THANKSGIVING PIES

THANKSGIVING MENU WEEK TWO: Two things will be missing from Thanksgiving this year… My sister, Rebekah, and her pies.

Growing up, we all had jobs to do on Thanksgiving.

My mom brined the turkey and baked it to perfection….

I made the mashed potatoes and set the dinner table…

And my sister, Rebekah, always made the pies.

Rebekah would spend hours rolling out the dough and crafting beautiful desserts. She and her husband, Steve, live in LA and the miles between here and there don’t allow for much time spent in the kitchen together anymore.

(Beks and I at her wedding a few years ago)

(I miss you big sis)

This year, we are spending Thanksgiving with my family and I will be attempting to take over Rebekah’s pie baking duties.

So… this week's recipes are all about dessert.

I am a little inexperienced when it comes to pie so I’ve been playing in my kitchen this week and have a new one, an old one and a borrowed one to share with you.

FOR THE NEW: below you will find a recipe for No Bake Pumpkin Pie. I know the ingredients may sound a little odd and “healthy tasting” but I promise that you won’t be disappointed if you give it a try.

Traditional pumpkin pie is typically made with heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and egg yokes. I wanted to lighten it up a bit and create something for those of us who don’t do well with dairy.

FOR THE OLD: a few months ago I posted a recipe for an apple crisp and I prefer it to apple pie any day.

(there is a pan of it sitting on my counter right now and I may or may not have had some with breakfast. And lunch.)

To make it a bit more pie like, use a pie crust (homemade or store bought) to put on the bottom and use the filling and crumble top from the recipe.

FOR THE BORROWED: this berry pie recipe comes from my all time favorite blog for any kind of dessert or treat. Every single recipe she makes is over the top amazing and she uses all real and simple ingredients.

I hope you enjoy one or all three!

Elizabeth

PS: What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving desserts? I’d love to hear what will be making it your table this year!

NO BAKE PUMPKIN PIE

dairy free/gluten free/vegan

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

½ C raw almonds

½ C raw cashews

¼ C unsweetened coconut flakes

2 medjool dates

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

Pint or two of salt

FILLING:

1 C canned pumpkin

1 C coconut milk*

2 T almond butter

1 tsp vanilla

8 or 9 dates – pitted and soaked

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

*For the coconut milk, you want to use the full fat, canned coconut milk. Use as much of the thick, white part as you can. Trader Joe’s has an extra thick can of coconut milk that works really well.

TO MAKE:

Remove the pits from the dates and soak them in a bowl of water while you prepare the crust.

Combine almonds and cashews in a food processor and blend until they are all chopped up. Add dates, coconut oil, coconut flakes, vanilla and salt and blend until it reaches a fine texture but stop blending before it turns into a paste.

Pour the crust mixture into a pie pan and use your fingers to press the mixture into the pan until packed tightly and evenly distributed.

Combine pumpkin, coconut milk, almond butter, vanilla, soaked dates and pumpkin pie spice in a blender and blend on high until all the dates are puréed and mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture onto the crust and smooth with a spatula or knife.

Refrigerate overnight to let it to set and thicken.

TO SERVE:

Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Here is a great non-dairy whipped cream recipe.

[print_this]

NO BAKE PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

½ C raw almonds
½ C raw cashews
¼ C unsweetened coconut flakes
2 medjool dates
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
Pint or two of salt

FILLING:

1 C canned pumpkin
1 C coconut milk*
2 T almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
8 or 9 dates – pitted and soaked
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

TO MAKE:

Remove the pits from the dates and soak them in a bowl of water while you prepare the crust.

Pour the crust mixture into a pie pan and use your fingers to press the mixture into the pan until packed tightly and evenly distributed.

Combine pumpkin, coconut milk, almond butter, vanilla, soaked dates and pumpkin pie spice in a blender and blend on high until all the dates are puréed and mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture onto the crust and smooth with a spatula or knife.

Refrigerate overnight to let it to set and thicken.

TO SERVE:

Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Here is a great non-dairy whipped cream recipe.

[/print_this]

[print_this]

MAPLE APPLE CRISP

INGREDIENTS:

5 heaping cups granny smith apples (4-5 apples), pealed and chopped into small chunks or slices
1 T lemon juice
1 T real vanilla
¼ C real maple syrup
1 T cinnamon

¾ C oat flour (whole wheat flour works too but I think the oat flour makes it moister and tastier)
¾ C slow cooking oats
1 C organic brown sugar
5 T Earth Balance butter (or real butter)

TO MAKE:

Mix apples, lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup, and cinnamon all together and place in a medium or large baking pan.

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and butter using a pastry knife or fork until butter is in small chunks and ingredients are combined.

Pour topping over apple mixture and bake at 350 for about 50 min. Check it at that point and see if the top is starting to brown and apples are very soft, it may need a bit more time.

*The key is cooking it long enough for everything to get soft enough to melt in your mouth!

TO SERVE:

Enjoy with vanilla ice cream, coconut milk ice cream or pumpkin ice cream!

OTHER VARIATIONS:

You can use a pie crust (I think the store bought ones are the best!) on the bottom and then follow the same instructions if you want it to be more pie like
It is also delicious with real caramel syrup drizzled on top!

[/print_this]

Features, Recipes, The KitchenIntentional ParentsNovember 8, 2012