Grain Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Some tastes are a very nostalgic thing for me, and Rhubarb pie is at the top of the list. I know I have waxed poetic about my Grandma's Rhubarb pie before (this Rhubarb custard post was one such occasion) but it really was that awesome. When I perfected my grain free pastry recipe, and my rhubarb was at that perfect spring readiness, I figured it was time to honour my grandma and her pie, pastry and all.

My favourite pie plate is quite large, if yours is smaller, use the extra crust and filling to make some lovely little tarts!


Grain Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 prepared Grain Free Pie Crust,(baked for 8 minutes as per directions in recipe)

3 cups chopped rhubarb (I used fresh but frozen would work too!)

2 cups sliced strawberries (hulls removed) (or sub 2 additional cups chopped rhubarb and omit strawberries)

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup coconut sugar

4 Tbsp arrowroot starch

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix fruit together in a large bowl and set aside.

Measure the remaining ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with an immersion blender. Pour over the prepared fruit and mix gently to coat.

Pour into prepared pie shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the pie is set in the middle. Check 1/2 way thru and place a foil shield around the edge if it is already starting to brown. 

Carefully remove from oven and let cool thoroughly before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Easy Dairy Free Ice Cream

This ice cream is so many things all at once, I don't know where to start! It is refined-sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, its easy, it stores wonderfully in your freezer, and, most importantly, it tastes divine. Wait... did I mention it's really easy?

With three simple ingredients and a food processor, you have everything you need to make this lovely summer treat! Customize the fruit to your taste buds! We have used frozen strawberries and oranges as well as the mango version below, but any type of frozen fruit would be delish!

(Yes, I know, the picture kind of looks like cupcakes...but it freezes beautifully in little parchment paper liners. When frozen, simply take it out of the pan and freeze in an airtight container in the freezer, or even a zip-lock freezer bag until you want to eat it. Then it is ready, in a perfect serving sized portion!

Chilling the coconut milk prior to starting this recipe is VERY important. (I actually keep a spare can in the fridge for just such occasions!). Between whipped coconut cream and this recipe, I have one ready whenever I need it!



Easy Dairy Free Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight (very important, do not skip this step!)

3 cups frozen fruit

2 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey

Open your can of coconut milk upside down. 

Drain off liquid and set aside. 

Place solid coconut milk into the bowl of your food processor. Add frozen fruit; attach lid and pulse to start combining. 

Add maple syrup or honey while pulsing.

 If necessary, add the drained liquid from your can 1 tbsp at a time to loosen the ice cream enough to blend. You may need it all, you may not. (Mango seems to require the whole amount; it takes more to blend because they are very dense when frozen. Softer fruit like cherries, raspberries or blueberries will blend easier. )

You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides if your fruit is dense like the frozen mango's were. The more you process, the more the fruit will melt, do not over process or you will loose that necessary frozen texture.

As soon as it is smooth, turn off the food processor and scoop into desired containers to freeze.

Freeze for 2-3 hours minimum.  Store in airtight containers in freezer.  Remove from freezer and let stand 10-15 minutes before serving to soften slightly. 

We found this set of 4 little melamine bowls at one of the PC Superstores, and they work wonderfully  for keeping a batch of ice cream ready to go in the freezer! We bought two sets, which are perfect for the 8ish servings that this recipe makes! Pictured here is a strawberry version!

Chocolate Cream Pie

When one perfects a grain free pie crust , it is cause for celebration! And what better to celebrate with than a chocolate cream pie? With this pie, the crust takes on a more graham-cracker-crust-like texture, which suits the pie wonderfully. Again, my favourite pie plate is rather large, adjust amounts if your pie plates are smaller, or use the extra to make some lovely little tarts!

Grain Free Chocolate Cream Pie

1 pre-baked grain free pie crust, using chilled pie baking time.

Filling:

3 ½ cups whole milk, divided

4 egg yolks

½ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup arrowroot powder

½ cup coconut sugar

Pinch of salt

-------

1 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life are awesome)

In a medium heavy bottomed pot, whisk together egg yolks and 3 cups of the milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring often.

While mixture is heating, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined. Mix in the rest of your milk (1/2 c) and whisk until smooth.  Add to the heating milk, and using a wooden spatula, stir constantly, ensuring to cover all of the bottom surfaces of the pot. The mixture will start to thicken after about 8 minutes or so. (It seems like it will never get thick, but be patient! It will!) Keep stirring for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes creamy and thickens nicely. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Stir until melted and the mixture is smooth again. Strain thru a fine metal strainer to remove any lumps that may remain.

Pour into prepared pie shell and chill for a minimum of 2 hours. 

Top with fresh whipped cream if desired.

Store leftovers in fridge for up to 2 days. 

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

When I plant my garden in the spring, I tend to be an over planter, which is all fine and dandy, until later in the season...when the plants go wild and you cannot even begin to wade thru the greenery without stepping on something. But, in the early summer, when everything is behaving well, my garden is a lovely calm place to while away the time pulling weeds,  and thinning the rows of beautiful greens. Which leads us to this salad. Instead of thinning and tossing, I like to use the thinning in salads like this, kind of a waste-not-want-not kind of thing. It makes me feel less guilty about pulling out perfectly good plants :)

Baby Kale against a backdrop
of carrots, that need to be thinned
as well!

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Avocado

6 cups chopped baby Kale (packaged or picked from your garden!)

