(No Bake) Patriotic Strawberry Pie

Happy Independence Day!

I wanted to make something red, white & blue for July 4th and since, obviously, I am not a fan of food dye, I thought I'd go with the always reliable multi-colored fruit dish!   I really like this recipe that I came across because it's made with fresh ingredients.  I adapted it quite a bit to make it my own and to make it red, (almost) white and blue.  Yes, technically bananas are yellow, but please humor me.  ;-)

This recipe is adapted from VegNews.

(No Bake) Patriotic Strawberry Pie
(serves 6)

Ingredients

For the crust

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup raisins

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

For the pie filling

3 cups strawberries 

5 pitted dates, soaked in water for 10 minutes, drained

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

For the topping

1 cup blueberries

*1 medium banana, sliced thin

Directions

Place almonds, pecans, 1/2 cup dates, raisins, maple syrup and vanilla in food processor.  Process until well combined and a sticky dough forms.  

Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie dish until evenly distributed. 

Arrange 2 cups of sliced strawberries on top of the crust in a circular pattern and set aside.

Place remaining cup of strawberries, dates and lemon juice in food processor. Process until well combined and smooth.  Pour sauce mixture over strawberries and refrigerate for up to 1 hour to set before serving.

After pie is set, add blueberries to the top left corner to form a square.   Slice bananas and line the slices horizontally from left to right, leaving 1 inch spaces in between each row.

*Don't add the bananas until you are ready to serve.  If you refrigerate them, they will turn brown.