Strawberry Pie

 Steve has been really craving Strawberry Pie lately, so last night I looked up the recipe (after he was wonderful enough to buy me 6 quarts of fresh berries!) and a pie crust recipe - and tonight I swallowed my fear of gluten free pie crust - and made the pie.  Of course I made it Mandie-safe - aside from the whipped topping.   It was a huge hit!  Everyone is eagerly awaiting the second slice tomorrow night!   The only thing I'd do differently next time is to cook the glaze a bit longer so it gets thicker.  As you can see, it was still a bit thin.   

STRAWBERRY PIE

2 quarts of strawberries, sliced

1 baked gluten-free pie crust*

1 cup water

¾ cup Pure Cane Sugar

1 Tbsp. tapioca or potato starch

Fill the baked pie crust with sliced berries until no more will fit.  Chill the full crust in the fridge for at least an hour.  Save the remaining strawberries.   At the end of the hour, put the berries in a medium saucepan with a cup of water.  Cook 4-6 minutes, til the berries are soft.  Put the water and berries in a mixer or food processor, and blend until smooth.  Pour back into saucepan, and whisk in ¾ cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp. of tapioca starch.  Cook on low until sugar and starch dissolve and mixture thickens.  Pour hot glaze over the cooled berries in the pie crust.  Chill for another hour, and serve plain or with Coconut Whipped Topping**.

*SUPER EASY GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST

½ cup lard (may use shortening)

1 ½ cups brown rice flour

4 Tbsp. cold water

Preheat oven to 400* F.  Cut shortening into flour until crumbly using pastry cutter or a fork. Add water.  Work dough with hands until it’s soft and you can form into a ball.  Place dough into an 8” or 9” pie pan, and press it up the sides.  This works best using your fingers.  Using a fork, prick the bottom of the crust about 2 dozen or so times, to let air escape.   Place crust in oven and bake 12-16 minutes, or until edges start to turn golden brown.  Set on a wire rack and fill with strawberries.

** DAIRY FREE WHIPPED TOPPING

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled in fridge 24 hours

2-3 Tbsp. pure cane sugar or pure maple syrup

1-2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

Chill milk in fridge for 24 hours.  Chill metal bowl and wire whisk of mixer in freezer for 2-3 hours.  Combine milk with sugar & extracts and whip until creamy. Use in place of whipped topping.    

Stores well in fridge.

Crockpot Millet Hot Cereal with Apples and Pecans

 I made this to go with our biscuits this morning as a Mandie-safe alternative to oatmeal.  Steve and I thought that the flavors and texture are incredible - though we boosted the nutrition a bit further in ours by adding a Tbsp. each of coconut oil an chia seeds before adding some milk.  The kids added some brown sugar, but were not as crazy about it as I'd hoped they'd be.  In all fairness, Mandie is off of her Periactin in preparation for her allergist visit on 1/11, so her appetite has taken an EXTREME nosedive.  I will try this again after our visit, when she's feeling hungry again.

MILLET CEREAL WITH APPLES AND PECANS

(Modified from The Everything Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Cookbook)

2 cups allergen safe apple cider

2 cups hemp milk

1 cup dried millet

1 apple, diced

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup chopped pecans

½ tsp. salt

Grease a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Put all ingredients in crockpot and stir to combine.  Cook on high for 2 ½ - 3 hours or on low for 5 – 6 hours or until all liquid has been absorbed.  Try not to overcook as it can become mushy.

Serve with milk of choice.

Linked to Healthy Vegan Fridays    

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

If there was only one treat I could eat for the rest of my life, I would immediately name these as the one.  My fiance likes to say that he fell in love with me for these - before he had any clue about all of the food allergy business, or had formed any ideas of what "safe" food should or should not taste like.  Anyone who tries these is immediately in heaven.  They are so soft, moist, fragrant, addicting.... lol.             Of course, the advent of Mandie's chocolate allergy in late July put a bit of a damper on these for a while, but we have found that by subbing Sunmaid Cape Cod cranberries for the chocolate chips makes her just as happy. I LOVE making that girl happy with food!  I also love how easy these are to make. I often make these in my mini muffin tins to freeze and later send to school for her snacks for the week.  When I sent these with her for her class snack, she said that every single person and both teachers just loved them and hoped she'd bring them another time! ;) Now THAT is my idea of a successful recipe!  

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

(makes 12 muffins)

1 cup plain pureed pumpkin (Libby's brand is top 8 & corn free)

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

1 tsp. pure vanilla

1 cup sorghum flour

2/3 cup BRM all purpose flour

1 1/3 cups pure cane sugar

1 tsp. Hain grain free baking powder

1 tsp. guar gum

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½-3/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips are also dairy/gluten free)*

½ cup chopped, toasted pecans (OPTIONAL)

Cinnamon Sugar**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Spray liners with cooking spray.   Put pumpkin, water, oil, flaxseed, & vanilla in a food processor.  Blend for 60 – 90 seconds, until light colored and well blended.  Set aside.   In a mixing bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and soda, spices, and guar gum.  Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.  Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter into muffin papers.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, testing after 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then cool on wire rack. 

*When making these for Mandie, I omit the chocolate chips and use Sunmaid Cape Cod Cranberries instead.  

Harvest Day Cake and Maple Frosting

This cake is my hands down fall favorite, and I often choose it for my October birthday - even over chocolate!!   Steve's birthday was Monday, and we got to celebrate with the kids Tuesday night.  I am not surprised that this is what he chose for his cake.   This cake is very moist and dense and is a fanatastic spice type of cake.  I love pumpkin in absolutely anything, and this is no exception. The frosting recipe is amazingly simple - even after making Powdered Sugar in my Magic Bullet!   The maple is an amazing compliment for the pumpkin in the cake.  I'm sure it will become as requested in your house as it is in mine!

Harvest Day Cake

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend***

½ cup tapioca starch

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. Hain Featherweight Baking Powder

1 ½ tsp. guar gum

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. sea  salt

1 ¼ cups grapeseed or canola oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp. flax meal combined with 9 Tbsp. hot water (let stand 5 minutes) **

1 can (15 oz) pumkin

¾ cup Craisins brand dried cranberries

¾ cup toasted chopped pecans

1.        Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of “9x13” pan, or two 9” round pans.  Set aside.   Combine flours, baking powder and soda, spices, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

2.         Add oil and flax goo, and  mix for one minute.  Add sugars and beat another couple of minutes.  Add in pumpkin and flour mixture.   Stir in cranberries and pecans.  Pour into greased pans.

3.       Bake rectangular pan for 47-55 minutes, and rounds 38-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and center feels firm.   Cool on a wire rack.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with Maple Frosting.

** May use 3 whole eggs instead of flax, or the equivalent of egg replacer

***Whole wheat or all purpose flours may be substituted for gluten free flours.

Maple Frosting

3 Tbsp. lard*

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 cup maple syrup**

Combine all ingredients in your mixer (I use my Kitchenaid) and whip until it reaches spreading consistency.  Sometimes I have to add 1/8 cup of additional maple syrup.

    * Instead of lard you may also use butter or shortening of choice

     **  Instead of maple syrup, you can use milk of choice

Linked to: Third Thursday Blog Hop , Gluten Free Fridays, Whole Intentions Weekend Whatever Linkup,            
LauraGluten Free Pantry Allergy Free Wednesdays