RECIPE: pecan pie

My mom sent home with me a fresh bag of just-picked pecans from the Central Valley (California). I could hardly wait to get home and make some magic happen with those unadulterated beauties. First on the list: Pecan Pie.

For the crust:
2 cups pecans
5-7 pitted dates, soaked
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon clove powder
1 teaspoon vanilla (seeds scraped from a bean)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Put the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly and sticking together a bit. Dump the contents into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan and press down until the entire bottom is evenly covered. Place in freezer until you are ready to pour the filling on top.

For the filling:

2 cups cashews (soaked for about 30 minutes)

2 teaspoons molasses

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 cup maple syrup (non raw)

7 dates pitted, soaked

1/4 cup of coconut oil/butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg and clove powder

Place everything save the coconut, vanilla, and salt into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until everything is incorporated, but do not over blend. Pour the filling atop the crust. Decorate the top with halves of pecans (or however you want) and then place the pie into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Move to the frig and keep there until ready to eat.

YUM! and it’s GOOD for you, too!! Within the first 24 hours we gave up on plates and just started taking a fork to the pie out of the pan …