Chocolate Avocado Pie

Several years ago I fell in love with a recipe for chocolate pie that my friend Jill made for me from Woody Harrelson's raw vegan website. I made it several times for friends and family always to rave reviews. The best part was when I would ask if they could tell what the secret ingredient was and almost no one ever could. This pie's secret is that the filling is mostly avocado!

When my uncle requested it for his birthday I was sad I could not find the original recipe anywhere so I decided to use a similar recipe I found on vegweb.com. I have to say this recipe may be the best yet. It is thick and silky and reminds me of a decadent chocolate mousse because it calls for melted chocolate chips instead of carob powder.

Crust :

2 cups pecans, divided

4-6 soft dates, pitted

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground fresh nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract, optional

pinch sun dried sea salt

Filling :

2-3 ripe avocados

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 ounces semi sweet vegan chocolate chips

Directions :

1. For crust, soak 1 cup pecans in 2 cups fresh water for 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse. In a food processor, chop 1 cup dry pecans into a fine meal. Set aside. Chop soaked pecans into a fine meal.

2. Cut or break the dates into pieces and remove pits. If the dates are very dry or firm, soak them in 1/2 cup fresh water for 5 mintes to soften. Add the date pieces, vegan maple syrup, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and sea salt to the ground soaked pecans and chop until well mixed.

3. Add the ground dry pecans and chop until well mixed. The dough should be crumbly but sticky enough to hold shape when pressed. Press the dough evenly into a pie plate; it is easiest to press the dough first to the sides of the plate and then press into the bottom for an even depth.

4. For filling, in a blender, cream together avocados, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips; let chocolate cool slightly.

5. Add melted chocolate to the avocado mixture and blend until smooth. Pour into prepared crust and chill overnight.

Serves 8-10, Preparation time :3 hours.

I added sliced strawberries to the top of mine but when raspberry season starts I'm planning on making it again and adding a layer of raspberries between the crust and the filling - delicious!

Stay sweet,

Alisa