Coconut Banana Cream Pie – Raw & Vegan

Here’s something a little interesting, and it’s (sort of) raw. I say “sort of”, because a few ingredients such as maple syrup and carob powder aren’t considered “raw” by everyone. There are “truly raw” carob powders available, however it’s not always guaranteed that the temperature was kept low enough during processing. Either way, if you eat raw foods, the carob powder and maple syrup can easily be substituted for more “raw friendly” items such as agave nectar and raw chocolate. (I’ve been interested in raw recipes in the past, and I was actually inspired recently to try out another raw recipe by an old highschool acquaintance, Elena. She’s got her own blog going on, and has some pretty cool recipes for raw food lovers!)

So here’s my tasty recipe for a coconut banana cream pie! This recipe makes 4 small servings. It’s a very rich and decadent pie that’s slightly higher in calories, so I suggest keeping the servings small. Enjoy! 🙂

Coconut Banana Cream Pie – Raw & Vegan

Ingredients:

Base

• 1/2 cup pitted honey dates, soaked for about 5 minutes.
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup walnut butter (home-made is best!)
• 1/4 cup carob powder (tastes similar to cocoa powder, but a little sweeter)

Filling

• 1 banana (I used a frozen banana, it may be a better idea to use one that’s not frozen though, as it causes the coconut butter to harden…)
• 1/2 cup coconut butter (to make: blend/process 1 cup flaked coconut for 5-10 minutes until a liquid forms. It may be slightly grainy still. Pour into a jar/cup, and allow to harden slightly for about 15 minutes. It will be creamy and smooth in texture. This does not need to be refrigerated.)
• 2 tbsp almond butter (again, home-made is best, but store-bought is alright too)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real, not that artificial stuff!)
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Chocolate Sauce

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 4 tbsp coconut butter
• 1 tbsp carob powder

Method:

• For the base, stir all ingredients together in a bowl until mixed well. Press into the bottom of a plastic wrap lined bowl, and freeze for 30-60 minutes.
• For the filling: using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, mix all filling ingredients together. Pour the mixture on top of the semi-frozen base, and return to the freezer for another 20-30 minutes.
• For the chocolate sauce: mix all ingredients together, and drizzle over the finished pie prior to serving!
• To serve: Simply remove the pie from the bowl by pulling the plastic wrap carefully, and cut into four slices. Serve with chocolate sauce drizzled on top, and enjoy! 🙂 If the pie is too hard, allow to soften for a few minutes before serving.

Here's the pie! 🙂

And now for a "fancy picture" 🙂