Pumpkin Madness!

Pumpkin snickerdoodles!

A new post? Shocking, right-- seeing as I've been completely AWOL for a very long time.... sorry about that. This week I got caught up in the fall pumpkin-everything craze!  It started with pumpkin snickerdoodles and then progressed to pumpkin-sauce pasta. I still have some pumpkin left in the can... so there may be some pumpkin pancakes in store for tomorrow morning.

I still have been being food-lazy, so I mainly used other peoples' recipes for these creations.  I made the pumpkin snickerdoodles using the awesome recipe on The Nourishing Gourmet.  They are definitely some of my favorite cookies ever!! The pumpkin gives them a delightfully fluffy texture.

In the recipe, I used coconut sugar for the sweetener.  For gluten-free flour, I used 1 cup millet flour, and 1 cup of mixed garbanzo flour and brown rice flower.  I also threw in about 1/4 or 1/2 tsp guar gum for good measure.  I also added Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips to half of the batter...... but those do have cane sugar in them. (I was feeling adventurous!)  I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, but these cookies were so good they barely needed the addition.

Pumpkin (sauce) pasta

Now, for the pasta, I cooked up some gluten-free brown rice penne and twisty things (don't know the proper pasta-name!) and whipped up some pumpkin sauce with the left-over canned pumpkin.

I really just made the sauce by taste, and followed the basic seasonings listed here. The base was pumpkin, olive oil, almond milk, and pasta water.  The seasonings were salt, pepper, sage, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  It ended up having a great blend of savory taste, plus the implied sweetness of the touch of cinnamon.  Definitely also a winning creation.

Happy fall! Now the big question.... what are you being for Halloween???

Povitica v.2.0

Yum yum yum yum yum!

Much tastier version than the last, albeit not quite as authentic as far as the thin-rolling goes.

The following recipe makes FOUR LOAVES plus a bit extra filling.


THE RECIPE:

Dough:  Cream together...

1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c ghee
1.5 c coconut sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c brown rice syrup

Mix and add....

2 c brown rice flour
1/2 c garbanzo bean flour
2 c millet flour
1 c gluten-free oat flour
1 c tapioca flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt


Filling:   Melt together...

1.5 c ghee
1.5 c almond mulk
1 c agave nectar
1 lb ground walnuts
3 tbs cinnamon
2 tsp guar gum (to thicken)


Separate the dough into four quarters- one for each loaf.  Roll out one portion between plastic. Spread cooled filling onto dough, then roll dough. Fit each portion into a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for ~40 minutes.

Slice and enjoy!

Apple Cider Donuts with Apple Cider Syrup

MmmMMmm... pre glazed.

Perfect for the fall.  TRUTH: I ate 48 mini donuts in 3 days.  Pretty easy to make, and the result has a true cake donut crumbly-but-melt-in-your-mouth consistency.  Top them with cinnamon coconut-sugar, or drizzle with home made apple cider syrup.... or both!


 THE RECIPE:

1/3 c brown rice
1/3 c teff flour
1/3 c tapioca Flour
1 c millet flour            (totals 2c GF flour)

1 tsp guar gum
1 tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg (or more to taste)
½ tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)

2 tbs applesauce
¾ c apple juice
5 (/7, or scant ¼ tsp) drops apple cider vinegar
3/4 c coconut sugar          
2 tbs agave
2 tbs coconut oil, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Make sure coconut oil is melted—place in hot water bath/heat gently on stove if not. Mix wet into dry.

Preheat donut maker; fill donut wells—DO NOT overfill, these WILL rise well. To top, spray with sprayable coconut oil, then sprinkle with cinnamon+coconut sugar. For a sweeter taste, drizzle with apple cider syrup (and cinnamon-coconut sugar, if desired). The syrup does take away a bit from the delicate donut taste, though - so take your pick!

Apple Cider Syrup:

1 gallon apple cider

First, measure 2.5 cups cider into a large (at least a gallon) pan, and note the liquid level. Add the rest of the cider. Boil for approximately 5 hours, stirring frequently (especially at the end as it thickens), until volume is reduced to 2.5 cups. Pour into sterile (boiled) glass jars for storage. Keep refrigerated. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

Boil it down!