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

2 avocados, diced

2 cups strawberries, hulls removed and sliced

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white balsamic

Zest and juice of one organic lemon

1 tsp sea salt or herbamare

1 Tbsp honey

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

½ cup chopped garlic chives (optional, you can sub regular chives if desired)

Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients into a 2c mason jar. Place lid on snuggly and shake well to combine.

Toss together well and serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator for up to a day if desired.

Squeeze lemon into your jar

use rasp to grate the zest BEFORE
squeezing the lemons...much easier!

to cool your quinoa quickly,
spread on a large plate and
set in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Perfect side dish for BBQ Chicken 

Grain Free Coconut Macaroons

Coconut macaroons are one of my favourite cookies. There was a stand at our local Farmers market that sold some lovely ones, 8 to a tray, that I used to pick up every so often when the boys and I would walk there on Saturday mornings. It was always a challenge to get them home intact! I tried many recipes, trying to recreate that delicious mixture of coconut and chocolate. Some were close,(like this one from my old blog in 2009!) but not close enough to end the search. A few years later I found this version from David Lebovitz. It was amazingly close, and got rave reviews whenever I made them. Alas, ingredient wise, because they contained wheat flour, they left my cookie repertoire, but were not forgotten.  It took some tries, (and multiple failures) to re-create it without the wheat, but I finally succeeded! (I even presented a healthier version of this in a cooking class using coconut sugar that was lovely, but this original version still stands as my favourite.) I am surprised that I haven’t posted this before now, as I have been making this version for quite a while! (posting teaser pictures on my Facebook page reminds me of what I have not shared!) That being said, there aren’t a lot of technique pictures with this post. If anyone feels they would help out the recipe, add a request in the comments, and the next time I whip up a batch I will update the recipe with some new pics! 

The two step cooking process is integral to the recipe, and comes directly from the recipe on David Lebovitz’s blog. It definitely makes the cookie and this step cannot be skipped!!

One last thing: the creamed coconut should not be confused or substituted with "coconut cream" which is a completely different thing! My favourite one is from Edward and Sons and comes in a green box (we sell it at Goodness Me, in-store, but not online yet) Coconut butter is very similar and can be substituted in a pinch. 

Grain Free Coconut Macaroons

3 egg whites

1 whole egg

¾ cup organic cane sugar

½ tsp sea salt

2 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut (Organic Traditions is the bees knees! )

2 Tbsp arrowroot flour

3 Tbsp almond flour

1/3 cup creamed coconut (or sub. coconut butter, this works well too!)

2 Tbsp honey

Mix all ingredients together in a large heavy bottomed frying pan. (Do not turn on heat yet! Mix well first or your eggs will scramble instead of blending in!!) Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a flat wooden spatula until the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and the sugars start to caramelize. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl and chill until easily handle-able.

If you are in a hurry when chilling the
dough, spread it out thinly in a bowl in
the fridge, it will cool in 1/2 the time!

Preheat oven to 350F

Shape in to 1 tbsp sized cookies, and place on a parchment lined pan about an inch apart. ( I use my 1 tbsp Cuisinart measuring spoon as a scoop, because it makes a nice rounded cookie shape. I dip it in water between each scoop and they release well with a firm tap on the cookie sheet.)

Bake for 17-18 minutes or until macaroons start to just nicely brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

If desired: Melt 1 ½ cups chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over simmering water (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl!)  and dip macaroons in chocolate. Chill until chocolate is set.

Keep leftovers in refrigerator, if you have any!

Grain Free Pie Pastry

Grain free pastry is not something I have played around with much. The few attempts I made were mediocre at best, and it was quickly relegated to the back burner to make way for things that were more...successful!! But, with my wonderful crop of rhubarb this spring, pastry was suddenly back on the top of my list to perfect! I think this version was worth waiting for! It is not a rolled crust, grain free flour's are not that easy to work with, but it works well when you pat it into place.
My favourite pie plate is an older Pampered Chef Clay one, and is quite large, measuring 10" across the top diameter. If your pie plate is smaller, reserve  part of your pastry or your crust will be very thick. The excess would make some wonderful little tarts, or possibly even a crumble for the right kind of pie! (I would mix in a bit more coconut sugar and some chopped pecans...lovely idea!!)

Grain Free Pie Pastry

½ cup + 2 Tbsp coconut flour

¼ cup chickpea flour

¼ cup arrowroot flour

2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar (leave out if using for a savory crust)

Pinch of Salt

1 tsp Apple cider Vinegar

2 eggs

½ cup softened (not melted) coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375F

Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a fork until just blended. With a rubber or silicone spatula continue mixing to ensure there are no lumps remaining.

When it is thoroughly mixed and comes together nicely in a ball, let it stand for 5-10 minutes for the coconut flour to soak up the liquids.

In a large pie plate, place the ball of dough, and methodically flatten it around the diameter of the plate. Make it evenly cover the bottom of the plate and then work up the sides, rotating the plate as you go, concentrating on keeping the pastry even as you press it up to the top edge. 

When you have a nice even crust in your pie plate, finish off the top edge as desired. (I like to use the traditional knuckle technique; it works well if you leave the top edge somewhat “thick” and slightly raised above the dish)

 Baking:

If your pie is to be baked again, for something like a rhubarb pie, bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

If your pie will have a precooked filling, like a chocolate cream, bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. 

 Fill as desired, and bake again if necessary or chill, depending upon recipe!

Pictured Here in Rhubarb :)

Pictured here in chocolate :)