For the apple pie filling, personally I did not like the texture of the soaked walnuts. I think there are several options: you could omit them-OR- one could use chopped raw walnuts instead –OR- soak them but then later, puree them in addition. The chef Dorit stressed the importance of soaking the walnuts for 48 hours, but I do not feel it’s necessary. 12 hours is good enough!
Allow yourself plenty of time to make this, since there is some definite prep work and soaking time, plus cleaning up in between..;)
For the crust, if you do not want to use almonds, you could use raw pecans or walnuts. And if you don’t have enough dates, for just the crust, you could use raisins instead. (unsoaked)
The almond cream top is not necessary but does make a nice addition. Have fun!
Special equipment: Food processor or high powered blender
Plenty of glass or ceramic bowls
Grater for lemon & orange zest
Deep pie dish
Dehydrator if you have one but it is not necessary!
The recipe, what you will need
Crust:
1 ¼ cups raw almonds, soaked overnight for about 8- 12 hours; then rinsed (once soaked, they become about 2 Cups)
1 cup pitted dates
1 tsp. Orange zest
¼ cup dried unsweetened coconut (optional- I added this for more texture)
Flaxseed oil –or- Coconut, Olive or Canola oil for brushing the bottom of the pie pan
Filling:
3-4 Peeled & Chopped Apples
3-4 Peeled & Shredded Apples (we sliced them thin in the food processor instead)
Organic Apple Juice for soaking the apples
Lemon juice (fresh is best but not necessary)
1 cup soaked dates (in water) for about an hour or two
1 cup chopped walnuts, soaked for 12-48 hrs, then rinsed *see note above*
1 cup unsulfured raisins (no sulfur dioxide or other preservatives in them)
1 tsp. lemon zest
Approx 1 tsp. cinnamon -and-
1/4 tsp. nutmeg to taste
Almond Cream Top:
1 cup of almonds, soaked & then skins peeled- To do this faster, you can blanch the almonds by boiling some water, then dipping the almonds in for a few seconds in a steamer or strainer until the skins start to come off. Some may still need some help with removing the skins
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups dates soaked in organic apple juice for an hour or two before you assemble the pie, juice reserved (I actually ran out of dates & ended up using 1 cup instead & it worked out fine)
What to soak: (all in purified water unless otherwise noted)
Overnight- for 12 hours:
1 ¼ cup of almonds (for the crust) plus 1 cup almonds for the cream top
1 cup of walnuts (if desired)
An hour or two prior to assembling the pie:
1 cup of dates
1-2 cups of dates in Organic Apple Juice
1 cup of raisins
½ your apples in Organic Apple Juice, the other half tossed in enough lemon juice to coat them
Directions
For the crust: Brush your pie dish lightly with the oil of your choice. Add all the ingredients in the food processor and process until well combined. (It will look similar to a mealy flour) Add all to the pie dish and press it down evenly to make a crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set. (Instead, what I did was put the whole dish in the dehydrator for about 2 hours but you don’t need to..)
For the apple filling: After chopping/slicing the apples, divide them into two groups and put them into two bowls. Soak one group of apples in Organic Apple Juice about an hour or two before you make the pie- just enough to cover them. The other group of apples- toss in lemon juice; use enough to coat them well. I think I used maybe ~3Tbsp
Later, after about 2 hrs and all is soaked, combine all your ingredients in a large bowl except the dates (and walnuts if you choose to use them, you can puree them with the dates) Mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Then process the soaked dates (and walnuts if desired) until it’s a puree; add that to the apple mixture and mix with hands again or stir.
Add the filling on top of the pie crust and pack it in with your hands. Send love into your food J
For the almond cream top: After peeling the skins from the cup of almonds, add the soaked dates & vanilla to your food processor or blender and process until very smooth. You can add the reserved apple juice gradually as you need it to thin the mixture out.
Spread this mixture evenly on the top of the pie like you would frosting. Garnish with sliced apples or edible flowers, if desired. Slice slowly and carefully to serve & enjoy!
For storage, you can put it in the refrigerator or freezer. For freezing, add some toothpicks into the pie, then cover with aluminum foil so it won’t be entirely touching the cream top. It tastes just as yummy frozen! 
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