AHEM… a very PEACEABLE PECAN PIE…

INGREDIENTS:

Lot of pecans (1/3 pound or so) … raw is fine, but a tad toasted really makes this pie sing

Yummy Middle Filling-

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup roasted white sweet potato
• 2/3 cup date paste
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 dashes of nutmeg
• 1 dash of cayenne powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• molasses as optional drizzle over pie

Crusty Bottom-

• 1 1/2 cups of wild soil almonds (sub is 1 heaping cup of ground flax seeds)
• 2/3 cup of buckwheat groats
• 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
• 8 medjool or other sweet and soft dates
• 4 Tablespoons of warmed coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 2 tablespoon of sesame seeds 
  

  

  

WHAT TO DO:

1. Roast your sweet potato in advance so it can cool enough to peel before blending with other ingredients.  It usually does fine at 50 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Oven should be at 350 for the pie, so adjust now.
2. Put all crusty ingredients into food processor until medium textured dry dough comes together… it is your preference how nutty in texture or uniform in texture you make your crust.  Also, it is your choice to leave as raw or to bake and let cool before filling. If you opt to bake the crust, go 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
3. In high-speeder, powerful blender, mix together roasted sweet potato (no skin,) date paste, vanilla, arrowroot, all spices and salt… blend until thick , yet smooth.
4. Fill crust with blended pie filling
5. Pour your raw or roasted pecans on top and kindly press them into the filling so some are sunken treasures 🙂
6. Bake for about 30 minutes.  Let Cool.  If you have a savory crowded, freshly grate Himalayan pink salt dust over the pie after cooling and then serve with tea and drizzled with molasses…

YOU WILL DELIGHT YOURSELF WITH THIS NO SUGAR, NO BUTTER, NO DAIRY SOUTHERN DELECTABLE DESSERT.~

Confession: I ATE BANANA CREAM PIE FROM ALMOST WEEKLY IN COLLEGE… I missed that yummy sweetness and thick, yet cloud-like cream that pulled the luscious banana slices together.  So, I had to make one I could eat since my healthy foodie requirements make finding one in a store sadly unlikely.  I practically faceplanted into this experimental vegan, gluten-free, paleo (option of no maple syrup, too), and amazingly heavenly banana cream pie.  College days are here again! LOL

INGREDIENTS:

Creamy Middle-

• 2 cans (14 ounces each) of full-fat coconut milk chilled for at least 4 hours
• 1/4 cup unrefined maple syrup (formerly known as grade B) plus 5 drops of luo han guo liquid drops or 10 drops of monkfruit liquid drops and 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup depending on your blood sugar concerns…or try a version with just the drops mixed with about 1/8 of mylk of choice
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 5 large ripe (freckled, not too mushy) bananas to be sliced
• 1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt

Crusty Bottom- (baked version for more classic taste) 

• 3/4 cup gluten-free oats
• 3/4 walnuts (opt for almonds if needed)
• 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
• for a raw version of crust, try this one: https://joiedejane.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/berry-good-raw-cheesecake/

Beautification toppings-

• crushed or chopped walnuts
• lemon juice to spray banana slices you place atop the pie
• shaved or chopped dark chocolate

WHAT TO DO:

1. For Crust- food process all crust ingredients until a medium fine meal
2. Add coconut oil
3. Process until the dough holds together, but not too wet or too dry
4. Press into a parchment lined pie form or 8″ springform
5. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool
6. For Cream Middle- open cans and drain coconut water into a glass jar
7. Scoop coconut fat into stand mixer with whisk attachment
8. Add maple (or monkfruit drop mixture), vanilla extract, and salt and turn on machine to beat until fluffy and thick
9. Layer 1/3 of this coconut cream onto crust, then layer banana slices, and repeat until you run out of cream, but cream must evenly cover the top of all the banana slices
10. Refrigerate for several hours
11. slice last banana and spritz with lemon water to make sure it doesn’t brown
12. decorate as you please!
13. Eat it all or share it all…except a slice or two for you in the freezer.  Yum!
    

    

    

This is my husband’s favorite cookie–any time of the year… and I love making an even less sweet version of it for wholesome health-nuts like me!

It has so much fiber, so much protein, and such simple ingredients, you can feel good about making it because it whips up in snap and is rather addictive.  Addictive, mind you, not because it bites you with a sugar-high, but because the texture, nutty crunch, and gentle build up to a sweet lingering is satisfying in a “take some time” kind of way.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 CUP OF FINE ALMOND FLOUR
• 1/3 ORGANIC GRADE B OR DARK MAPLE SYRUP or 3/4 cup if you are a sweet tooth!
• 1 TABLESPOON BOURBON VANILLA BEAN PASTE… or extract if you don’t have…
• 1 HEAPING TABLESPOON BAKING POWDER
• 1 TEASPOON DASHES OF CEYLON CINNAMON
• 1 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND HIMALAYAN PINK SALT
• 3/4 CUP POWDERED RAW CACAO BUTTER (pounded to powder in mortar and pestle)
• 3/4 CUP SALTED MACADAMIA NUTS
• 3/4 CUP BARU NUTS (I use Barukas brand)
• optional:sea salt chips

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WHAT TO DO:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place parchment or silicone mat atop baking sheet.
2. Pound raw cacao butter into powder…some small chunks are fine
3. Mix dry ingredients
4. Add wet ingredients and mix, but don’t over mix into a goopy mess
5. Toss in your macadamia nuts and baru nuts
6. Mix a bit more
7. scoop up into clean hands and roll into ball and slightly flatten to put on baking sheet
8. option… use dark cacao butter instead of white for chocolate lovers version
9. another option: instead of maple syrup, use a nut mylk, date paste, and monk fruit drops to sweeten along with a bit of mesquite
10. another option: top with sea salt chips for savory snack lovers!
11. bake 13 minutes and let cool… should have crunchiness that softens once you store it in a canister… ideally, eating it right away has the perfect crunch on the outside and soft inside that makes this a perfect dunking cookie with a side car of your favorite mylk. 🙂

Not kidding when I say this is worth making… for a snack on the go that is hearty and delectable, for making hubby happy…or just feeling good about making a version of a treat that is nutritious as well as delicious!