Lime Avocado Pie

At this point in a cold winter, I find myself seriously craving citrus, as the flavors represent glimmers of warm summer days in my memory. This dessert provides the cool, creamy and tart satisfaction of a Key Lime Pie, but does all this, stunningly, while being vegan, raw and gluten-free. It also whips together in the blink of an eye. I love a dessert that accomplishes all that and is tasty as hell. The recipe is from a raw dessert book, Sweet Gratitude, the Recipes of Cafe Gratitude. This is an excellent raw food restaurant in San Francisco owned by dear friends of mine, Terces and Matt Engelhart. I’m always so impressed with all of their desserts and this one measures up.

Lime Avocado Pie
Lime Filling:
3/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cups coconut milk
1 cup mashed avocado (wet measure)
2 teaspoons liquid vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lecithin
1/2 cup coconut oil
Pistachio-Walnut Crust>
1 1/4 cups walnuts
1 1/4 cups pistachios
3 ounces date paste (weight)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
Process:
1. Put nuts and salt into a food processor until the nuts are ground finely and the mixture starts climbing the walls of the processor. Add the date paste and vanilla and process until combined.
2. Coat a pie dish with a very thin layer of coconut oil. Press the crust into a thin layer over the whole dish, pushing up on the sides to the top. Use your finger to form a decorative top.
3. Combine all ingredients but the lecithin and oil into the food processor or Vita-Mix and process until smooth. Add the oil and lecithin and process until completely combined.
4. Spoon filling into crust. Decorate with lime slices and chill for at least 2 hours before serving. The pie will keep for about 3 days covered in the refridgerator.