Raw Key Lime Pie

Now, after being an exclusive raw foodist for a few years, (I began delving into it 5 years ago), I have now come to understand food and nutrition on a more balanced, whole-istic (haha, get it?!) approach. I eat mainly vegan but with a few lightly cooked local eggs in my diet whenever my body craves them (about three eggs every two months). I also oscillate between no dairy and local, organic aged cheese from happy, free-range, grass-fed organic cow's, sheep's, and goat's milk. Sometimes my body craves the B12 and good bacteria from the cheese and the omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, vitamin A--and especially in the winter months--the vitamin D in the eggs. So, if I crave either eggs or cheese, I will eat them reasonably for a couple days until my body no longer finds them desirable. For certain  people, these foods are more appropriate and for others, less so. These particular discussions will come in the near future as another topic of discussion! In that discussion will also be a lot of information regarding the vegetarian VS omnivore debate.

But for now, RAW, ORGANIC KEY LIME PIE! 
I prefer to eat and cook raw food desserts especially because they have less empty calories, are often more flavorful, are in my opinion much more fun to create, and they almost always have a much higher nutrient, mineral, and antioxidant content than cooked foods. And since desserts are usually rich in fats and sugars, I prefer raw desserts because they have all of their enzymes in tact unlike conventional desserts. These enzymes help your body to break down all foods, and it is easier on the body to include as many enzymes as possible when eating particularly rich or hard-to-digest concentrated foods like dessert. So, get out those blenders and dig in!!

RAW KEY LIME PIE basic #1 recipe:
Makes one 9-inch springform pie. Make at least 4 hours ahead of time to allow pie to set.

To make the crust:
1 cup macadamia nuts or walnuts
1 cup raw, unsweetened shredded coconut
zest of 1/2 lime
dash salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
2 1/2 T liquid coconut oil
2 T honey/ agave/maple syrup or to taste

-In a food processor, process first 5 ingredients until a coarse grind.
-Put mixture into large bowl and fold in last 2 ingredients until well-mixed
-If mix is too dry, begin by adding a small amount more of coconut oil and sweetener until desired consistency. If mixture seems too soft, don't fret!! The coconut oil will set when chilling in the fridge or freezer and make the filling stiffer and the crust hard.
-Line a 9-inch springform cake pan with saran wrap to make taking the cake out of the mold cleaner and easier and to prevent it from sticking
-Pour crust into pan and pat down mixture into an even layer

Filling:
3 large, ripe avocados
1 cup soaked cashews
zest of 1 lime
1/3 cup liquid coconut oil
1/4 cup honey or agave syrup
stevia herb powder or stevia liquid to taste (to omit this, add 1 T more coconut oil and more sweetener to taste)
juice of 2 large or 2 1/2 smaller limes

-Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you do not have a vitamix blender then using a food processor may be an easier option to use as oftentimes thicker mixtures can stop up a blender's motor
-Pour filling into cake pan on top of crust

Optional Meringue Topping:
-1 cup soaked cashews
-1 tsp vanilla powder or extract
-2 T coconut oil
-2 T honey or agave +stevia to taste
-Juice of 1/2 lemon

-Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you do not have a vitamix blender then using a food processor may be an easier option to use as oftentimes thicker mixtures can stop up a blender's motor

-Pour toppng into cake pan on top of filling

Chill cake in freezer for 2 hours and then transfer to fridge and serve or let set 4 hours in fridge.
Serve with:

Key Lime Sauce:

1/3 c honey or agave
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime

-Mix all ingredients by hand and serve drizzled over cake.
-Enjoy!!