Chocolate avocado wild blackberry no bake pie

I made this today and WOW! This is just too good not to try. The crust itself is to die for! The fact that it's a no bake pie is awesome! It's easy to do as long as you have a food processor! The original recipe came from Vegweb.com. However, I changed the recipe slightly. No time to lose; check it out!

Chocolate avocado wild blackberry (almost raw) no bake pie

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups pecans, divided
5 soft dates, pitted
3 TB chia seeds, soaked in 2 TB warm water
1 TB maple syrup
2 TB cocoa powder (made by blending a small handful of carob chips)
1 TB cinnamon
2 tsp ground fresh nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract, optional
pinch sun dried sea salt

Filling:
2-3 ripe avocados
2-3 C fresh or wild picked frozen blackberries
2 TB lemon juice (this keeps the avocados from browning)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Approximately 4 C dark chocolate chips
Optional: fresh strawberries, cherries or blackberries to top


Directions:

1. For crust, soak 1 cup pecans in 2 cups fresh water for 20 minutes (if you can allow for 2-4 hours, that would be better, but 20 minutes works for on-the-fly!). Drain and rinse. In a food processor, chop 1 cup dry pecans into a fine meal. Set aside. Chop soaked pecans into a fine meal.

2. Cut or break the dates into pieces. If the dates are very dry or firm, soak them in 1/2 cup fresh water for 5 minutes to soften. Add the date pieces, chia seeds, maple syrup, carob, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and sea salt to the ground soaked pecans and chop until well mixed.

3. Add the ground dry pecans and chop until well mixed. The dough should be crumbly but sticky enough to hold shape when pressed. Press the dough evenly into a pie plate; it is easiest to press the dough first to the sides of the plate and then press into the bottom for an even depth.

4. For filling, in a blender, cream together avocados, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a double broiler, melt chocolate chips; let chocolate cool slightly. I cooled it quickly by adding in the frozen blackberries that I had picked the previous day.

5. Add melted chocolate/blackberry mix to the avocado mixture and blend until smooth. Top with fruit berries of choice. Pour into prepared crust and chill in fridge for approximately 30-60 minutes to let solidify before serving.

Chick-yum salad for the vegetarian

Long ago, when I was a meat-eater, one of my favorite lunches was chicken salad sandwiches. It was a regular meal at our house. After becoming a vegetarian, I had to find an alternative. I tried various recipes, but ultimately came up with this recipe that tasted just like the real thing, the chicken salad I was used to.

Oh, one more thing. I love carbs. No, really. I LOVE carbs, especially breads. In my Homer Simpson impersonation voice: "Mmm, breeeead". I love carbs so much that I've always wanted a t-shirt that says "Forget Adkins, I heart carbs". In an effort to control my carb intake (I consume healthy carbs, just too much of them), I'm giving up eating bread every day of the week. I was eating it a couple times a day, but now I've reduced it to a couple times a week. My substitute for bread is a huge, crisp leaf of kale.

Okay, to the recipe! Measurements are approximate, since I don't measure anything for this recipe. Just wing it to suit your fancy!

Chick-yum Salad
2 c garbanzo beans (soaked overnight, then cooked next day is better; or use canned if needed)
to your likin':
walnuts, chopped (or pecans)
yellow onion, diced
celery, diced
craisins (and/or sub for fresh chopped red grapes or chopped cherry tomatoes)
1/4-1/2 c Vegenaise (a better alternative for mayo, but if you must, use mayo)
squirt or two of dijon mustard
2-3 T relish
2-3 T Italian seasonings
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
For added nutrition, throw in some chia seeds and make it purdy too!

Directions: Process garbanzo beans in a food processor, pulsing a couple times to just get the beans broken up. I don't like mine to be mush. Add to bowl along with remaining ingredients. Serve on kale leaves, atop Mary's Gone Crackers, bread or on a bed of spinach. Enjoy!