I was going to post a well-thought out musing on fear, body image, yoga and growing up. I was also going to book a trip to India. I was going to do a major spring cleaning of my house. But apparently, I was not going to do any of those things this week.
Instead I thought I’d write a fluffy post about birthdays and lemon pie. But more on that later.
I’ve just done something HUGE. For me, that is. I MADE A DECISION. And for those who don’t know me, that’s hard! I can agonize over what’s for dinner, over what to wear, over this word verses that, over a weekend upstate or a weekend on the boat. In short, agonizing is my natural state.
But today, I ended the agony. And, folks, I did it for you.
For a little while now I’ve been debating taking an online course in culinary nutrition. Well, for a long time I considered one program or another in nutrition, or cooking, or counseling. This vs. that. Now vs. later. Years of agonizing all came to an end.
This fall I’ll be participating in Meghan Telpner Inc’s Culinary Nutrition Expert program. I’ll take my cooking skills to new heights. I’ll learn even more about healing through nutrition. And, even more than that, I’ll learn more about how to transmit it to you!
Here’s what: I’ve done a lot of research, I’ve done a lot of experimentation, but I haven’t had formal nutrition education or the business side of cooking training. And not only that, but Meghan ROCKS the biz world with her delectableness, and I could use some help with that. And here’s the thing, my foodie passion may be fantastic, but it’s only useful if I can transmit it to YOU!
And so my sweets, I faced my fear of making the wrong decision and just signed up. Starting this September, I will take you with me on a (hopefully) totally delectable journey. And who knows where we’ll land?
In the meantime, I’m celebrating with pie! I made this one for the BHH’s birthday. Even though I didn’t have time. Even though I made a mess. And especially because I was afraid it wouldn’t be good.
And, after all, he’s Greek. I’m Jewish. Food is love.
Raw Lemon Lover Pie
Crust: I just threw this together, so most measurements are approximate. Tweak it until you like it. You can’t mess up.
5 Jumbo Medjool Dates, pitted (or 8-10 normal/smaller ones)
1 cup cashews
1 cup pecans
Sea Salt–sprinkle? 1/4 tsp?
1 tblsp coconut oil
2 tblsp maple syrup (or more dates)
Process to look like fine crumbs in the food processor. Pinch it to see if it holds together. If it’s too sticky add more nuts. If it’s too dry, add more dates or maple syrup. If it’s not big enough to fit the pan you want to use, add more anything. Sub walnuts or almonds for the pecans if you like. Macadamias work well instead of cashews too. Do whatever you like with this really, following the basics of nuts and dates.
Press into a pan (I used a tart pan with a removable bottom but you could use tartlet molds, ramekins, muffin tins, a springform cake pan, a brownie pan or a glass pie dish.
Freeze while you make the filling.
Filling:
Lightly adapted from Mathew Kenney’s Everyday Raw
1 1/2 cups cashews (I didn’t have time to soak them, but an hour of soaking is nice)
1/4 cup plus 2 tblsps. agave or honey
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. lemon juice
Zest of 1 or 2 lemons
1/4 cup water
1/4 Tsp. sea salt
2 Tsp. vanilla
BLEND VERY WELL
Pour into prepared crust.
Freeze for at least several hours.
Remove from freezer ten or fifteen minutes before you want to serve. Run a knife under hot water to cut. If it sticks to pan, hold bottom of pan in hot water for a minute to loosen. We enjoyed it piled high with local strawberries. I bet it would also be awesome with coconut whipped cream!
