Basil Pesto Pizza and Cheezecake Recipes...

I am back in Atlanta now and so I actually have my computer to post something on this poor neglected blog! I am posting my pictures of the basil pesto pizza and the passion fruit cheeze cake that I was paid to make for a raw food event in Maui. There is also a picture of me with a bush of bananas that was picked from the land I was staying on. We had to freeze most of them because we had so many and did not want them to go bad! So, the way I got the raw food gig was by knowing a raw food chef who works at a health food store in Maui. He was offered a job at Hale Akua (an organic farm / health resort) and he thought to ask me if I could do it. Of course I was thrilled to get my hands in the kitchen and happily agreed!
I have the recipes posted below so check them out :-)
On to another subject, Maui was an amazing experience for me overall. I was so lucky to live at a wonderful eco friendly, solar powered retreat center complete with fresh spring water. I was surrounded by amazing, supportive soul mates / friends who taught me a lot about myself and helped me to grow as a person. I truly feel more refreshed than I have felt in a long time and I am quite thankful.
On to the recipes!

Basil Pesto Pizza

Follow my recipe here for the pizza. The only difference is when making the cheeze you will add one cup of fresh basil to it!

Passion Fruit Cheezecake

Crust: 1 cup almonds, 1 cup dried coconut flakes, 1/2 cup dates

Filling: 1 cup coconut meat, 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, 1/3 cup of dates (more or less to taste), 1 lemon, 1/4 cup of coconut water (or water), 1/4 cup of coconut butter.

Topping: 5 passion fruits (which by the way is impossible for me to find in Georgia, they are abundant in Maui, falling off the trees! You can always substitute this fruit for another fruit like berries or mango, etc), 5 dates, 1/4 cup coconut butter.

Directions: Make the crust in a food processor by first grinding the almonds into a flour, next combining the coconut flakes into a flour and then adding the dates to the mixture. Process until it combines into a ball and spread out on a pie pan. Use a vitamixer for the pie filling and mix until smooth. Finally, use a vitamixer for the topping and then pour on top of the pie. Let the pie sit for a few hours so it becomes firm and then enjoy eating it!!