As it begins to thicken (~5 hrs) it will begin to froth! Exciting!

Orange Sweet Rolls: Pillsbury Style

These are one of my favorite things ever! Easy to make in advance, then pop in the oven for a special brunch. I slightly improved the dough from my cinnamon rolls, and topped with a delicious fresh orange glaze.

THE RECIPE:

The Dough:


½ c tapioca flour
½ c potato starch
¾ c arrowroot powder
¼ cup brown rice flour
1/4 c millet flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp guar gum
2 tsp baking powder            
1 tiny stevia-scoop stevia

3 tbs coconut oil (melted)
2 ½ tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs                           --> combine wet ingredients; whisk in egg; add wet to dry


1/4 c almond milk    -->  add milk slowly, until it is dough consistency (a little sticky is ok.)

If dough is too sticky, dust with brown rice flour until it does not stick to your hand/spatula when touched.

--> Tape a sheet of waxed paper down onto a counter/table. Dust with brown rice flour. Place dough in the center, and use a (floured) rolling pin to roll out to ~¼ (or thinner) inch thick rectangle.


Filling:
2 tbs coconut oil (softened)
4 tbs coconut sugar
2 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs agave                        
                   ....or basically any combination of the above ingredients (leaving out the oil works fine too!)

--> Wisk together all ingredients until combined. Use a rubber spatula to spread filling over entire rectangle of dough.

Untape the waxed paper under the sheet of dough. Begin rolling dough “hot-dog style” (AKA, roll the long side, to make a thin, long roll) by lifting the waxed paper and gently coaxing the dough into a tight roll. Since the part of the roll is the tightest, starting it is the trickiest, and after that you can just left the waxed paper and let the log of dough roll on its own.

If making the dough in advance, tape the waxed paper around the log of dough, put plastic wrap around the open ends, and place in the fridge overnight. When ready to bake them, place the roll on a cutting board, and slice into ~1-inch thick rounds. Arrange them evenly spaced in an 8-inch round cake pan. Dough will expand as it cooks, so it's fine if there's extra space in the pan.

Heat oven to 350, and bake for ~30 minutes. Dough will still be soft when it comes out (don't bake until it's hard! 30 minutes max should do it). After removing from the oven, let cool in pan for ~5 minutes (ie, while you make the glaze!).

Glaze:

1 orange
1 tbs agave (preferably "light" agave)
1 tsp ghee, softened
1 tsp chia seeds (to help thicken it)
orange zest (from the rind) to taste (~1/8 tsp)
dash salt (if needed)               ----> puree in blender/food processor (Magic Bullet!)

Let glaze sit for a couple minutes to let the chia seeds work their thickening magic. Then, spread over all rolls in the pan.

Dig in and enjoy the anti-pillsbury deliciousness! (no disrespect to my guy the Doughboy)






 


          <

It's.... INTERNATIONAL WAFFLE DAY!!! (March 24)

 
and it's time to celebrate!  (I'm posting this a bit in advance, to give ample inspiration for waffley breakfasts tomorrow.)

What a wonderful week. A supermoon, the first day of spring, warm weather, two best friends' birthdays, and International Waffle Day on March 24.

Not gonna lie, I've been waffling all week in anticipation. Monday night I made cinniteff waffle sandwiches with pizza sauce, cheeze, and mixed greens on them. I also came to the discovery that (at least in my belgian waffle maker, with cinniteff waffles) thinner batter makes soft, flexible, moister and lighter waffles, whereas thicker batter (which is what I usually do for breakfasts) makes crispy belgian-style waffles. I liked the lighter option for dinner, when I want proportionally more protein and less carbs. So keep that in mind!

Also, I ran out of teff flour Monday. Which led me to create the above-pictured Goldi-squares Stairway to Waffleheaven #Winning Waffles. We'll just call them #WinningWaffles for short..... (TIGERBLOOD!!!!)

