Crisp Crumble Topping - Grain Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free

I found myself once again with a huge bag of fresh organic rhubarb ready to made into something delightful. 

I am not daring enough yet to try it as a soup or a stew. I have not come up with a recipe yet for a pie crust that follows the 17DD. 

The most recent one that I listed is my favorite and most up to date recipe so I am going to stick with that.

I suddenly was dreaming about the delicious strawberry rhubarb pie that I made a few weeks ago. The hot filling with cold vanilla cream is delicious!

I realized that I don't care if it's pie or not but the combination and the taste is what is the best. 

I had a thought that a crisp would be a good way to go. I knew I could figure out a way to make the topping without using anything I can't have. I was also glad not to have to make my kitchen all dirty making and rolling out pie crust. SO.. This is what I came up with.

A delicious crisp with a topping was crispy, golden brown, cinnamony and warm.

My only complaint is there will not be enough to last the week.

The best part about this topping is you could use it on absolutely any kind of crisp, or crumble you so desire. It will be a recipe that you can use as a substitute in any recipe needing a crumbly topping. I might actually get gutsy enough and try making it into a granola!

MMMmm I LOVE granola. Homemade granola is so good you could just shovel it in your mouth. But the oats always make it not very good for you if you shovel it in lol.

I also realized once trying it that it would work for a terrific substitute for graham cracker crumbs or a no bake graham cracker crust. 

First step, I made the topping. I wanted it to cool and dry out a tiny bit before adding it to the filling as I didn't want it to get soft.

6. Crumble Topping - grain free, gluten free, sugar free, low carb

In a large mixing bowl:

1/2 C blanched organic almond flour or ground almonds/nuts

1/2 C sliced blanched almonds or unsalted dry roasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 C sugar free vanilla/unsweetened whey powder

1/2 C xylitol with 1 t of organic mollases/breakfast syrup (for brown sugar taste)

                                                    or

           organic coconut palm sugar/ brown sugar sucralose blend

2 T cinnamon

In a separate bowl mix melted butter with vanilla and molasses(if using):

1/2 t vanilla powder or 1 t real vanilla extract

1/4 C plus 2 T melted butter or organic coconut oil/lard

Mix the dry ingredients and slowly stir in the melted butter stirring constantly until the mix begins to clump together and stick. It should look like coarse oat meal. If needed add more butter or coconut oil to until desired texture.

Set the bowl aside.

In order to make the filling 17DD compliant and starch and grain free you are going to have to use a fabulous alternative to traditional corn starch. Konjac powder. If you don't have this you can definitely substitute gelatin or regular tapioca starch.

I love how it's 0 calories, 0 carbohydrates and thickens 10 times stronger then corn starch. GREAT for diabetics or anyone wanting to avoid the regular high glycemic index of starches. 

This recipe usually needs 3 Tablespoons of flour or corn starch. I used 1 tsp on Konjac and I found it to be exactly right. 

The only trouble with Konjac I find is if you add more before it has completely thickened you can pretty much turn anything into jello. lol. Watch your gravy turn into a jello mold, (don't laugh it happened to me ok). 

Konjac powder is also used to make Noodle and "rice". Of course don;t expect them to be the same as traditional pasta but they hold together like a regular noodle and do the job. They just don't taste like anything, konjac is tasteless. I am really beginning to love these noodles. I see lasagna in the future! it's 17DD friendly!!!!

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling - sugar free, starch free

Feel free to reduce the sweetness to what suits you best. I like it slightly tart if you want it sweet add the full 2 C equal to of sugar.

In a large bowl toss together well:

3 C chopped organic rhubarb

2 C sliced organic strawberries

1 t konjac powder or 3 T tapioca/arrowroot/corn starch (not 17DD compliant)

Mix the konjac well with the fruit until it is evenly spread to reduce any clumping.

Stir in:

1 T real lemon juice

1/4 C egg whites or 1 organic egg

1 1/2 C xylitol, stevia  or sucralose (any sweetener equal to of sugar)

Mix well until filling become sticky and well combined. Pour half of the filling into a grased 9x9 square baking dish. Stir your topping and using your hands drop crumbles of half of the topping over the filling.

Add the rest of the filling over the topping. Crumble remaining topping over the filling.

Cover with tin foil and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to 400 degrees and bake uncovered for 20 minutes until rhubarb is tender and the topping darkens and becomes crisp.

