Strawberry Lime Pie

I'm of the belief that a summer party needs pie to truly let everyone know there's something to celebrate. My most coveted seasonal food is without a doubt local strawberries. I highly recommend picking them yourself for the complete, blissful experience. Sam Kedem Orchards located in Hastings, MN, begins U-Pick organic strawberries next week.

The delicious strawberry lime pie I made for our Memorial Day picnic makes me want to head strait for the strawberry patch. The pie was made with inspiration from two recipes (key lime pie and strawberry cake) from a raw vegan dessert cookbook, Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts.

This "un-cook" book is really worth owning even if you aren't vegan or "raw". All the recipes are gluten and grain-free, and rely on whole foods. I generally use about 1/3 the sweetener called for in these recipes and still find them to be very nicely sweetened. I also skip the agave syrup called for, as from what I can tell it's similar nutritionally to corn syrup, but successfully marketed to health food loving folks.

Everyone at the party we went to loved this pie, and I heard from a couple guests who guiltily admitted to having seconds. If you're curious about raw vegan fare and want someone else to do the "un-cooking" for you, check out the Ecopolitan Restaurant in Minneapolis. The food is beautiful and yummy, much of the produce is locally sourced, and the wine list is usually pretty good too.