A Week in the Raw

For this last week of 2010 I will be blogging on raw food recipes to give you some ideas for healthy meals to start your new year right. My cousin, who knows me very well, gave me one of my favorite gifts for Christmas...a cookbook. Of course, maybe I should call this one an uncookbook, as it is a raw foods recipe book. Nevertheless it is a book on food. Raw or cooked, simply does not matter to me because I just love anything and everything about food!

The first recipe I decided to experiment with is a Nut and Fruit Torte. I had all the ingredients on hand and this recipe was quick and easy to prepare. So as Emeril says, "BAM", I whipped it up in a cinch and enjoyed my first raw dessert of the week. OK, maybe I should have worked my way up to dessert, but I figured why not finish off the last week of the year by beginning with sweetness.

This torte made simply of nuts, dried fruits and lemon juice is rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and taste. One bite into the earthy, nutty treat had me licking my lips for more. It is a flavorful and healthy dessert that is easy to make and won't make you feel guilty for indulging in an extra piece. Bust out your inner culinary artist and experiment with this basic recipe adding more or less ingredients to your liking. Maybe use only one nut and one fruit, add spices, add raw cacao, use orange juice instead of lemon, or anything else your imagination can concoct.

NUT AND FRUIT TORTE - makes one 9" torte

1 cup pitted dates (soaked for 2 hours)
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecans
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine the raisins, cranberries, and nuts in a food processor and blend until moist and mixture starts to clump together. Put this mixture into a 9" pie pan and evenly spread out over pan. Using your hand firmly press this mixture down until it feels somewhat solid and holding together.
In small food processor (I used the same big one and this mixture didn't blend as well) blend the drained dates and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Spread this "frosting" over the torte base. Garnish with nuts and fruits if desired. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate. Torte will cut easier after it is refrigerated.