Meet me back here tomorrow for pancakes!!!!!!! :)

Chocolate Lava Cake - Sugar free, flour less

I always have trouble with my chocolate cravings following cycle 1. I like chocolate, but since we don't buy sweetened chocolate anymore it's really not good alone by itself.

I love chocolate desserts, but not just melted chocolate gobbed onto fruit.

So, I was searching through my delicious grain free cookbooks and found a great option for a chocolate Lava Cake.

One of my most favorite desserts when we would go out for dinner was chocolate lava cake or toffee pudding.

Nothing is really more delicious in my book.

Of course the trick right now is to avoid any kind of starches or grains or flour. So luckily I was able to figure out a recipe for lava cake without any kind of flour whatsoever. 

If you have ever made a flour less chocolate cake I am sure this is very similar. 

The addition of whey powder causes them to puff up and be more cakey then traditional flour less cake.

They are only partially baked so the inside is soft and warm still like lava. The best part was they fell after baking and left a delicious hole in the center just waiting to be filled with something creamy. If you eat them directly out of the oven they will still be puffed up like the picture above. Thats how they looked right out of the oven. After about 10 minutes they looked more like this.

<---------------------------------------------------

I had this thought of coffee ice cream that I usually order and I figured I would be able to get the same flavor out of whip cream without added sugar. 

Ice cream is not allowed on 17DD and neither is caramel sauce right now.

So coffee whip cream!

It turned out fluffy, creamy and coffee delicious. I hope you use this as a great recipe to fall upon on any kind of diet as they are significantly low in carbs and delicious. This brings me to recipe number 5 out of 17. I hope your having as much fun as I am.

5. Chocolate Lava Cake - Grain free, sugar free, flour less

In a mixer whip together until creamy:

3/4 C melted butter/coconut oil

3 organic eggs

1/4 C egg whites or 2 egg white

1/4 C heavy cream/cashew milk/coconut milk

Blend dry ingredients together:

1/2 C xylitol, date sugar, or date syrup (my recipe) (palm sugar or sucralose may be substituted)

1/4 C unsweetened whey powder

1 t baking soda

splash organic apple cider vinegar

Slowly scoop dry ingredients into mixer bowl while spinning. 

Once well combined slowly pour in chocolate so that it doesn't seize.

4 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate or 1/2 C melted

Slowly pour the chocolate in a steady stream into the batter and beat for 1 minute.

Grease 6 ramekins or 6 large muffin cups with coconut oil.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes at 400 degrees until the center is still moving when you shake the ramekin.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Dollop with coffee whip cream just before serving.

Coffee Whipped Cream - sugar free

1 C of whipping cream

2 T strong coffee

1 t real vanilla extract

1 t stevia

2 T fresh ground coffee

Whip whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in coffee, vanilla and stevia. Sprinkle coffee grounds and fold in.

Dollop whip cream into centers of each lava cake. Eat while warm. Sprinkle with more coffee if so desired.

Breakfast Egg Muffins - grain free, gluten free, starch free

It was a very nice long weekend and I realize when I come back home and get back to routine how much my baking is missed.

When it comes to lunches if I haven't been making anything there is really nothing to eat besides carrot sticks and canned fish.

It's difficult being Grain Free and eating breakfast on the go, especially when you get down to 17DD as the regular grain free indulgences all of a sudden become non existent.

Your main source of breakfast food becomes eggs and yogurt in Cycle 1.Yogurt is fine but eggs on the go? Boiled eggs are only fun for about a week. 

I make a fair bunch of fritatta and egg casseroles but even those can be troublesome to eat when you're driving to work with a delicious hot steaming coffee.

SO ... I had a VISION!

What if I was able to make a delicious breakfast muffin! Not just a muffin like all of my other recipes, but a BREAKFAST muffin.

We're talking Eggs, cheese, turkey bacon, scallions oh yum.

I looove my lemon, cranberry, whey powder muffins. They are great. But sweet muffins with sweet yogurt and sweet coffee is not for every day.

Here is a fabulous way to eat a balanced breakfast, grain free, starch free, and without additional carbs.

I love how you don't need a mixer or a food processor, to complete these. 

You can obviously pick many different savory flavors to complete these muffins.

I stuck to my basics. 

I used the silicon and the paper baking cups to make them easier to remove from the pan without sticking. You could omit these by using coconut oil or butter to grease the muffin tins.

