Paleo Pecan Pie

This classic dessert was so easy to make over, I almost feel cheap in posting it. I adapted the famous recipe from a corn syrup bottle (yuck) and updated it with low-glycemic coconut sweeteners and oil for a gooey, crunchy and much healthier pie experience. Low-sugar it’s not, but it’s better for you than store-bought, for sure. Be sure to read the notes about the crust below before you give it a spin in your own kitchen.

Crust:

1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
1/2 blanched almond flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2T honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray deep-dish pie pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with coconut oil. In a small bowl, sift coconut flour and stir together with almond flour and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat eggs with honey and coconut oil. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir. Knead together with your hands briefly until a smooth dough forms. If the dough feels too soft and sticky to roll, knead in a little more sifted coconut flour. 

Form dough into a ball and roll out onto a coconut-flour-dusted Silpat mat or other clean work surface (or between two sheets of waxed paper) in a circular shape. Flip mat over onto a deep-dish pie pan and cut edges. Patch up as needed until crust runs all the way up the sides of the pie plate evenly (important, as there is a lot of filling). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight or for at least three hours (note: don’t skip this step; if you do, the crust will burn before the filling reaches the proper level of doneness).

Filling:

1 cup coconut nectar
3 eggs
1 cup coconut sugar
2T coconut oil
4 drops Medicine Flower vanilla extract or 1 tsp regular vanilla extract
1½ cups pecans

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix together coconut nectar, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in pecans.

Pour into frozen pie crust. Bake on center rack of oven for about 15 minutes, then cover sides of pie pan with foil and return to oven for 30 to 40 minutes until filling is lightly brown and no longer jiggly (it can still have a tiny bit of wiggle to it, as it will thicken upon cooling).

If the filling is getting too dark midway through baking, place a piece of foil over the top of the pie for the final segment of baking. Remove from oven and cool for several hours before serving.

 
Note: Even after pre-freezing the crust, it still gets far darker than it should. It tastes delicious anyway, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a picture-perfect dessert to take to a dinner party, simply because of appearances. If you make these into tarts instead of pie, I suspect the problem would be solved. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Crumble Cups

The strawberry-rhubarb-custard combo is a classic, and you needn't wait until summer to enjoy it. The filling in this dessert makes a fabulous jam–tastier and healthier than any commercial variety you might find. You can add some stevia if you like it a bit sweeter, but I think it’s perfect as it is.

Crust:
Make a half batch of this recipe from Comfy Belly, substituting coconut nectar for the honey (if desired) and coconut oil for the melted butter.

Custard:
4 eggs
3/4 cup (plus a few tablespoons more) full-fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
A few shakes nutmeg

Filling:
12oz strawberries, fresh or frozen
4oz frozen rhubarb
1/2 cup honey or coconut nectar
1T lemon juice
1T sifted arrowroot powder
1-2 drops Medicine Flower vanilla extract (optional)
3 drops Medicine Flower strawberry extract (optional)

Topping:
1T solid coconut oil
2T almond flour
1T sifted coconut flour
2T coconut sugar
2T shredded coconut
1T Medicine Flower coconut extract (optional)
Sliced almonds
A few shakes cinnamon

Crust:
Prepare per Erica’s directions, but don’t bake. Press into deep ramekins sprayed with olive oil cooking spray or greased with coconut oil. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Filling:
Combine all ingredients except arrowroot powder and extracts in a small pot on the stove and bring to a light boil. Sift in arrowroot powder one-half tablespoon at a time. Simmer slowly until thickened to a bit runnier than jam-like consistency (it will thicken more after it cools). Stir in extracts, if using. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Custard:
Move oven rack to the rung just above the middle. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Beat together eggs, coconut milk, salt and nutmeg. Pour over frozen crusts inside ramekins. Bake until lightly golden but still a bit jiggly but not runny (about 35-40 minutes, depending on size of ramekins). Remove from oven and set aside.

Topping:
Combine all dry ingredients and cut/stir in coconut oil. Add extract, if using.

Assembly:
Spread prepared filling onto cooked custard layer and sprinkle with topping mixture and almonds, leaving a small space at the top of the ramekins (the filling and topping will bubble up when cooked; you don’t want a mess in your oven). Bake until filling bubbles and topping is lightly browned.

This can be eaten warm or cold, bit I find it’s best cold, after it’s been covered and refrigerated overnight, giving the flavors a chance to meld.

Notes: You may have a bit of custard, jam and topping mixture leftover, which you can use to make a crustless version of the above in a small ramekin. I’d save the filling to use as jam or to stir in plain yogurt, though – amazing.



Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

This is an extremely simple recipe that you can vary to your tastes by adding almond, coconut, orange or even mint extract. These muffins don’t photograph well, but are beautifully moist and taste amazing.