They pretty much are amazing. Light, faintly sweet but still neutral flavor allows for unlimited possibilities. Such as:

PIZZA WAFFLE!!!! huge success. I used Bridgford Turkey Pepperoni, and Prego VeggieSmart sauce. yum.

OMG  it's a WAFFLEDONUT. okay not really, but that's what it tastes like. Just sprinkle on top: Organic cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and shredded coconut. And it tastes like a chocolate powdered sugar donut! Slash some kind of intensely amazing pastry delicacy.


So, for the substrate behind all this madness:

THE RECIPE:

1 egg
1 tbs extra light olive oil  ---> whip together until a bit frothy
up to 3/4 c almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
5 drops stevia
1.5 tbs millet flour
1.5 tbs garbanzo bean flour
1 tbs Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose GF Flour
1 tbs coconut powder (ie, finely shredded coconut/coconut flakes)
scant 1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda     ----> mix all together, pour into [belgian] waffle iron and WAFFLE IT UP!

Ghee (or coconut oil) it after it's off the iron.


#WINNING

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 ... and Happy Pi Day- also belated. I've had a lot going on (see bottom of post), so sorry for not getting these up on time!

Leprechaun Pudding with Gold-Chocolate Crumbles!

 

Creme de Menthe Pie

Irish Soda Bread!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Lepruchaun Pudding with Gold-Chocolate Crumbles

 Pudding:

1 banana
1 generous handful spinach
2 tsp vanilla   ---->  puree in magic bullet until smooth


2 tbs walnuts
2 tbs raisins
1 tbs cocoa powder
dash of salt   ----> pulse in magic bullet until it clumps
 