I added some whey powder to the recipe to make them more "cakey" other than "eggy" and I quite liked it. You may need to adjust seasonings accordingly to make up for flavors, and sweetened or unsweetened whey powder.

Using the whey powder in the muffin will also cause them to "rise" similar to a regular muffin. Without the whey powder you will probably have fairly flat muffins.

If you want to omit the whey powder completely it will be totally fine. To substitute the whey powder I would recommend coconut flour.

This brings me to my 4th 17DD safe recipe!!!

4. Breakfast Muffins - grain free, starch free, dairy free, gluten free

In a glass bowl scramble together:

6 organic eggs/whites equal to

1 C coconut Milk/Dairy Milk/Cream/Almond Milk

1 t sea salt

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t black pepper

1/4 t onion powder

dash of paprika

Add to egg mixture:

 

1/2 C finely chopped vegetables.

• scallions, bell peppers, pimentos, mushrooms, tomatoes etc.

4 slices turkey/chicken bacon fried crisp and diced (ham, bacon, sausage etc)

1 cold 4 oz cream cheese brick chopped into pieces (1 C old cheddar cheese)

Mix the filling into the egg mixture and scramble as you would an omelet. You want to leave the cream cheese in pieces as it will melt in the oven.

Slowly scoop in 3 T unsweetened whey powder or 2 T coconut flour

Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased or paper lined muffin cups. Fill 2/3 full and bake.

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-18 minutes. Just until the top is firm, and starting to brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Waffles - Grain Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free

I kind of get tired of eating breakfast on the 17 DD like 5 days in lol. I like eggs, but I don't like them without bread or something under them unless they are created into an omelet. But I don't want to make an omelet every morning either.. 

So eggs get boring quickly when I can't use any of my alternative grain recipes. So I love to venture out into waffles, pancakes, french toast, muffins, loafs.. etc.

However it's pretty hard to make any of those things on a diet when you can't eat any significant carbs or grains.. or is it? 

I have this great recipe book about grain free, low carb eating with no sugar. I use it as a reference as even in that book almond flour and coconut flour are used throughout which would be fine if I wasn't following the 17. 

There is a recipe for pancakes in there and I based this recipe using similar ratios but different ingredients that are compliant with 17. 

Every post I have written lately has been complaint on the 17 DD. I will be listing 17 recipes that are able to be eaten on every cycle and here is number 3.

Delicious, crunchy, moist and golden brown. 

I have made many different waffles using almond flour and coconut flour. I will say though this one is by far the easiest of all of them, and I actually liked it the BEST. NO I am not just saying it so I can talk myself into eating more diet food. I actually like these the best as they are so similar to wheat waffles I completely have forgotten about them. 

Don't get my wrong my coconut flour waffles are d e l i c i o u s. They are more expensive to make due to the fat content that is needed to keep them moist. But they contain beans, (which I don't always have soaked, cooked and ready to go) and are tricky to cook. They take much longer than a regular waffle to cook and I am always having to delicately and patiently lift them out of the iron trying not to make them shatter into too many pieces as they crumble unbelievably. (It turns into how many people does it take to get the waffle out of the iron)

I found that using whey powder in a lot of my recent recipes is really quite useful as it is really sticky when combined with liquid and holds everything together quite well.

I was able to lift up on one corner of the waffle and set in on a plate. 

It was done and cooked through following the regular cooking time on my waffle iron. I am not sure if it will work that way for everybody but mine were firm and good. It was about 2 minutes per side.

The only challenge I had with this recipe is they really, really, really, expand when the batter hits the iron. I can't hesitate enough that they DOUBLE in size and then deflate as they cook. 

I found the easiest way to avoid it pouring out all over my counter was to leave the lid slightly open for 1 minute, then I closed the lid and flipped the iron over. If yours doesn't flip, just lock the lid and continue until done.

I made these using a fiber source that is compliant versus using flax. Psyllium Husk.

Psyllium husk is a first for me. I haven't really used it as I always use flax instead. I must say I enjoyed using the psyllium as it is white or golden and didn't cause unwanted coloring in my waffles. It also had a pretty neutral taste compared to flax so I didn't really notice it in the recipe. If you don't want to use psyllium you could switch it out for golden flax meal or almond meal. However, 2 T of nuts or flax meal is considered one fat serving on the 17 DD and therefore you would have to eliminate all fats for the rest of the day after consuming these.

