Coconut Oil Article

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Gluten Free, Vegan Tropical Raw Fruit Pie

Since I needed to make this today anyway to get some pictures, I thought I'd go ahead and post it for everyone.  I've made this pie several times for cooking demos and everyone always begs for the recipe. Its so easy that its almost a non-recipe.  The key to this pie's success is the combination of flavors and chilling the finished dish long enough to be able to get it out of the tart pan. 

The inspiration for this dish actually comes from an old church supper favorite.  My grandmother made it and I'm sure many of your grandmothers made it as well.  It was a jell-o salad with crushed pineapple, bananas, marachino cherries, pecans and that dried artificial whipped cream stuff that you mixed with milk and vanilla.  There is a laundry list of things that were unhealthy about that dish but it actually tasted good.  So I got to thinking about what elements of the dish actually WERE good and came up with this raw tropical fruit pie.  Oddly enough, it absolutely does taste like the old church supper dish.  Its hard to believe that the entire thing is made of fruit and nuts (in various forms).

Anyway, give it a try and see what you think. 


The grainless date, nut pie crust can be made ahead, wrapped and stored until you are ready to use it.  The wrapped crust dough will keep for a week in the fridge.  Once it has been made into a pie, it is best used within 1-2 days.

Note:  I have used raw almond meal that I had left over from making almond milk.  I place it on a sheet pan and turn my oven on the lowest setting and dry the meal for several hours.  You need to stir it so that it dries completely.  If you don't have your own raw almond meal, Bob's Red Mill has it in 16oz. bags available at healthfood stores and some grocery stores.  However, that almond meal is not raw.

For the crust: 

12 fresh (not dried), pitted medjool dates

1/2 cup unsweetened freeze dried organic coconut flakes

1 cup raw almond meal 

2 tablespoons organic coconut flour

1/4 cup melted organic extra virgin coconut oil

pinch of kosher salt

Place the pitted dates in food processor along with coconut.  Pulse until dates are processed and mixture has formed a gooy ball.  Add almond meal, coconut flour and kosher salt to mixture.  Pulse until mixture is well blended and crumbly.  Drizzle in melted coconut oil 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing for several seconds between addtions.  Mixture will still appear somewhat crumbly but will hold it's shape when pressed together.  Press crust mixture into bottom and up the sides of a removable bottom tart pan, chill.

Tropical Raw Fruit Pie

There are two items in this pie that are not raw and they are the coconut milk and the crushed pineapple.  I have tried several substitutions but find that even though its not raw, unsweetened full fat coconut milk produces the most satisfactory results.  As for the pineapple, you CAN use fresh pineapple that you have crushed in the food processor but it has to be squeezed as dry as possible and the pie needs to be eaten within a few hours of preparation.  The longer it sits, the fresh pineapple will begin to "weep" and make the pie soggy.

1 cup unsweetened freeze dried organic coconut flakes

1/2 cup full fat organic coconut milk, refrigerated

2 large bananas sliced 1/4" thick

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 pint fresh organic strawberries, sliced

1 can organic crushed pineapple in natural juices, drained and squeezed dry

1/2 cup chopped organic pecans

additional unsweetened flaked coconut to sprinkle on top

Keep pie crust refrigerated until ready to assemble pie.   Using a spoon, remove only the creamy top layer of coconut milk until you have half a cupful.  Combine coconut milk and flaked coconut in a small bowl.  Let stand for 15 minutes until coconut is hydrated and coconut milk is completely absorbed.  Spread this mixture in the bottom of prepared crust.  Slice bananas and place in a small bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss gently.  Lay banana slices out evenly on top of coconut layer.  Spread sliced straweberries evenly over banana layer.  Evenly distribute crushed pineapple over the top of pie.  Sprinkle pecans and additonal coconut on the top to garnish.  Chill for at least 4 hours.  To remove sides of tart pan, run a small knife around the sides to loosen and gently push up on the removable bottom until side ring comes free.  The pie will slice when it is cold. 

Make some whipped coconut cream to top the pie.  Spoon off the remaining "cream" in the can of coconut milk.  Save the watery layer at the bottom of the can for another use.  Place the cold coconut cream in a metal bowl and stash in the freezer for 15 minutes.  Add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and beat with electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Coconut whipped cream will not beat to stiff peaks.  You may sweeten with a few drops of stevia extract if desired but I find the unsweetened cream to be a better compliment to the pie.