3 cups blanched almond flour, lightly packed
1 heaping tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut nectar
3T unsweetened coconut milk (I used So Delicious brand)
3-4 drops Medicine Flower vanilla extract or 1 tsp regular vanilla extract
1 drop Medicine Flower almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all dry ingredients with a spoon except chocolate chips. In another bowl, beat eggs with a hand mixer. Add coconut oil, coconut nectar and milk plus extracts of choice.

Stir wet ingredients into dry with a spoon, then fold in chocolate chips. Scoop into a paper-lined mini muffin tin or silicone mini muffin pan, filling each cup completely full or overflowing if you want bigger minis.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, depending on the size of your mini-muffin pan. Makes about 14 large minis (if you can forgive the contradiction).



Creamless Cream of Asparagus Soup

Have you ever had a craving for a food you don’t like? One of the few vegetables for which I’ve never had a fondness is asparagus, so why I awoke craving it recently I have no idea.

This soup is hardly revolutionary but it was easy to make and the best I could come up with in a pinch using the ingredients I had on hand. It sure hit the spot. I hope you enjoy it too.

10oz bag frozen cauliflower, or equivalent fresh
9oz package frozen cut asparagus, or equivalent fresh
1¾ cups vegetable broth
1 large clove garlic
1T nutritional yeast
1T Medicine Flower lemon extract (or equivalent regular extract or lemon juice)
1/4 tsp onion salt (optional)
1/2T dried parsley
1 tsp salt (I used low-sodium broth, so I had to add a bit more)
Cracked black pepper, to taste

Slice open garlic and remove center core. Place halved clove in steamer along with cauliflower on one side and asparagus on the other and cook until tender.

Place all ingredients except asparagus in a Vita-Mix or other high-speed blender and whir at high speed until thick and creamy. Add more broth if you feel it’s too thick and blend again.

Set aside five pieces of asparagus to use as garnish and add remainder to the Vita-Mix. Blend at low to medium speed long enough to break up the asparagus a bit but not emulsify it (I like my soup chunky, so I left quite large chunks, but you can puree yours more if you’d like). Adjust herbs and seasonings to taste. Pour, add garnish with reserved asparagus and serve. Makes two generous-sized bowls.

 

Paleo Butter Tarts

Until recently, I didn’t realize most Americans don’t know what Butter Tarts are. I expected ignorance about Nanaimo Bars, but Butter Tarts? Boy are you guys missing out. If you’d grown up in Southern Ontario as I did, you’d have eaten your body weight in these by the age of 30. Of course, I didn’t know what Buckeyes (the dessert) were until my Ohio-born husband enlightened me after marriage, so I can hardly judge.

Basically, Butter Tarts are sticky little raisin pies. Imagine Pecan Pie without the nuts and dotted with raisins and you’ve got the right idea. As with many classic desserts, there are points of contention among enthusiasts. Runny filling or firm? With walnuts or without? Although I love nuts and generally prefer things on the drippy side, when it comes to the sacred BT, I’m staunchly in the firm filling/no-nuts camps, so prepared this healthier version accordingly. Feel free to adjust to your own tastes, though. Now you’ve got a new dessert, plus a bit of trivia to share with your friends.

Crust (note: must be frozen in advance of preparing tarts):
1/2 cup sifted coconut flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2T honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt

In a small bowl, sift coconut flour and stir together with almond flour and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat eggs with honey and coconut oil. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir. Knead together with your hands briefly until a smooth dough forms. If the dough feels too soft and sticky to roll, knead in a little more sifted coconut flour. 

Form dough into a ball and roll out onto a coconut-flour-dusted Silpat mat or other clean work surface (or between two sheets of waxed paper). Cut into muffin-tin-sized circles with large wine glass or cookie cutter. Place circles into greased muffin tin or one lined with paper liners (this is what I did – much easier to remove). Alternatively, you can use a silicone muffin or tart tin.

Patch any cracks with bits of dough as needed to eliminate holes in shells. Wrap muffin tin in a plastic bag and freeze for at least three hours.

Filling:
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut (palm) sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup coconut nectar or maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 drops Medicine Flower vanilla extract or 1 tsp regular vanilla extract
1 drop Medicine Flower walnut extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together softened butter, coconut sugar, salt and coconut nectar until mixture is well combined, sugar is dissolved and butter is creamed. Add beaten egg and extracts and mix well.

Drain raisins. Remove tart shells from freezer and divide raisins equally among them, placing in bottom of shells. Pour filling into tart shells, leaving a tiny rim at the top (you don't have to worry about the filling rising, as there is no leavening agent, but the middles will bubble up whilst baking). Bake for about 15 minutes, until filling is brown and bubbling. Makes 9-10 tarts.