3. Waffles - Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Starch Free, Flour less

Please let your iron lid open for 1 minute once batter is poured to avoid spilling over.

Grease your iron well and cook on med high.

In a food processor beat until smooth:

3 organic eggs

1/2 C organic cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt

Add into food processor:

1/2 C psyllium husk** (substitute 1/2 C almond meal or golden flax meal)

2 t Xylitol or stevia, sucralose, plam sugar, or raw agave nectar

1 t real vanilla extract

1 t real lemon juice

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t sea salt

Beat until smooth. While mixer is running slowly add:

1/2 C sugar free vanilla whey powder

Scrape down sides well and add:

1/2-3/4 C water

Let the batter stand for 3 minutes 

Batter should become thick and frothy. If it's too wet add more whey powder. If it's too dry add more water. You will have to adjust following climate.

Batter will be thicker than traditional batter and this is ok. You will have to scoop the batter into the iron and spread it out versus pouring it in. 

Let your lid stay open for 1 minute while batter puffs up and starts to cook. Close lid and lock. If your batter pours out it was to full.

Divide batter into 3-4 waffles and cook following manufacturers directions.

Oopsie Rolls - Grain Free, Wheat Free, Starch Free

So... I am getting excited about summer food. Steak, ribs, hamburgers, baked beans, hot dogs, potato salad, Greek salad, Cole slaw, BBQ corn cobs, baked potatoes, planked fish.. MMMm seriously how can you resist? 

It's definitely harder on a grain free diet as we hardly eat potatoes, no bread, and if I do make bread it doesn't go with hamburgers..

So, in anticipation of getting our fire pit outside I have been planning ways to get through the delicious hamburgers cooked over the fire. Also we love to do day trips to the mountains on the weekends and the less crap we have to take with us the better. You have to have forks and everything... lol

Hamburgers with lettuce leaves are also kinda boring sometimes because I want bacon and mushrooms and onions and tomato and cheese and it's weird without a bun.

SOOOOOOooo I was a little worried as we are coming up to our day 1 of the 17 and I wanted to make all recipes compliant.

I was doing some research as usual with using Whey Powder to cook with as that is relatively new for me. 

Well, good news I came across a few recipes that were posted all over the Google. 

"Oopsie Rolls". 

 

Yes they are flat, unlike traditional rolls. However we all know that around here nothing is traditional.

They are soft, fluffy, and neutral so whatever taste you have it will become! 

I checked over the ingredients and I was a little worried as Kyle does NOT like meringue in any way, shape or form.

The main ingredient in these is eggs, whipped eggs to be exact so I was worried after all of my work and planning he wouldn't like them. So I just didn't tell him.. I put out extra lettuce just in case it was needed.

I have a delicious pancake recipe (soon to be posted) using very similar ingredients and I LOVED  the pancakes so I was ready to embrace the yumminess.

Here it is.. My delicious hamburger!

Trust me the rolls are perfect. They are a vehicle from the plate to your mouth. End of story.

But they are very useful, as they are easy to make savory, or sweet.

What I like best about them is they are not full of starch or carbs like my bread rounds, coconut buns, biscuits etc. They are not going to fill you up and make you unhappy. They will only help you enjoy the experience that your mental relationship plays in your life. 

I hope you have time to make these one night. They are great.

They can be a little tricky so please follow the recipe exact. You may need to adjust according to climate in order to the texture just right. 

Also ovens may vary. I cooked mine in my mini oven with the element close to the pan so they kept there shape fairly well. It may help to cook them in the same place in your oven or increase the heat if your having trouble with keeping them separated. 

Work quickly, the faster the less liquid you will end up with that will not be useable.

#2 Oopsie Rolls - Gluten Free, Grain Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Starch free

this is my version of an original which can be found @ the lighter side of low carb :)

In a stand mixer bowl beat on high until stiff peaks form:

4 organic egg whites

1/8 t cream of tartar or organic lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

In a separate stand mixer bowl beat well until thick:

4 organic egg yolks

1/4 t organic lemon juice /organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1/4 t aluminum free baking soda

1/2 C organic cottage cheese/organic cream cheese room temperature

3 T unsweetened/vanilla whey powder

Spices needed for sweet or savory (recipe follows)

Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Move oven rack to top half of oven and set to 300 degrees.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl beat yolk mixture until pale yellow and thick. VERY delicately fold yolk mixture into white mixture without crushing whites. Mix should look like fluffy yellow meringue.

