Grain-free Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie has always been a staple for my family in the month of May. All three of my siblings and my dad's birthdays are in this month and strawberry pie has been the ideal celebration dessert.  My mom loves to tell everyone how I, whose birthday is in the lovely month of January, would always want to have strawberry pie for my birthday, but never could because strawberries were not in season.  I was always devastated. Anyways, the BBQ birthday celebration came and went this last week and I embarked on a mission to create a grain-free, refined sugar-free, and possibly dairy-free {minus the whip cream} strawberry pie. It is my pleasure to share my results with you!

Strawberry Pie

Grain-free Crust

Makes 1 pie crust

Ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, butter, honey, and an egg

First, slice up a stick of butter {1/2 cup} into 1/2 inch cubes. Place 1/2 in the fridge and the other 1/2 in the freezer.

In a Cuisinart {food processor} mix together:

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1/4 cup coconut flour

Pulse until crumbly/do not over mix:

• the butter that was in the fridge

Whisk together and then add to above by pulsing only a few times:

• 1 small egg

• 1 Tbsp honey {you may want to heat of the honey slightly to allow it to be whisked}

Lastly, add the butter in the freezer and pulse a few times.

Roll into a ball, cover with saran wrap, and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.  Then roll out on the counter with coconut flour.  May help to roll out in between two pieces of parchment paper.

Place in pie tin. Poke the bottom with a fork to prevent bubbles.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-13 minutes. Watch carefully after 10 minutes to make sure it does not burn. 

Let cool. 

Then make the strawberry filling. Recipe is below.

Strawberry Filling

Ingredients: fresh strawberries, maple syrup, honey, stevia, 

and lemon juice

Place in a blender

• 1 1/2 cup fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

• 3 Tbsp honey

• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Blend on low until well blended.

Strain into a pan.

Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil. Then drop to a simmer for 8 minutes.

Whisk into above:

• 1/2 Tbsp coconut flour to thicken the glaze

Add to taste:

• a few drops of stevia or other sweetener of choice

Remove from heat. When glaze is lukewarm or cooler toss with fresh strawberries. I used 5 cartons worth, so I'm thinking approximately 7-8 cups. Place strawberries in the fridge to allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Then scoop the strawberries into your pie crust.

Let pie set in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors meld together.

Optional: Add whipped cream {I made my own with maple syrup and vanilla extract} or make coconut cream for a Paleo alternative {Please let me know if you have a good recipe!}

Then enjoy! Share w/ family and friends or I wouldn't blame you if you keep this deliciousness for yourself :)

Grain-free Apple Crisp

I wanted to make a grain-free apple crisp, so this is what I came up with.  I will probably play around with the recipe some more, but it was still quite delicious especially with a scoop of banana ice cream as it made it a little sweeter. This recipe is only one serving size , but just double or triple the recipe if you want to make more!

Apple Crisp

Serves 1

First mix together in a bowl:

• 1 chopped medium apple

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 pinch of nutmeg

Then cook the apples covered on medium low in a skillet with a mixture of coconut oil and butter until soft, approx. 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Optional: Drizzle some honey or maple syrup.

Pour the mixture into a serving size baking dish.

Ground up in a food processor:

• 1/4 cup almond

• 1/4 cup coconut

Pulse for 30 seconds. Sprinkle mixture onto the apples {you will have some toppings leftover}. Lightly spray or drizzle coconut oil or butter on top. Then bake at 350 degrees until golden. This took about 5-7 minutes.

Next time I want to try adding some dates or raisins and maybe even use a mixture of nuts instead of just almonds.  Also it is delicious with a scoop of banana ice cream.  Same recipe as my chocolate ice cream but without the cocoa powder.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

I have been making five loaves of this bread for my family every other month or so for the last 8 years.  It is simple and delicious.  It is not grain-free nor gluten-free, but it uses all organic, healthy ingredients and is made completely from scratch.  I even ground my own flour from hard wheat berries.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 5 loaves

Ingredients: hard wheat berries {or whole wheat flour}, water, honey, EVOO {extra virgin olive oil}, powdered vitamin C, sea salt, millet, and SAF yeast

First heat up on the stove to 110-120 degrees Farenheit:

• 6 cups water

Pour water into a Bosch mixer or use a Kitchenaid, but you will have to cut the recipe in half.

Add: 

• 2/3-1 cup of honey {my dad prefers the bread a little sweeter, so I use 1 cup}

• 2/3 cups extra virgin olive oil 

• 1/2 tsp powdered Vitamin C 

• 2 Tbsp sea salt

Mix together and then add:

 • 5-8 cups of freshly milled whole wheat flour

I grind my own wheat berries but you can also buy whole wheat flour. You need to use hard wheat berries or regular {not pastry} whole wheat flour. 

Mix for a couple of seconds and then add:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp SAF yeast

Mix slightly, then let sit for 10-25 minutes. 

Be careful, not to let it sit more then 25 minutes.

Add:

• 3/4-1 cup millet

Then start adding flour one cup at a time while the mixer is on and keep adding flour until the dough just begins to clean off the sides of your bowl and gather together, then begin the kneading time. You will be using about 18 cups of flour total. 

The total shouldn't be more than 18 cups, however. Too much flour makes the bread too crumbly and dry. I have even added garlic cloves, oregano, basil, onion and garlic powder before. Yum!

Knead {mix} in the mixer for about 5 to 7 minutes.Your dough should be slightly sticky, and the sides of the bowl shouldn't have much dough clinging to it. Then divide the dough into 5 parts and shape into a loaf and place into well-oiled bread pans. 

Place the bread in the oven {with a cup of water in a metal measuring cup or small pan in the bottom of the oven}. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, turn the oven OFF, and let the bread rise for 30 minutes. After 30-40 minutes or until the bread looks like it has raised just over the top of the pan turn the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 35 minutes. Take the bread out and immediately use a knife or spatula to pop them out of the pans and let them cool on a cooling rack.

At this point my dad comes down stairstairs and slices off most, if not all the end pieces to "taste test."

After all the end pieces are sliced off and the loafs have completely cooled I slice the loafs, place them in Ziploc bags, and store them in the freezer because they stay the freshest this way.

Enjoy and share with your friends and family!