A time for food

We've begun the new food adventure: DJ's Real Food. I am getting some interest in the products. May may bring 2 or 3 more outlets for the crackers and hummus. That would be fun! Meanwhile the Vita-Mart is really helping with sales. Especially since BJ - owner with wife, Christine - loves to eat the Veggie crackers. Thanks to them for all their support. Actually, I've had amazing support from friends and business owners - thanks to all of you.

Meanwhile, back at the fixing kitchen...something new to try:

Coconut Mango Pie.... loosely adapted from I Am Grateful
(Next time I do this, I'll take pictures)
I had the original Live Coconut Cream Pie at the Fallbrook Lifestyle center
Here's my version:
Soak about 9 or 10 dates for a few hours. Soak 1/8 cup non-sulphured dried mango, too.
Trusty Crusty Crust:
Grease a pie pan with coconut oil.
De-seed the dates and chop them as well as you can without getting totally frustrated
In your food processor with the "s" blade, add:
2 cups of coconut flakes
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt
Start the food processor..... slowly add the dates -  until you've put in about half of the amount you've chopped, or the stuff in the food processor suddenly forms into a huge ball, whichever comes first.
Take the ball of date dough out and smooth it onto the pie plate, coming up the sides as you would with a regular crust. Done with crust!

Filling:
Get 1 (or 2) green coconut (see Pause below) and open it. Rather than wrestling with the stupid coconut, look at this how to conquer a coconut link.  Be sure to use one of your inexpensive knives.
Open the coconut... rest, relax, don't let it get the better of you.
Pour the coconut water into a blender. Scrape out the coconut meat. Put it in the blender.
Add 1/4 cup of coconut flakes.
Add 1/3 cup of packaged coconut water
Let's pause for a moment: If you do not want to struggle with the coconut, you can use pre-packaged coconut water  - 1 1/2 cups, with coconut flakes and a quarter tbsp of coconut butter to get the "coconut milk." If you are good with coconut wrestling, you could use 2 coconuts and leave out the packaged goods. The point is to end up with about 2 cups of slightly thick coconutty liquid in the blender.
Add the rest of the dates
Add 1/4 tsp of vanilla
Add 1 chopped, seeded, peeled, fresh mango (If you don't have a mango slicer, so sad.)
Add the dried mango bits you've been soaking
Add a pinch of sea salt
Blend Blend Blend until smooooooth.
Add 2 tbsp of lecithin and 2 tbsp of coconut butter......blend some more.
Pour this into the crust. Refrigerate.  Eat after dinner.

This is obviously not a quickie recipe....but it is really good. You could leave off the crust, and just have the filling as a pudding, as well.

Eat well, be well.
DJ