On prepared baking sheets use your spatula and dollop mound circles without flattening  the mix and leaving generous space in between. Divide into 12 mounds. 

Immediately place pan into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

They need to become browned or they are going to be too soft to do anything with.

Bake until set enough to handle and cool completely. 

Leave them out on the counter until use, closing them will cause them to get soft and mushy. 

You can toast them lightly just before eating in the toaster oven to firm them up.

For savory rolls:
1/8 t onion powder

1/4 t sea salt
pinch dry mustard

sprinkle with sesame seeds once on sheet pan

For sweet rolls:

1 xyliol/stevia/sucralose/raw agave nectar/palm sugar

1 real vanilla extract

dash cinnamon

Cranberry, Lemon Whey Powder Muffins - grain free, sugar free

I am so excited about this recipe! 

Sometimes I come across good recipes and I put them aside because either I have them in mind for sometime special, I need a specific ingredient, or I am unsure of the outcome. I was even more excited to try this recipe because I got to use my NEW food processor!!!!!!

I found a very similar recipe not too long ago. I book marked it, and put it aside for that special day. 

My beloved husband the other day was excited to say we had enough air miles finally to buy something. He saw this fantastic Compost that he really really wanted (lol I know). It may seem silly but it's about 129$ to buy it in store and 99$ on sale. I think it's a little absurd how much they cost when they are totally plastic and just sit there. 

So he ordered it ( so exciting!) and then I of course was bugging him about what I was going to receive from MY hard earned air miles... (hint, hint). There was nothing that I really NEEDED except:

1. Icecream machine
2. Food Processor
I of course have a fantastic food processor. It's not even that old I got it at my bridal shower. It has become my favorite tool (besides my beloved fancy Kitchenaid mixer), especially after gluten free. I find almost every recipe if not in my mixer is in my processor being pureed and emulsified.
3 Days after we placed the order for the processor it was going to take 4-6 weeks for it to arrive. Today, sitting there with my coffee in peace and quiet. Door bell rings.

MY FOOD PROCESSOR WAS DELIVERED TODAY OMG!!!
It's so shiny and perfect! Look it even has a special box for all of the attachments. I was even more excited because when I opened the box I realized it was the fancy pancy one on TV. The one I always dreamed of having but never would due to it being 289$ (and I was complaining about the compost lol).

I honestly never even thought about it but I didn't even look at the processor on the website when Kyle was telling me about it. I just heard the specifics and was sold. I didn't care, honestly mine is like 30$ originally and I have to puree most things in two batches. It's like a 6 cup this one is a 13 cup. It also comes with two different bowl sizes and the small bowl that you use for beating egg whites is the size of my old processor lol.

It's a sad day when an appliance moves on. It has got me through every fad diet and recipe I have ever tried. RIP. Mom, I am giving it to you!!! I heard you need one.

There is is the shiny new one beside my old retired one.. sad:(

Not too long ago (12 days ago) I was sitting on a beach in Mexico soaking up too much vitamin D and eating too much bad food (gluten free of course). Since then I haven't been feeling quite the same as I did before. We have decided to go and follow cycle 1 of the 17DD and see if it makes a difference. 

The problem that I always have following cycle 1 is lunch time and snacks. Lunch time is hard when there is no crackers, bread, tortilla, granola, cereal, biscuits, etc. 

And I get tired of yogurt pretty fast when it comes to snacks.. lol. 

So, I was determined on my day off today to sit at the computer until I came up with great ideas for baked items that taste delicious and are completely compliant.

Though, I spend most of my life eating grain free, when it comes to baking I use nut flours, coconut flour and some starches for the base.

Without these what is left? I cant use beans, pumpkin puree, zuchinni puree, beets, potatos or any sort of base that I am familiar with. 

If I told you to come up with a recipe to make muffins without flour or meal of ANY kind would be able to do it? 

Ugh so frustrated and hungry I sat there. I searched on Google and through all of my great books.

I will be listing 17 recipes over the next 20 days as I prepare and start my cycle 1. It's important I am able to show you that you can be compliant, eat well and not get depressed like I have so many times. 

Are you familiar with whey protein -------------------->

It's a great alternative when it comes to baking without using flours or starches. It can be tricky though, it reacts completely different than flours and you can receive a very unpredicted result.
We happen to have a huge container of it left over from when Kyle would take a protein shake every morning. I am glad we didn't throw it out as it's crazy expensive and lasts years.

