Never Fail Pie Crust & Banana Coconut Cream Pie

I’ve mentioned before that my mom is an awesome cook – like the best I know! She has a pie crust called “Never Fail Pie Crust” that she uses for all her pies (of course my favorite being her pumpkin pie). It is awesome – flaky, buttery, crisp. This is my attempt at her pie crust with gluten free flours. It doesn’t hold a candle to hers but it will work for me! This recipe makes about 2 pie crusts.

2 cups GF all-purpose flour (I used a mix of sweet sorghum, white rice and tapioca starch)

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp Stevia or sugar

¾ cup butter or shortening, cold (I used dairy free butter)

¼ cup lukewarm water

1 egg, divided in half (save the other half for an egg wash to brush over the pie tops)

½ tsp vinegar

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, stevia, baking powder and butter. Blend until mixture is slightly crumbly. 
• Add in water, egg and vinegar and blend until ingredients are well combined. Pour dough mixture onto a clean, floured surface. 
• Split into two equal portions and roll each portion out as desired. 
• NOTE: This also freezes well. After rolling, place parchment paper over crust and roll crust up. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze up to two months. To use after freezing, just thaw at room temperature or in refrigerator. This crust is good for pies, cobblers, pot pies, etc.

BANANA COCONUT CREAM PIE

My father’s favorite pie is Coconut Cream. Over the last couple years, his health has declined rapidly. He has grown up eating junk and refuses to change his habits. His typical Coconut Cream Pie was loaded with sugar, fat, carbs, etc. Little does he know that I’ve greatly modified my coconut masterpiece into a low carb, low fat, low sugar, gluten free treat! For Thanksgiving this year I decided to add a little twist to it and add some bananas. It turned out great and gave the pie extra flavor! This makes one regular pie.

1 pre-baked GF pie crust (recipe above)

1 overripe bananas

1 cup almond milk

1 cup coconut milk

3 Tbsp arrowroot starch

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened

½ cup whipped topping (for dairy free, use coconut cream)

1 Tbsp coconut flakes, toasted

• In a small blender, combine ½ banana and almond milk and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a sauce pan over medium heat. In the blender, mix together arrowroot starch and coconut milk until smooth. Add in vanilla, salt and starch mixture to banana mix. 
• Bring to boiling and cook for about 5 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Let pudding set up for a few minutes. 
• Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining banana half and place slices in a single layer along the bottom of the prebaked pie crust. Pour on pudding mixture. 
• Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until pie is set. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle on toasted coconut flakes. 

Turkey Pot Pie

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Here’s a quick and easy recipe for using up some leftover turkey and it is so much better for you than the frozen pot pies. I should call this the ultimate leftover pie. You can even simplify the crust if you’d like by using a premade crust (an extra from Thanksgiving Dinner maybe?). The best part though is the turkey is already made, the veggies are frozen or leftovers and the sauce is easy to make. This makes about 6 servings.

1 cup cooked turkey, cut into small chunks

½ cup cooked potatoes, mashed or cubed
12 oz or 1 ½ cups mixed veggies (frozen or leftovers – I used leftover green bean casserole, corn, carrots)
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 GF pie crust (alternate recipe below)

• In a large skillet, sauté onion and celery in olive oil. Add in mixed veggies, turkey, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook until veggies are tender or about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine broth and cornstarch until well blended. Pour into skillet mixture and bring to boiling, about 10 minutes.
• In a deep dish pie plate, pour skillet mixture. Top with pie crust, piercing with a knife to allow heat to release.
• Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes or until crust starts to brown. Let cool about 10 minutes and serve.

 

GF Pot Pie Crust

This is different-just a forewarning. But it is still great and gives a flaky texture to this pot pie.

1 cup GF flour blend

½ avocado
¼ -1/2 cup water
¼ tsp salt

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, avocado, water and salt. Blend using a pastry knife until avocado is mashed and mixture is well blended, adding extra water if needed. Roll out on a floured surface into desired shape and use as you would any pie crust.