Celebrate with Pie

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I hope you had a gorgeous weekend. The weather here was chilly, but sunny -- so, I'll take it. As I mentioned in my latest Weekend Things post, I recently made a kick-ass pie. I thought Earth Day would be the perfect occasion to share it with you.

We all need some chocolate on Mondays anyway. And this pie has no refined sugar (or weird substitutes) + is simple enough to make after work and indulge in after dinner. Tonight. You could make this tonight!

Please do.

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE PIE WITH LIME 
vegan, gluten-free (option), no refined sugar, and quick to make!

What you'll need for the crust . . . 

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup pretzels (use gluten-free if you like or even replace with more nuts)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance or coconut oil
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder

 Method . . . 

1. In a food processor, briefly pulse the almonds, walnuts, and pretzels together. I prefer a chunkier crust, but if you like it smoother and more uniform, just keep pulsing.
2. Then add in the maple syrup, vanilla, Earth Balance or oil, and cocoa powder. Pulse until well combined.
3. Then press crust into a tart pan (the removable bottom helps get the pie out once it's all done + chilled). 
4. Set aside while you make the filling. Try not to eat too much of it while you wait. It will tempt you.

What you'll need for the filling . . .

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup lime juice (fresh-squeezed is best)

Method . . .

1. Get a clean tea towel and place your tofu cube inside. Then squeeze and ring out all the excess water. (You can also use a plate to press out the moisture -- I've just been doing it this way lately.)
2. Then place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. You can adjust the taste by adding more maple syrup or lime juice, etc.
4. Then pour into your tart pan and spread evenly with a spoon.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to your refrigerator for a couple hours until firm.

I'm not terribly enthused with the photos I got of the finished pie. I starting shooting in the evening as the sun was low in the sky. By morning, there wasn't much photo-worthy left over between what we all ate (Ada included!).

If this recipe looks good to you, I have a few similar variations in the archives:

Chocolate Dream Pie w/ No-Roll Crust
Chocolate-Coconut Pie
Nutella Pie w/ Strawberries

Enjoy!

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