Pour pudding into a bowl and top with chocolate crumbles. It tastes light and sweet-- you can't taste the spinach at all, but it adds a healthy punch (which also makes this recipe very breakfast-eligible!)


~~~~~~~~~~~


2. Creme de Menth Pie (aka Grasshopper Pie)

So, making this didn't end up going as smoothly as I had hoped.

I was going off of this recipe from pure2raw, but ended up adding WAY too much guar gum..... which turned my filling into rubber. So, whatever you do, do NOT add two tablespoons of guar gum to two avocados and expect edible pie filling. Seriously-- it almost broke my Bullet!

That being said, I worked for about two hours trying to salvage the filling, and I finally got it to a delicious flavor and "acceptable" consistency-- still all but too rubbery for me to really be satisfied. Nevertheless, all three of my taste testers stated it tasted just like the "real" version that my mom made.

So, since I was in "salvage mode" as I threw together ingredients, I didnt' record much. If you're interested in making this pie, I recommend going from the pure2raw version, with the possible modification of adding lemon juice to the avocado layer (helps reduce browning, too!) The color of the pie did start out avodaco-green, but slowly began to brown after some fridge-time.


Crust: (delicious!):

1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c coconut powder/flakes
1/4 c raisins
1 date, chopped
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs vanilla      ----> pulse in Bullet until powdery/clumping, then press into bottom of 6 inch pie pan


Garnish layer: (yummy but not minty) -- this is the dark green layer on top and bottom

1 banana
1/4 c yacon powder (kinda gross)
stevia/agave to sweeten
vanilla (will darken color)
little bit of spinach, purreed/juiced, to green it up 
almond milk to thin to desired consistency     ---> puree it all until smooth


Main filling layer:

2 avocados
1/2 tbs guar gum? start low and add more! (2 tbs = rubber, fyi)
2 tsp peppermint oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
almond milk to thin if guar gum over-rubberizes
agave to sweeten
   ... aaaand a pinch of Irish luck that it works easily!      ----> puree in Vitamix/Bullet/whip together by hand


White whipped meringue layer:

1.5 tbs coconut oil, softened (I used the non-coconut-y kind)
1.5 tbs ghee, softened
1/2 c erythritol, powdered
if needed, almond milk to thin to desired consistency    ----> blend in Bullet until creamy and smooth

Assembly: On top of crust, spread half of Garnish layer, then freeze to harden. Next, pour in all of Main filling layer, freeze again. Cover with the rest of garnish layer or white layer to prevent browning; alternately, use both to decorate. Perfect taste is definitely attainable, even if consistency may be a bit more challenging!


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


3. Irish soda bread!    

        
Now THIS is an epic win. Epic, I tell you-- EPIC! Way better than my mom's breadmaker Irish soda bread (probs cuz I made mine sweeter!), and definitely the best ACD bread I've ever made. It's almost like a coffee cake, but still bread-y enough to be eaten with dinner (Irish stew, which we had yesterday!)


THE RECIPE:

2 cups gluten-free flour blend:
         1/2 c oat flour
         1/2 c brown rice flour
         1 cup mix of: garbanzo flour, amaranth flour, all-purpose GF blend
1.5 tablespoons agave (or to taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt                     
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg                              ----> stir together dry ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil            
2 tbs ghee                                    ---->cut, then pinch fats into dry ingredients to obtain a sandy texture
½ cup raisins                                ----> fluff into the mixture
¾ cups buttermilk:                        ----> add to dry ingredients to form dough
          1.5 tbs apple cider vinegar
          scant 3/4 c almond milk ----> let mixture sit 10 mins

(Batter should taste delicious (almost cookie-like) on its own too!)

Preheat oven to 400. Add extra flour until dough is kneadable, then knead a few times on waxed paper sprinkled with (oat/rice) flour. Shape into a 6-inch loaf on a greased cookie sheet and slice an 'X' on top with a knife. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes. Yum!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



So, I said I've had a lot going on-- most recently, one of our two cats passed away two days ago, after 19 years of being our faithful friend. (This dampened our St. Patty's festivities- hence the late posts!)

Misty and I playing volleyball.

When I was five years old, my sister and I each adopted a kitten. My sister picked a lively black and white kitty, which she named Misty Moonmew Oreo. I picked a friendly orange tabby, who I dubbed Starry Crystalmew Peanut. Misty and Starry were our best companions, and grew up beside us for the greater portions of both of our lives.

Coming up upon their twentieth birthdays (July 13), both cats have been slowing down, but still happy and enjoying life. Misty began fairing a little worse, and she had a noticeable lump on one side of her abdomen. She was active and spunky up until the afternoon of March 16, at which point she laid down on her special chair cushion- and never did get up. She faded for a few hours, occasionally appearing to have minor seizures or spasms of her arms and legs. We stayed with her right up until the end, and are thankful that she did not suffer long. She was cremated today at a special pet facility, and at this point we plan to keep her ashes in a cat-shaped urn, in the home that she loved so well.

Her temporary coffin with candle and flowers.

Misty was lively and smart, and always was the first one to the door to greet company. She had flair: loved to eat cooked broccoli, raw tomatoes, strawberries, grapes-- we called her a 'little human.' She was fascinated by running water in the shower, and thus was also our resident 'hydrologist.'  On her black face she had a white diamond marking on her nose, and a little white beauty-mark dot.

As my sister put it, "We're not kids anymore- Misty's dead!" and indeed, it is a whole new concept to be without one family member. I'm thankful for the time that we had with her and for her companionship throughout the years. RIP Misty!


~~~~~~~~~~~

Switching gears to a happier tone: I returned from my week-long trip to Carnival in Trinidad on Sunday. It was AWESOME, and my month or raw-dieting sure paid off while I was strutting my stuff in my skimpy costume! Here are some shots from the fun:

Drinking coconut water straight from the coconut!!!!

Chrysocolla girls of the group (guess who I am...)

Summarizes the scene through town- for two days straight!

 Climbing.........                                                                                     for...........

                                                                 COCONUTS!!!

(even though they were unipe/inedible!)

