Category Archives: Desserts

Banana Cream Pie (Two Ways)

Let me start with the disclaimer that I didn’t have time  the day I made this pie to even slice into it, let alone get a picture of it.  

Nope, it wasn’t until 4 days later that I finally got around to it.

With that being said, I think this looks pretty good for a banana cream pie over four days later.

Now back to how the recipe came about.  One of my dad’s favorite types of pies is banana cream pie.  The thing with most banana pies, is they are basically nothing but vanilla pudding with bananas mixed in.  With this recipe, the banana are basically steeped in the cream, making the result a banana cream pie that actually tastes like bananas.

Another thing that makes this pie better than most of the banana pies out there is tossing the sliced bananas in the orange juice.  This helps the bananas stay firm and not brown (even 4 days later).

Banana Cream Pie
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Ingredients
  1. 5 just ripe bananas (no more that a few freckles near the stem)
  2. 4 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
  3. 2-1/2 cups So Delicious French Vanilla Creamer
  4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  5. 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  6. 1/4 teaspoon agar powder
  7. 2 tablespoons orange juice
  8. 1 prepared and baked pie crust
Instructions
  1. Peel two bananas into 1/2" slices. In a 1-quart saucepan, melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Add bananas and cook until they just begin to soften. Add creamer, and bring to boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 40 minutes.
  2. Strain banana/creamer mixture through a mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT push down on the bananas, or even shake the strainer. This causes the pudding to turn gray. It doesn't affect the taste, but just the color.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together salt, cornstarch, agar powder, and 1/4 cup of the banana/creamer mixture until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk into the pot with the rest of the banana/creamer mixture. Put pot over medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture is thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing against the surface so as to thwart the infamous 'pudding skin'. Let cool on the counter for an hour.
  4. Peel, and slice the remaining three bananas into 1/4" slices and toss in a bowl with the orange juice. Spread half of the banana cream on the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the banana slices over the cream, and then spread the remaining cream on top. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.
Notes
  1. Equally delicious with a graham cracker, a nut, or regular pie crust.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
I decided to enter this recipe in So Delicious and Go Dairy Free March Recipe Madness Contest.  For this contest you have to create a recipe that uses 8 ingredients or less.  I barely made it with this one.

So-Delicious-Dairy-Free-Recipe-Madness-Contest-Badge

I also made this pie sugar free, so my mom could try out the pie.  It’s more than 8 ingredients, but still easy to make. It is also equally delicious.

Banana Cream Pie (Sugar-Free)
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Ingredients
  1. 5 ripe bananas
  2. 4 tablespoons non hydrogenated vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
  3. 1 can of full fat coconut milk
  4. 1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk, unsweetened
  5. 1/4 cup maple syrup
  6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  7. 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  8. 1/2 teaspoon agar powder
  9. 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  10. 2 tablespoons orange juice
  11. 1 prepared and baked pie crust
Instructions
  1. Peel two bananas into 1/2" slices. In a 1-quart saucepan, melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Add bananas and cook until they just begin to soften. Add canned coconut milk, and So Delicious Coconut milk, and bring to boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 40 minutes.
  2. Strainer banana/creamer mixture through a mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT push down on the bananas, or even shake the strainer. This causes the pudding to turn gray. It doesn't affect the taste, but just the color.
  3. In a small remakin, whisk together salt, cornstarch, agar powder, and 1/4 cup of the banana/creamer mixture until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk into the pot with the rest of the banana/creamer mixture. Add maple syrup. Put pot over medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture is thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing against the surface so as to thwart the infamous 'pudding skin'. Let cool on the counter for an hour.
  4. Peel, and slice the remaining three bananas into 1/4" slices and toss in a bowl with the orange juice. Spread half of the banana cream on the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the banana slices over the cream, and then spread the remaining cream on top. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
Agar powder is a unique ingredient that can sometimes be hard to find.  I found it in the bulk section of a natural food store, but you can also find it online.  Don’t be shocked by the price, just remember you only need a tiny bit for most recipes.   

If you don’t have agar powder, still try this recipe.  The filling will not be as firm so the slices might not been as clean. The final result will still be delicious though.

I like to serve this with whipped coconut cream.  It’s a widely used trick.  Refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight to separate the coconut water from the coconut cream.  Once you open the can, scoop out the cream, leaving the coconut water for another use (I usually add it to my smoothies).  Using a hand mixer, beat cream until fluffy.  I like to add 7-10 drops of vanilla cream stevia to sweeten it.  

