This Vegan Star Pie is filled with dried figs, prunes and sliced grapes that is cooked together into a jam-like consistency. It has the perfect sweetness and makes you love dried fruits even more. They are all very simple ingredients found in your pantry.

A love that lasted over 70 years.

There will be obstacles that come your way and you will never know what the next season will bring. You might be separated by the people you love. You might have to leave things behind and start all over again. Yet, continue to believe. Choose to believe that there is still love and kindness in this world, in your life. Choose to believe that there is hope for the future. Despite all odds, even if people surrounding you tell you the opposite and there is no way of knowing what happens next, continue to believe and love. Let hope and joy continue to guide you because everything and anything is possible.

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This is not only a lesson I learned from this weekend but also shown through two characters from the book, The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel, where two lovers, Rose and Jacob, were separated for over 70 years because of the Holocaust and family secrets that were never revealed. Despite being torn away for many years, both not really knowing if the other is alive, their love remains strong for one another. Jacob, after being freed, continued to look for Rose who had fled to the U.S. during the war. Rose, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, has kept her previous life hidden from everyone because of the desire to restart her life after fleeing and been told that the love of her life, Jacob, was dead. It wasn’t until near the end of her life, where from a twist of events with her bakery nearly going bankrupt and with the help of her granddaughter, Hope, who returned to France, where Rose was born began to uncover some of the secrets that have been hidden for several decades, leading to Rose reuniting with Jacob.

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I won’t reveal more of the story to spoil anyone who wants to read it, but it is a heartwarming story that reminds us that despite days where we can be surrounded by darkness, there is still light at the end. Love wins. This is the Star Pie from the book, packed with meaning when you delve into the book. I modified it to be vegan and included the adapted recipe for the book below.

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If you read the book, let me know in the comments below how you like it or DM me on Instagram!

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