Raw Recipe: Lemon Coconut Bars

I love Top Chef.  I was watching Top Chef: Just Deserts on my DVR today.  The quick fire challenge was to make a desert out of lemons, it got me thinking about how I would make a truly awesome lemon bar raw.  Lemon bars are a staple at any potluck, church fundraiser etc .  This recipe will knock the socks off any other. I made this from what I had in my pantry.

Crust
1 1/2 cup raw almonds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
6 pitted dates
1 tbs  virgin coconut oil
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

in a food processor chop the almonds and coconut flakes to the consistency of bread crumbs, add the dates and coconut oil and salt.  process until it will stick together when pressed into a 9x13 inch casserole dish.

Lemon Curd

2 lemons
1- 1/ 1/2 cup pitted dates
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (don't try to use any other coconut oil, it will taste sh -nasty)
1/4 cup coconut butter (Artisana makes a great product, buy online or at Swanson's Health in Fargo)
1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt.

Zest the lemons and add to the food processor, peal one lemon and add it whole to the food processor, make sure to take the seeds out first. Juice the second lemon and add just the juice to the food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth, you will need to scrape down the sides.  Taste it and see if it is too sour for your taste, add a few more dates if it is. This will be an interesting beige color from the dates, definitively not yellow.  Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve with coconut cream.  if you wanted this to be less beige you could experiment with raw honey too.

Makes about 15 servings without coconut cream,   Calories per serving, 175-- carbs, 6.2g-- fiber, 1.7g--protein, 2.9g-- fat 16.6g

Nutritional information calculated using http://caloriecount.about.com/

Coconut Cream

1 tbs coconut butter
1 tbs virgin coconut oil
sweeten to taste with a drop or two of raw honey.

mix together in a small bowl and serve over the top.