Get your swirl on!
That reminds me of this guy I knew in college. Everything was, “get your (fill in the blank) on,” whether it be “get your groove on,” “get your swerve on,” or in this case, “get your swirl on.”
But enough about that; the rest of this post has absolutely nothing to do with my college days. It goes further back to my childhood and my fond family get-together memories.
Our family gatherings revolve heavily around the food, which was apparent even at our latest celebration. My mom had a list she checked off as each family member arrived with their traditional fare, which included my Aunt Debbie’s baked beans, my Aunt Susan’s Swedish meatballs and various other “usuals” (I brought a selection of “rawified” versions at Christmas time).
They also had a ham, which I never cared for even before I gave up animal products. Now here’s an example of how big a part food plays in our family traditions: My cousin Troy wanted to make sure there would be one, saying, “What’s Easter without a ham?” He followed that with some silly phrases like, “Let there be ham.”
I, of course, didn’t eat any, but I could’ve gone for this raw Apricot Easter Roast Heidi and Justin “cooked” up as part of their e-book. Check it out.
So, what did I have instead? Well, I kept it simple, sticking to a ton of fresh veggies, guacamole (I whipped some up using a kit from Trader Joe’s, which was very economical – only $2.69 for two large avocados, two tomatoes, a lime, a jalapeno pepper, two little onions and some fresh garlic), salad and the dessert I brought to share.
This time I made a raw version of raspberry swirl, a family fave from back in the day. My cousin Brandon was the first to sample it after eyeballing it for quite some time. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a fan, which was no surprise since he never liked the original (he doesn’t dig traditional cheesecake either … and he calls himself a member of this family? As if!)
But I redeemed myself with the next taste-testers, which included my picky husband (he ate a whole slice), my mom, my Aunt Susan and Uncle Doug. The last three are the raspberry swirl aficionados in the family, who brightened my spirits with a glowing review: “hey, this actually does taste like raspberry swirl.”
Now it’s your turn to get your swirl on. Here’s the recipe, so give it a whirl. See if you think it tastes like raspberry swirl. : )
For the graham cracker crust
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup almonds (or more pecans)
- ¼ cup coconut flakes, finely ground
- 1 Tbsp. mesquite
- 2 Tbsp. raw honey or agave nectar
- 3 soft pitted dates
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- dash of sea salt
In a food processor, grind pecans, almonds, coconut and mesquite, until it reaches a flour-like consistency. Add honey/agave, dates, vanilla and sea salt, and process into a ball of dough (talk about déjà vu; you’ve probably seen this graham cracker recipe before in my “Rawified” and Sexy Éclair Dessert).
Press the dough into a small square or rectangular shaped pan (mine measured in at about 8 ½ by 11 inches) to form the bottom crust layer. Set aside while you make the filling.
For the filling
- 1 ½ cup cashews, soaked
- ½ cup macadamia nuts, soaked
- ¼ cup coconut butter
- ¼ cup cocoa butter
- ¼ cup coconut water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- dash of sea salt
1 (10 or12 oz.) bag of frozen raspberries
1/8 cup agave nectar
a little more sea salt
Blend the cashews, macadamias, coconut butter, cocoa butter, coconut water, lemon juice, ¼ cup agave, vanilla and a dash of sea salt in a high-powered blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Add the frozen raspberries (I added 12 ounces instead of the 10 ounces in the original recipe; this will result in a rosier swirl), 1/8 cup agave and another dash of sea salt to the blender, and puree. Fold the puree into the other creamy mixture to create a swirl. Pour into the prepared crust and freeze until ready to serve.
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