I was also excited to discover the one we had is gluten free, sugar free, with no preservatives, dyes, flavors or anything unnatural.

So my first experiment today was to try making muffins. 

I looooove muffins. I have many muffin recipes but not one that uses whey or only whey for the main ingredient. I took a combination of a recipe that I found and a recipe that I have used traditionally with almond flour.
They are deffinetly different, but actually GOOD different. They taste like angel food cake and have a texture very similar to it. 

I ate one hot out of the oven with butter and I was actually very surprised. Let me know what you think.

 

#1 Cranberry Lemon Muffins - Whey powder

gluten free, grain free, low lactose, sugar free

*You will need to use muffin liners or silicon liners for this recipe

In a food processor or mixer bowl combine:

1 C psylium husk, flax meal, or almond flour (almond flour not on 17DD)

1 C xylitol, stevia, or sucralose** (if whey powder is sweetened hold back on sweetener)

1 t organic corn free baking powder

1/2 t aluminum free baking soda

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/8 t ground nutmeg

1 t sea salt

In a glass measuring cup mix until blended:

1/2 C plain organic greek yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt cheese

1/2 C water

1/4 C melted organic butter, coconut oil

1 t real vanilla extract

2 organic eggs

1 T organic lemon juice or more if desired

Pulse dry ingredients until mixed. Slowly while mixer is running pour in wet ingredients. Scrape down sides well. While mixer is running slowly parts at a time add in whey powder.

1 C unsweetened plain or vanilla whey powder

Add 1/2 C whole fresh or re hydrated cranberries

Pulse until well blended. Whey powder will cause the batter to thicken, clump together and be very shiny. Make sure there is no lumps.

In a cupcake pan lined with 12 parchment paper liners pour in muffin batter until 2/3 full. They will rise quite a lot, but will shrink back down upon cooling. Adding too much batter will cause the muffins to stick together, so if needed use 2 pans for baking.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.

The muffins will fall quite considerably once removed from the oven (similar to a souffle) as there is no starch or flour in the mix to hold them up. They may look funny, but they taste pretty darn good.

Pie Crust - Gluten free, Grain Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free (Apple Pie, Straw Berry Rhubarb Pie)

So this morning I was going through my produce baskets to see what I needed to order this week in my fresh weekly produce basket. 

I had soo many apples sheesh, and low and behold they were all getting soft at the same time. So, of course what can you make with apples? 

There was my brothers voice in the background "Apple Pie" and then my fate was already planned for me. 

Of course I had to make apple pie. It's not my favorite really, but I love it if you have GOOD quality sugar free ice cream not the No Name brand by the bucket hard as a rock crap ice cream. bleh.. If your going to have that you might as well have the processed store bought pie that has that filling that sits for months in a bucket.

Gosh that makes me cringe. Knowing what I know now, I do not want to eat it. I can think of the list of ingredients and picture them in my head.

SOOO, a real apple pie. yum. 

So I got out my cook books to look up different pastry shell recipes to see which one I felt like making.

I could have used the recipe I served at Christmas with my butter tarts and pumpkin pie. However, when it comes to double crust pies I don't like the texture of a rock hard crumbly crust. I want it to be soft, tender, firm, flaky, and delicate :)

Apple pie is so much more special then pumpkin pie. It needs the delicate crust folded over the top of the apples, versus just underneath the pumpkin.

There it is my beutiful pies.

Just the other day I was at my favorite Organic store and there it was a bin of organic rhubarb sitting there waiting for me to pick it. MMM so I bought a bag thinking if I didn't use it I could freeze it until I had time to make it into a pie.

Strawberry rhubarb pie.. My dad's mouth is watering right now lol. I thought that I would actually never make it myself as it's not my favorite. However my husband is a HUGE fan. He loves rhubarb stew, crisp, soup, pie and cobbler. 

So I thought about him and I figured while I was making the pastry I would just make a double batch!

So here it is. My delicate pie crust which I used a combination of two recipes from my favorite cook books to make this one. It's definitely soft, delicate and crumbly. I will warn you it is not nearly the same texture as a traditional wheat pastry. It doesn't "flake" because there is not gluten in it to surround the butter and flake during the baking process. It also has completely different ingredients but I thought it was fantastic!
I have about three more different recipes to try to pick out my favorite one but this by far was easy (no food processor, blender, or mixer) and it didn't have to chill hardly at all. 