--> all in all, SUPERfun trip! A million thanks to my Trini girl for giving me the best vaycay ever!


~~~~~~~~~

"Little Debbie" Be My Valentine Snack Cakes: Sugar-Free. Gluten-Free. Dairy-Free.

Little Debbie snack cakes.....  I had forgotten about these little devils! And then someone brought a box to work.

And, suddenly I was flooded with memories of mind-blowing sweetness! Litte Debbie Vanilla Be My Valentine Snack Cakes... even when I last ate these circa age 6, I could tell that these were far too sweet and artificial to really even be considered food.

And, of course, I knew I needed to whip up some of my own.

Out of curiosity, I checked the ingredients on the real things before I started. Do you really want to see it? Probably not if you are planning to eat one of these in the near future. Or, you can do what I did: read the ingredients and then run to make the ACD healthier version!

Little Debbie "Be My Valentine" Cakes: Vanilla --- the real deal:

INGREDIENTS (for diabetes):

Sugar, Vegetable(s) Shortening (,, Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Cottonseed Oil Partially Hydrogenated ),, Corn Syrup, Water, Flour Enriched Bleached (,, Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron Reduced, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Vitamin aB) ),, Dextrose, Egg(s) Whites, Color(s) (,, Caramel Color, Red 40 ),, Whey from Milk, Leavening (,, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate ),, Salt, Emulsifier(s) (,, Sorbitan Monostearate, Polysorbate 60, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Propylene Glycol Monostearate ),, Corn Starch, Sorbic Acid To Retain Freshness,, Egg(s), Soy Lecithin, Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial

 I bolded the ingredients that I deem acceptable on my diet. Water, egg whites, and baking soda-- now that's a tasty combination (blergh!!) Also note that foodfacts.com (from which I got this list) gives them a health score of 32/100, and marks it with "AVOID" and "CONTROVERSIAL INGREDIENTS." Yep, I thought so.

Now let's take a look at what my packaging label might look like:

INGREDIENTS (for awesomness):

White beans, eggs, coconut oil, agave nectar, erythritol, coconut flour, strawberries, ghee, tapioca flour, almond milk, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, lemon juice, liquid stevia, salt, liquid chocolate raspberry stevia

 Looks a whole lot prettier, huh? Shorter, more natural, more healthy. 

THE RECIPE:

1 cup white beans  ---> puree in high power blender (Vitamix)
1/8 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
24 drops stevia
2 1/2 tbs agave -----> add, puree well
3 eggs***

1 1/2 tbs coconut flour
1 tbs tapioca flour
1/8 tsp sea salt
3/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda  ----> mix all dry ingredients well, then add to wet and puree again

*** There are two ways to do this to vary cake consistency. For a dense (pound cake-y) cake, blend eggs with wet ingredients. For a lighter, fluffier cake, separate egg yolks and whites. Add yolks to wet mixture, but beat eggs separately in a bowl, until stiff peaks form. After adding dry ingredients to the wet mix in the Vitamix, fold the batter into the egg whites. This will also yield a higher volume of batter, which will end up making more mini cakes.

I used heart shaped silicone cupcake molds to make these. Fill each one halfway, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the largest one comes out clean.

WHITE FROSTING:

1/2 c powdered erythritol* or, soy milk powder to desired consistency, plus extra stevia to sweeten
1 tbs ghee, sort
1 tbs coconut oil, soft
1/2 tsp vanilla (will slightly brown the color)
1 tbs almond milk (add slowly to make it the right consistency)

* Make your own powdered erythritol! Put ~1/2 c granular erythritol into the Magic Bullet small cup, and pulse for about 20 seconds with the crossblade. BAM-- powder!

To make frosting, blend all ingredients in the magic bullet. Add almond milk as necessary to make it a nice whipped consistency.

PINK FROSTING:

1/4 c coconut oil
1 tbs agave
1 tbs strawberry puree (I magic bullet-ed this first)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
dash of salt
8 drops chocolate raspberry stevia
1 tsp powdered erythritol (optional-- thickens consistency)

Blend all ingredients in the Magic Bullet. This should be a thin consistency which will harden in the fridge.

ASSEMBLY:

Middle frosting layer.

Slice a heart mini-cake in half, and spread white frosting between the two layers- then re-assemble them. Next, coat all visible sides of cake in pink frosting. Finally, pipe white frosting on top in a spider-webby pattern. (I was lazy and used a ziploc bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner, instead of a real piping tip.)

