereas the latter suffers some processing which is high temperature roasting. It is believed that cacao is the richest of all foods yet discovered in magnesium and antioxidants. Of course you can use whichever one you have but the best is to use the raw and unprocessed one and also look out when you buy it to buy the best stuff.
4 Walnuts, remember to slightly toast them. They will taste just divine.
5 Avocados you can use two small as stipulated or 1 1/2 medium sized ones. The trick is that the fruits have to be perfectly ripe otherwise you will get chunks of fruits. It is the same with the mango, this has to be perfectly ripe so there would be no mango lumps in the filling. You can, instead of avocado, use papaya. Superb!
6 If you don't happen to have any agave or dates syrup use honey, it's absolutely perfect and acceptable as well as very tasty and healthy.
7 Cashew nuts can be replaced with almonds, but whichever you chose to use will need to be soaked for at least 30’ .
8 Lime can be replaced or halved with passion fruit meaning that you could use half lime half passion juice (of course you will need to remove the seeds) Delicious!
Feel adventurous with the ingredients! Go for it... and please let me know what interesting changes you’ve made.
Serves12
Preparation Time25 min
Cooking Time5 min
Ingredients
- For the pie crust:220 g dates (pitted) ²
- 30 g cacao powder ³
- 100 g walnuts (slightly toasted) 4
- 45 g coconut (desiccated)
- 1 tsp himalayan salt (pink salt)
- For the pie filling:2 small avocados 5
- 115 ml agave or dates syrup, or nectar 6
- 200 g cashew nuts (soaked for 30-40 minutes) 7
- 6-8 limes (squeeze the juice) or replace with 200-240 ml juice
- 170 ml coconut oil (melted)
- 1/2 mango (ripe)
- 4-5 slices lime (and/or lime) to decorate 8
- 1 tsp zest (from lemons and limes) for decoration
Instructions
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In a food processor, using the S-sharped blade whizz all the ingredients for the crust (dates, walnuts, coconut, cacao powder and the slat). You might have to start initially with pulse mode as the dates can be a bit tricky until they get going into the desired texture. When they are becoming a thick crumbed paste take out and put on a 23 cm (aprox. 9 inch) tray. Ideally would be a loose based baking tray but if you do not have one of those in this size, line any dish (that has got edges of at least 1 cm height that matches the given size) with a few layers of cling film or aluminium foil and leave some extra length to form some edges to make it easier to handle when you will need to take it out and transfer it onto the serving plate. Making use of your own fist and palm, spread the base mixture and press it evenly into the base pushing against the sides of the dish so that it forms the edges that should go up for 1 cm or almost.
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Wash the food processor or wipe clean. Using the same S shaped blade, put all the filling ingredients in (the soaked cashew nuts, lime juice, the avocado flesh, mango, the melted coconut oil and the agave or date syrup), whizz them well until you get a nice and pretty smooth paste.
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Chill for about 3 hours in the fridge allowing to set beautifully. After chilling time decorate with some thinly cut lime slices as well as some lemon and lime zest.
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Because the quantities are quite for some number you could easily freeze some by slicing it into desired sizes and it can be kept in the freezer for quite some time (up to 2 months). Whenever you wish to serve one or more, take out of the freezer and defrost for a minimum of 4-5 hours in the fridge where can be kept for as long as 6-7 days.
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Amazing stuff!