Berry Parfait

Conscious Comfort Foods

Ingredients

• 2 cups cashews
• 3 cups pitted dates (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup raw honey, maple syrup or agave nectar (or other sweetener of choice)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 11⁄2 cups pecans, plus more for garnish
• 1 pound strawberries or blueberries or a mixture

Directions

• Soak the cashews in enough water to cover for 5 hours. In a separate bowl, soak the dates in enough water to cover for 2 hours.
• Drain and rinse the cashews and transfer them to a blender with the honey and vanilla extract. Process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the blender jar. If mixture seems too thick, add water 1tablespoon at a time and process again. Transfer the cashew cream to a medium bowl. Wash and dry the blender jar.
• Drain and rinse the dates and transfer them to the blender with 11⁄2 cups of the pecans and 1⁄2 cup of water. Process until the pecans are completely broken up, stopping occasionally to scrape down the blender jar.
• Transfer to a medium bowl. Wash and dry the blender jar. Put the berries in the blender. Process until they are chopped and mixed well. Do not process into a liquid or you can just finely chop them. Layer the date mixture, berries, and the cashew cream equally among six parfait glasses. Chill for 4 and serve.

Garnish with chopped pecans, Karyn’s Granola, or flaxseeds.