Result? Something delicious, and just about as (sickeningly) sweet as the real deal. But, it's low GI, (sucrose) sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, aaand pretty much awesome!!

Now, I'm not saying that I should (or could) eat these every day (there's a reason I only made six!) But, they certainly are perfect for a rare (non)sugar fix.  Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!

~~

Also-- what's the deal with hating Valentine's Day? It's an excuse to eat chocolate and celebrate love of any sort- whether it's for yourself, a lover, a pet-- who cares? Just enjoy the day!

~~

Also: check out February's SOS Challenge at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs, with challenge ingredient stevia!

I got off to a rocky start with stevia, back in the day. When I started exploring the world of ACD baking, the only stevia we had around the house was a powdered form left from my mother's dabbling in vegetarian healthfood... which was probably in the 60s. Or 70s. Or sometime when they made pretty poor quality stevia, SLASH it had just gone bad by this current millenium. At any rate, everything we baked using that stuff had a sickening taste... soapy, if you will. Not quite to the "bitter" realm, but just all too "stevia-ish". I could taste a grain of that stuff anywhere... in anything. It haunted me. And ruined many a baked good.

I avoided all baked goods cooked with stevia, subbing in anything from vegetable glycerine, to agave nectar (when I got to the point I could handle it). But as I did my research, I raid many accounts claiming that with the right quality stevia, the disgusting taste problem really wasn't a problem at all.

So, I decided to give stevia another shot. I would buy a new batch. This time, I opted for the liquid form, and purchased a bottle of SweetLeaf SteviaClear (from good old vitacost.com). And it worked wonders! Gone were the days of ruined baked goods.

Stevia still can be a finicky sweetener when used carelessly, and certainly isn't for those with a heavy hand when it comes to measuring. Basically, its sweetening curve looks something like this:

 

Yeah-- tough. But as long as care is taken while sweetening, stevia can work wonders. I especially like it to sweeten beverages-- like when making chocolate almond milk!

So, in summary, I am a stevia convert. I still use it primarily in conjunction with other stronger sweeteners, but stevia does have its place in my baking arsenal. 

And who knows? I just might grow it in my garden this year. 

Holiday Baking: Povitica

Yum! Povitica (pronunciation: poh-vit-teet-sa) is the epitome of our family Christmas baking. Traditionally, it has a cinnamon-walnut filling rolled inside a sub-paper-thin yeast dough. Making povitica is a multi-purpose, all-day operation. The most exceptional moment of the process is when the lump of dough is genttly stretched out so thin that it covers an entire full-sized table. Next, the filling is painted all over, and then the whole thing is rolled up and baked.

Traditional povitica making, for Xmas 2010!

For my version, I used my cinnamon roll dough, and created a almond-agave-coconut oil based filling that was nearly identical to how I remember the genuine filling. Because my dough was still gluten/yeast-free, it does not "stretch" the same way that the real stuff does. However, it does roll out exceptionally well, and rolls thin enough to see the tablecloth through the dough-- which is the landmark "thinness" measurement, in my books.

So; THE RECIPE:

The dough:

½ c tapioca flour
½ c potato starch
¾ c arrowroot powder
¼ cup brown rice flour
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp guar gum
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder                  --> combine dry ingredients

3 tbs coconut oil (melted)
2 ½ tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla
10 drops stevia
1 egg                           --> combine wet ingredients; whisk in egg; add wet to dry

½ c coconut milk         -->  add coconut milk slowly, until it is dough consistency (a little sticky is ok.)

If dough is too sticky, dust with brown rice flour until it does not stick to your hand/spatula when touched

Place a cloth tablecloth (/old sheet) over your table. Dust with flour, then roll out dough on top. 

Using a (floured) rolling pin, you should be able to get dough thin enough to see the tablecloth through it-- the thinner the better!

See through dough = success.