Enjoy!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Vegan Fudgy Espresso Brownies

I know...I know...I'm on a roll right? TWO desserts in two days! However, I did give my solemn vow that I would publish the Espresso Brownie recipe that is the most recent addition to my youtube video series. I actually had to make an emergency run to the supermarket last night to buy dark chocolate chips so I could make a batch today. My hubs claims he suffers withdrawal if he doesn't get brownies once every couple of weeks.

So I know you are wrinkling your noses right now saying "oh great...another recipe for tofu brownies" but there isn't a smidgen of tofu within the dense, gooey, insanely chocolaty (is that a word?) depths of these babies! You have my word on that and I was a Girl Scout back in the day. Don't worry if you aren't a vegan either. When I serve these nobody asks because they are too busy stuffing their faces.

I hope you have some industrial strength willpower because that is what it will take to keep you from eating half (or more) the pan. So, ladies and gentlemen and chocolate lovers of all ages I FINALLY present The Homegrown Gourmet's top secret Fudgy Espresso Brownie recipe.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwIpmVhSqEI

Vegan Fudgy Espresso Brownies

3/4 cup organic spelt flour*

1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup organic tropical source** chocolate chips

1/4 cup melted organic extra virgin coconut oil

1 small organic banana, mashed

1/2 cup organic unbleached cane sugar (I use Florida Crystals)

1/2 cup coconut, almond or rice milk

2 tablespoons organic golden flaxseed meal (ground flax)

2 teaspoon pur vanilla extract

1 cup toasted, chopped nuts of choice (I LOVE hazelnuts in mine)

1-Preheat oven to 350.

2-Lightly grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan, line with parchment paper and then grease paper as well.

3-In a medium bowl; combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

4-Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler to melt chocolate. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir to blend, remove from heat.

5-Add mashed banana and sugar and espresso powder to melted chocolate mixture.

6-Combine flax meal with almond milk and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.

7-Combine the milk mixture with the chocolate mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet to the dry. Mix until no dry spots remain. Do not over mix.

8-Fold in nuts and turn batter out into prepared pan.

9-Bake 20-25 minutes or until a pick inserted 2 inches from the side of the pan comes out clean. If inserted in the center it should come out slightly sticky because the middle will still be soft.

10-Cool on wire rack. Turn out onto flat surface; remove parchment paper and cut into 12-16 squares.

I haven't done a nutritional analysis on these yet and calorie wise...we probably are better off NOT knowing! But, at least they are made with clean, healthy ingredients. I cannot be held responsible for their effect on your waistline!!

*I chose spelt flour because I actually like the texture it gives Vegan baked goods. Strictly speaking, if you are trying to avoid Gluten...you are out of luck. Contrary to popular myth, spelt IS a glutenous flour. However, it does have more fiber and protein the UABW (unbleached all purpose white). Plus if you have a specific allergy to wheat, spelt makes a great substitution. You can find spelt flour at most any health food store and some grocery stores now carry quite a few "specialty flours." If you need more info on spelt flour...just ask and I'll try to help you find it.

**Tropical source chocolate chips may be a new one on you. Pick up a bag of any commercial or store brand chocolate chips and check out the ingredient list. It is likely that you will see butter and milk listed there. Tsk...tsk....tsk! REAL quality chocolate should be made with cocoa butter. In tropical source chips, any oils added for emulsifiers/stabelizers will be palm and or coconut and NOT some hydrogenated nightmare. Hense the name...tropical source. Tropical oils (particularly coconut) can withstand extremely high temperatures without becoming rancid which make them ideal for cooking/baking. I really NEED to get to that coconut oil article very soon! Some supermarkets are now carrying tropical source chocolate chips and most health food stores have them. Again, if you need assistance you can write to me for a brand name and help finding it.

I suppose I shouldn't even mention how decadently delicious these are served WARM with a scoop of homemade Coconut Milk Vanilla Ice Cream. Nah... I won't say it. That would be torture!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson, The Homegrown Gourmet