Well while todays kitchen made something sweet, it comes with a heavy heart... haha that makes this recipe sound so much sadder than it should.
Today I baked myself a cake... a cake for my birthday. Ok, not really a cake, a pie really. But still, I made it for myself because *sigh* I turn 30 tomorrow. I know those of you that are older than me will say "that's still young" or "I loved my 30's" and I get that... but don't forget you probably also felt a little odd finally hitting your 30's as well. I just really don't understand how time flies so quickly! It really feels like in a flash the last 10 years have darted past me and I've just been standing here watching it happen. I have achieved SO much in the last 6 years alone though and I have SO much to be grateful for... I guess it just feels like the end of an era. Tomorrow I will wake up and no longer be in the bracket 18-29.... I will be in the next bracket when I tick boxes on forms - 30-40. And that, my friends, feels like a shock!
So! As I usually do when I get a little sad, I take to the kitchen and remind myself, that even when I'm old... I'm a bloody amazing cook *insert cheeky face here*. But seriously... every time I'm feeling down... the kitchen has an amazing way of bringing me back down to earth and re energising me. There's something really beautiful and calming about cooking and baking. Taking chances on new recipes, trying other peoples amazing recipes, just throwing caution to the wind and whacking anything together and seeing what happens. While the risk may be small, it still makes the day that bit more exciting to see how or if something will work out and when it does, watching my amazing family enjoy the food I make, really makes my heart and soul warm, fuzzy and happy.
It goes without saying that If I have to turn 30, then I'm eating cake... and I will eat as much cake as I like... cake for breakfast, cake for morning tea, lunch, in the bath, with wine, after dinner, in bed... you name it, tomorrow there will be cake in, on and around me.
While I sat here this morning (wallowing in self pity of turning 30) and staring at the quickly ripening banana's on the kitchen table and thinking "I really got over excited with the amount of fruit I bought this fortnight", I also found myself slowly gathering random ingredients and grabbed the bananas. Truth be told, when I started making this, I was going to make a pudding... but when I have a bit of pent up frustration ( get your mind out of the gutter ) , I find that I need something to chew on, and that's when I decided to turn it into a pie and add a base.
You could pop the base into the oven to crisp it up a little bit. That would actually be delicious. But I decided since there is a large likelihood of me eating a whole cake on my own tomorrow, that I had better keep as many nutrients in tact as possible so I'm not just eating empty calories. If you do decide to pop the base into the oven for the little bit, please let me know how it goes. I reckon it would taste amazing!
If you are a frequenter of this website, and have tried the Citrus 'Cheese'cake, you will notice that some of the ingredients here over lap with that recipe. I find that most raw cakes are usually made of the same base so it's not really a shock. Providing you have the flavour in mind that you want to use, you can pretty much adapt the cheese cake recipe to make anything you like and use the coconut oil as a lever as to how firm or soft you want the final product to be. Most of the difference in this pie versus the 'cheese' cake is the way it's presented, and that this has less coconut oil to make it not set as solid...also the fact that I have never had a banana cheese cake and I'm not too sure that it would taste particularly good!
Most of the ingredients for this recipe you will find in your pantry which is really handy! And those that aren't already in your pantry won't be hard to find at all. I do like to add Collagen and Pro Biotics to any of my recipes that are raw and remain in the fridge. As I have said before, I am a big believer in Food as Medicine and therefore like to add an extra nutritional boost wherever I can. If you are strictly Vegan, you can sub the collagen/gelatine for Agar Agar for a similar nutritional boost. I know that powdered pro biotic powder and collagen can be harder to come by, so you can purchase the powder I use HERE and you can purchase the Great Lakes Gelatin/Collagen supplement I use HERE. Of Course If you really don't want to add these products you don't have too. They make no difference in the structure of the pie, they are strictly there for nutritional value.
While I was making this I was thinking that it would actually work to add a bit of turmeric as well...this of course will brighten the colour of the pie instead of it being the off - white colour that it is and also will pack a nutritional punch... but I decided against. The next time I make it I will add it and see how it goes.
On the top of my pie in the picture you will see there is Raw Chocolate and Caramel. Those recipes are all my own recipes. You can access the Raw Chocolate recipe HERE and the Salted Caramel Recipe HERE. There is something about Bananas and caramel that just works, and adding the little bit of raw dark chocolate was great because having banana and caramel can be a little too sweet depending on your palate. You of course don't have to add anything to the top. It looks beautiful the way it is, but I was feeling fancy and for once I had some time up my sleeve to make it a little bit extra special!
So I've crapped on enough now, the recipe is below and as per usual... if you make it, chuck a comment below and shareeeee far and wide so others can enjoy some healthy deliciousness in their lives!
Recipe
Serves - 8 -
Time - 45 Minutes - Plus setting time
What you Need:
Pyrex Pie Dish ( or any pie dish )
Crust:
220g Roasted Mixed Nuts ( or nuts of choice )
2 Tablespoons Raw Organic Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Fine Desiccated Coconut
2 Tablespoon Flaxseed
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Filling:
220g Raw Organic Cashews ( Soaked Over Night, or for non Raw Version, in boiling water for 1 hour )
Can of Coconut Cream ( In Fridge Over Night and drain Water, use solids that remains )
1 Over ripe Banana
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Raw Organic Maple Syrup
1 Cup Melted Coconut Oil
Pinch of Salt
If adding - 2 Tablespoons Collagen or Agar Agar, 1 Teaspoon Pro Biotic Powder
What to do:
Crust:
In a Food processor ( I use the processor attachment on a Nutri ninja ) add all of the ingredients for the crust and process until combined. The Maple needs to be evenly combined amongst it all so it goes firm in the fridge. Don't pulverise until it goes liquid. You want there to still be some chunks to the nuts. Think Crushed nuts on the top of a sundae... that's the type of texture you want.
Once everything is processed, push firmly into the bottom of your pie dish. I use a pyrex pie dish for mine. There is no need to pre grease the tray. Because this isn't baked it won't stick to the bottom.
Place the base into the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
Soak your cashews over night ( for a raw version ) but if you aren't phased on if it is raw or not, you can fasten this process up by covering your cashews in boiling water and covering with a lid for an hour.
Once your cashews are soaked, place in your high powered food processor with all the other ingredients and blend until smooth and airy. Now I was doing this in the food processor attachment of my Nutri ninja, but I noticed it was somewhat grainy in texture. So I transferred the contents to the Cup Blender ( Similar to the Nutri Bullet ) as it processes things much more fine. This is what gives the creamy texture instead of grainy. You can't do it in the cup processor first as it isn't big enough and your ingredients won't be evenly combined. It is well worth the extra dishes if its grainy, to transfer after the food processor to the cup processor like the Nutri Bullet and blend until no lumps remain.
Pull the base from the freezer and pour in your filling.
If you are going to decorate with the Raw Chocolate, place the pie into the fridge and let a skin develop on the top of the pie before you drizzle the chocolate over the top. This stops the chocolate from 'seeping' and making the pie top look messy. Then place a dollop of you Salted Caramel Sauce on top.
Place in the fridge for four hours or until set. You can also freeze the pie to make ahead and pull out and place in the fridge to thaw over night!