 Next, spread the filling on top, using a rubber scraper. Be generous; it will soak in a bit while cooking:

The Filling:

1 tbs almond butter
2 tbs almond meal
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs ghee
2 tbs agave nectar (/to taste)
1 tbs rice milk

 Then, lift one side of the tablecloth to roll up the whole sheer of dough. You may need to manually start the initial rolling, but after the first fold it should roll up on its own as you lift the cloth.

Ta-daa!

 Then, fold the long roll into a pan-shaped coil. (Secondary structure?) Place the baking dish upside-down on top of the roll, then use the tablecloth to flip the whole thing into the pan.

Place in the oven, and bake for ~30 minutes at 325. Slice and enjoy!

For a little extra yum, pour extra filling ontop after it comes out of the oven. It doubles as delicious frosting!

22/7

22/7, 3.141592..., pi, ... , PIE!!

Call it what you want, it's delicious.

Actually, to be honest, I've never been much of a pie person. Ice box, pudding pies? Well, maybe those. But nothing with fruit in it!

This is probably due to the fact that when growing up, I don't think my mom ever once made a home-made fruit pie. Thus, the only pies on which my opinions were based were those from boxes in the freezer.

Ah, the store-bought pie: cardboard-crust; gel-like, corn-syrup filling; unnaturally slimy-yet-crunchy fruit chunks. No, thank you.

There was, however, one freezer-fruit-pie that I could slightly bear, years ago. It was a Sara Lee "Fruits of the Forest" pie, and- like I said- it was bearable.


But then I went to Montana, this year and last year, and my grandparents made their own "Fruits of the Forest" pie. The berries may have been from the frozen section of Walmart, but the crust was purely from scratch. But of course full of butter and wheat and sugar and I couldn't eat any of it.

Thus, I created my own masterpiece upon return to the East coast. And, I must say, this is possibly my favorite thing I've ever made, and, I am now a pie convert.

So, I present: FRUTAS DEL BOSQUE: THE BERRY PIE
(when I was in Granada there was a Frutas del Bosque ice cream flavor at heladeria tiggliani, and thus anything "Fruits of the Forest" reminds me of that.)

THE RECIPE:

Crust:
1.5c garbanzo bean flour
1.5c millet flour
1.5 tsp potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c extra light olive oil (or coconut)

Filling:
1 bag frozen mixed berries (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry combo)
1 tbs tapioca flour
15 drops stevia
1 tsp lemon juice

Prepare crust:
Combine dry ingredients, then slowly add oil, cutting it into the dough. Consistency should be stiffer than cookie dough. Place in fridge to chill.

Prepare filling:
Dump thawed berry mixture into a bowl. Use a fork and scissors to cut up large chunks (like big strawberries).Add tapioca flour and lemon juice, mixing thoroughly. Then sweeten with liquid stevia to taste. (Tapioca flour will thicken when heat-activated, so don't worry that filling will be runny until then)

Prepare pie!:
Remove about half of the crust dough, and roll out to 1/4 inch thick between two sheets of waxed paper.
Dough will slightly stick to paper, so use it to flip rolled dough into a pie tin.

Next, pour filling mixture into the crust.

Roll out the rest of the crust to make the top of the pie. Since this GF crust brakes rather easily, I don't recommend a solid top, unless you are feeling particularly brave, and have a whole lot of patience. Instead, I opted for the lattice.

Slice dough into 1-inch wide strips.
I insisted on a completely alternating under-over weave- which traditionally requires folding back the "over" strips. Seeing as this dough doesn't exactly "fold", I ended up doing a lot of patching.

This turned out fine, but it might be easier to be less rigorous with your weave, and instead just start laying a strip at one corner. Place the next strip to form the rest of the corner, 90 degrees to the first one. Continue working across the pie, laying each strip at 90 degrees to the last one. No folding necessary, but you also don't get the genuine weave.

Place pie on a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil, so that any overflowed filling doesn't make a mess.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees, and bake until done- about 30 minutes.


Remove from oven and let cool until slicing.

Enjoy the flaky crust, fresh berry filling- just the right level of firmness!

Deeeeeelicious.

Seriously, this pie is delicious. I bought Rice Dream to put on it, but didn't even use it, because it was too good on its own. I gobbled it up within a week!