I added cute little harts on the top to make them pretty as I had a smidgen of pastry left over (as usual).

Pie Pastry Crust DOUBLE CRUST - gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free

Please note I have been receiving great comments in my email about this recipe. It is supposed to be more "cakey" than flakey. It is nothing like a traditional wheat crust. Also you will need to adjust the fruit fillings to your taste and following climate will change cooking time and starch requirements.

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:

2 C blanched almond flour

1/4 C organic coconut flour

1/2 t aluminum free baking soda

1/2 t sea salt

 *add up to 1/2 C coconut flour depending on climate

Mix in a glass bowl:

3 organic eggs

1 T sucralose, xylitol, honey, raw agave nectar or 1/8 t stevia

1/4 C organic melted butter, coconut oil or non hydrogenated grape seed oil

Mix the dry ingredients with a pastry blender to remove all clumps and blend. Pour in wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula. Mix until dough becomes sticky and sticks together firmly in a large clump.

Let stand 3 min. If your dough looks too wet after 3 min add more coconut flour. Your dough should be moist but sticky and clumpy not wet.

Roll out dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper 1/4 inch thick (thinner will be harder to remove). Grease your glass pie dish with coconut oil or butter thoroughly.

Remove one sheet of parchment and transfer the dough to your pie dish.

If it breaks it's really easy to press another piece together and fill in the holes, no worries.

Place your bottom pie in the fridge. Place the second half of dough in a ball in the fridge while you make your filling.

Please read on about using this recipe with traditional recipes and alternative fillings.

This pie crust can be made using any traditional recipe. The only down fall is baking the crust over 18 minutes will burn it VERY QUICKLY.
You will need to pre cook ALL of your pie filling using this recipe with a double crust.

If you are using a single crust in say pumpkin pie, simply cover the pie with tinfoil and bake. Your edges will still end up very dark.

Apple Pie Filling - Sugar Free

In a saute pan over medium:

5-6 Galla apples peeled, and sliced 1/4 inch

2 T butter or coconut oil

1/2 C water

Cook the apple for 5 minutes until slightly tender. Add remaining ingredients:

1/2 C sucralose, xylitol, palm sugar, or 4 pkg stevia

1 t cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dash of sea salt

1 t konjac flour or 1 T tapioca flour mixed with water until blended

Stir in the spices and tapioca until mixture thickens and forms a sauce. Remove from heat. 

Immediately pour apple pie filling into your chilled pie shell. Roll out the top crust using the same technique. Seal edges with a wet fork. Place 4 slits into the top of the pie crust and brush with egg wash.

Bake @ 400 for 18 minutes. Watch it, mine got very dark past 19 minutes.

Of course I had to experiment a tad with the strawberry rhubarb pie. I have never cooked this filling before and I was unsure if it would taste the same or if it would be done after only cooking for 18 minutes.

It turned out very well, it tastes the same to me as it did in my past memories. The only note I have is using tapioca starch in place of traditional flour made the sauce for the pie more white than usual. It however had no effect on the taste or texture.

If this bothers you I recommend using rice flour, or oat flour instead. Or simply a couple drops of beet juice and it will look just like the old days!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Fulling - Sugar Free

In a saute pan over medium heat:

2 T butter, or coconut oil
2 C of chopped organic rhubarb

Cook stirring ocassionally. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until it's just slightly tender. You only want it to be about half way cooked through as it will cook in the oven.  

Stir in:

1 1/2 C sucralose, xylitol, palm sugar, 1/2 C stevia

1 t konjac flour or 3T tapioca flour mixed with water until blended

Pour corn starch into rhubarb and sucralose mixture until combined. Remove from heat and place filling in a cold bowl. (If you leave the filling in the pan while adding the egg it may curdle).

Add 1 C Chopped strawberries

Scramble 1 egg with 1 t lemon juice very well. 

Pour over the filling and stir well to combine. Place in chilled pie shell imediately. Roll out the top crust using the same technique. Seal edges with a wet fork. Place 4 slits into the top of the pie crust and brush with egg wash.

Bake @ 400 for 18 minutes. Watch it, mine got very dark past 19 minutes.

It was fabulous! My glutenous brother said he wanted a second piece after 3 bites! MMMM... I am hoping to try this recipe using peaces and raspberries.