Some people have had different success rates with different brands of coconut milk.  I have tried a half-dozen brands myself, and the one that has always worked for me it the Thai Kitchen brand. 

Date-Filled Cookies, GF

One of the best Christmas presents I ever got was a cookbook that my Grandma L made for each of her grandchildren containing all of her recipes.  It is such a treasure.  I especially like how she would write comments in them, or telling the story about the recipe. 

I was looking through all of the recipes the other day and came across this recipe for Date-Filled Cookies.  The part that grabbed my attention was what she wrote after.

“This is one recipe that Papa always took with him when they went on their annual Elk/Deer hunting trip. They stay very moist. If you like dates (the kind you eat), you will like this cookie.”

This gets me not only because of the comment about specifying the type of date she was referring to, but I also like the mention of Papa.  Because he passed away when I was barely 4, I never really knew him, nor do I have any real memories of him.  So with this recipe, I saw an opportunity, in a very small way, to connect to him. 

Date-Filled Cookies, Gluten-free
Yields 36
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Filling
  1. 10 ounces pitted dates, chopped fine
  2. 3/4 cup water
  3. 1/4 cup sugar
  4. 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  5. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Cookies
  1. 1-1/4 cup sorghum flour
  2. 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  3. 3/4 cup tapioca starch
  4. 1 cup potato starch
  5. 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthum gum
  6. 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  8. 1 cup shortening (non-hydrogenated if possible)
  9. 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  10. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  11. 6 tablespoons warm water mixed with 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  12. 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Filling
  1. Place dates, water, and sugar in a small pot. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange zest and cinnamon. Set aside to cool (I wanted a smoother texture, so I used a stick blender to smooth it out).
Cookies
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flours, starches, xanthum gum, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Mix in vanilla extract, flax seed mixture, and orange zest. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough between two sheets of parchment paper until 1/4" thick. Cut into 2 inch rounds. Place a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of one round. spread filling to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top with another round and use a fork to crimp the edges. Cook in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set. Cool on pan for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
I did change the recipe a little bit (other than the obvious to make it gluten-free).  I used less sugar (if you can believe it), and did away with the eggs.  I also changed the recipe by adding some orange zest and cinnamon.  I wonder what my Papa would’ve thought of these.

Pumpkin Blondies, GF/DF/EF

Since the beginning of the year, my mom has been off of sugar.  She has much more self control than I do.  Maybe if I didn’t have to be off of gluten, eggs, and dairy I could do it, but 3 major food avoidances is all I can handle.

The only treats she has had are clementines, a piece of toast with jam, or some date balls I had made.  I wanted to see about making her a real treat.  I had seen a plethora of posts about brownies or blondes made with beans, so thought I would give it a go.

I tried a garbanzo bean blondie recipe once before, and I don’t know if it was all in my head, but all that I could taste were the beans.  Consequently, I was hesitant to have another go at it, but  I decided to try it again, this time using more spices to conceal the pungency of the garbanzos.  

So I knew I was going to use spices, and what better ingredient to go with spices than pumpkin?   I looked at a half-dozen recipes for bean blondies.  Many called for sugar, which I had to avoid for my mom’s sake.  Many also called for oil and/or peanut butter, which I also wanted to see if I could avoid.  To solve those problems, I substituted maple syrup for the sugar, and a little extra pumpkin for the fat. 

Like what I do with my pumpkin cupcakes, I cook the canned pumpkin and spices for a few minutes so they don’t taste like a can or jar.  I also used currants instead of the typical raisins because they can be more evenly distributed in the batter.  If sugar isn’t a concern then using Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips would be a delicious choice.

This recipe doubles well (as long as your food processor has the capacity, of course).  I just use a full can of pumpkin when I double it. The blondies also freeze well.  I cut them into square and put each square in a little snack bag.  Great for a little guilt-free treat.

Pumpkin Blondies
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Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  2. 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  3. 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  4. 1 cup gluten-free oats
  5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  7. 1/2 cup maple syrup
  8. scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
  9. 2 teaspoon vanilla
  10. 1/2 cup currants
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a small pot over medium heat, place canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Cook for 5-7 minutes until very fragrant, stirring occasionally.
  3. Place pumpkin mixture, and remaining ingredients (except currants) in a food processor and blend for about a minute. Stir in currants. Place in a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. They should pull away from the sides of the pan. Place pan on cooling rack to cool.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
These were a hit not only with my mom, but also with my dad.  I didn’t tell either of them at first that there were beans in it, and when I revealed the ingredients, they were shocked, but they still went in for seconds (and in my dad’s case, thirds and fourths).