The holidays provide us a wonderful selection of seasonal food varieties. Raw food can nourish our body without extra fats and processed sugars. While it might seem like a challenge to create a "raw" holiday meal, seasoned raw food enthusiasts can show you how. Many raw food chefs have done countless experiments that have succeeded in bringing the nostalgic flavors of this season to our palates. One such recipe is given below, a delicious raw pecan pie, which is so nutritious it can be eaten for breakfast or as a dessert.

Raw Pecan Pie

Blend the following in blender until creamy, and then pour over the crust below:

1 cup pecans, soaked at least 12 hours

12 dates, pitted

¾ cup purified water

Crust: 1 mango sliced and squished between two layers of sliced bananas (about 3-5 bananas).

Mix ½ cup pecans with 2-3 tablespoons raw honey and a little water, this gives the pecans a glazed look. Carefully place pecans on pie in a design of your choice. (Option: also very delicious, and quicker to make, without the pecans on top.)

Teresa McKessey, a raw food enthusiast, is offering a Raw for the Holidays dinner class at Wild Oats on Tuesday, November 6 from 5:50-7:30pm. Taste and go home with recipes for turkeyless-turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie. Call 321-961-1874 for reservations by Sunday, November 4th. To receive free newsletters with recipes and local raw food events, sign up at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawterian/