No-Bake Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks

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From The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

www.compassionatecook.com

I served this last night at a small dinner party – it’s always risky to try new recipes with company, but I knew this would be great….and it was. Ate the rest for breakfast this morning right from the pan, standing at the kitchen counter. Can you picture it?  I can’t wait to make this again! Maybe with peaches.

Here’s what you need for the crust:

2 C raw pecans or almonds

¾ - 1 C pitted dates, preferably Medjool

¼ t salt

Here’s what you do for the crust:

Place nuts in food processor and grind them until they are a coarse meal. Add the dates and salt and process until thoroughly combined. Press into a lightly greased 8 inch or 9 inch spring form pan ( or tart pan)

Here’s what you need for the filling:

5 C ripe strawberries, divided

5 pitted dated, soaked 10 minutes in warm water and drained

2 t lemon juice

Dark chocolate for garnish

More strawberries for garnish

Here’s what you do for the filling:

Arrange 4 C sliced strawberries over crust. Set aside. Blend 1 C strawberries with soaked dates and lemon juice until smooth. Pour this over the sliced strawberries. Garnish with dark chocolate and more strawberries. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

(printable recipe)

NOTE: Colleen recommends serving this within an hour or two after you make it. I made the crust in the morning and then assembled the pie 2 hours before serving. It was perfect, but maybe a bit too moist. But I think that’s because my dates were huge. It didn't really cut into nice slices, but it tasted great! And I think the beautiful presentation made it extra special.