Raw Vegan Banana Coconut Cashew Cream Pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving, and ended up eating the whole thing myself! It’s gluten-free, vegan, requires no baking and is very quick and easy to make. What could be better?! Just don’t eat the whole thing like I did. Sorry for the poor picture quality, my camera broke and all I had was my iphone camera :-/

p.s. If you don’t like bananas,  this pie would also be good topped with mangos, fresh berries or just about any kind of fruit. The next time I make it I think I will use mangos.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 3/4 cups raw pecans and/or walnuts. (I used a mixture of the two)

a pinch of salt

1 3/4 cups pitted dates

2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup

Coconut Cream Filling:

1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in water overnight

1 cup of coconut water (can also use canned coconut milk, but this technically makes it not raw anymore) I prefer to use coconut milk because its a creamier consistency.

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 vanilla bean (you only need the seeds scraped from inside the bean pod)  Save the pod for another use.

1 cup unsweetened coconut; shredded

3 ripe bananas, thinly sliced diagonally.

Directions:

1. To make the crust, pulse pecans, walnuts and salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and maple syrup and continue processing until the dates are completely incorporated; about 30 seconds or so. The mixture should now be very moldable and easily shaped into a pie pan.

2. To make the cream filling: pulse the soaked and well drained cashews, coconut water (or coconut milk), maple syrup and vanilla bean until a smooth pudding-like consistency is achieved; around 5 minutes. Next, add 3/4 cups of the shredded coconut and continue mixing for another minute or so.

3. Pour the cream into the pie shell and spread it out evenly. Place the banana slices over the cream filling, starting on the outside and working inward. Sprinkle the remaining shredded coconut on top. You can serve immediately.