Paleo Mini pumpkin pies!

Oh my goodness!! I was so pumped when I discovered this recipe on Pinterest that I had to try it right away!(Credit: 

http://thepaleomama.com/2013/09/pumpkin-pie-in-2-minutes/ ) I did alter it a bit though, especially in cooking time. 

This is all you need for the crust. Coconut, almond flour (aka ground almonds), coconut oil (or lard if you prefer, but coconut oil adds a lot of health to the recipe) and a pinch of coconut sugar (or brown sugar). Also make sure you are buying unsweetened coconut. Sweetened coconut is not only pointless but has way more calories and chemicals that don't help your body at all. 

I started by melting 1/2 a cup of coconut oil. (Keeping in mind that this is going to make six servings of pie)

I then began alternately adding tablespoons of coconut and ground almonds until I reached a stirable yet thick consistency. 

I used about 10 tbsp of each, coconut and almond flour. But depending on the coarseness of your coconut (mine is quite fine) you may need more or less of it. Start with eight tablespoons of each and work from there. 

Next I divided the mixture and pressed it into three ramekins. Then, if you want, sprinkle it with some coconut sugar. I think it needed this since the crust is not sweetened at all. When I would eat a piece of this pie, I could tell the crust wasn't sweet when I hadn't done this step. 

Next are your pie ingredients... Yup! That's seriously it!! No evaporated milk, or milk replacers necessary. Just goodness.

Measure out roughly 1/3 cup of honey (you can see I take measurements Farley loosely) and 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin purée. 

I like to combine the honey, pumpkin and 3 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice first before adding the eggs, since I use creamed honey. It's just easier that way. 

Next stir in your eggs. Your filling is done now!

Divide it between your three ramekins, and pop each one in the microwave for 3-5 minutes (until it isn't wet in the middle and feels a bit firmer to the touch)

Ta da!

But what pumpkin pie is complete without whip cream? Don't be fooled by the dairy free lifestyle. We can still indulge. 

To make coconut whip cream, you need to refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk for at least 12 hours. (if I am in a hurry I do 1-2 hours in the freezer, but DONT forget about it!)

It should be very stiff...

When you open the can you will notice there are two parts. The cream and the water. If there aren't two parts to your coconut milk, then unfortunately you bought a cheaper can and it is mostly water. This only works with good quality coconut milk. (Tip: you shouldn't be able to hear the milk shake when you shake the can in the store. If you can, it's not premium stuff)

So scoop out the hard stuff and drain (save for smoothies) the liquid. 

Add whatever you would normally add to your whip cream: in my case, vanilla, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. You could omit the sugar or use stevia even. I wouldn't use a liquid sugar like maple syrup or honey though. 

Next you whip it with an electric mixer for 2-4 minutes until you are happy with the texture. It doesn't stiffen the way whip cream does, but stays more soft in texture. 

Top your pie and enjoy!

So tasty. I think it actually tastes better than store bought pies!

I like to store these in the freezer since I often have to bring. My own dessert to functions (being dairy and soy free) 

Cut each piece in half, top with whipped cream and put on a pan or container to freeze. Once frozen you can wrap it in Saran Wrap since the whip freezes solid. Then just take one out and unwrap it when you need it. Let it thaw on the counter or just microwave it for 12 seconds. 

Paleo pumpkin pies:

Crust:

1/2 cup coconut oil

8-10 tbsp unsweetened coconut

8-10 tbsp ground almonds

1 pinch of coconut sugar (opt)

Pie:

1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée

1/3 cup honey

3 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 eggs (free range are better)

Melt coconut oil, and alternately add almond meal and coconut until you get a soft oatmeal cookie dough-like texture. Divide and press into three ramekins. Sprinkle with coconut sugar if desired. 

Combine all ingredients for pie filling and divide into the three ramekins. Microwave each one on high for 3-5 minutes until the centre appears dry and firm. 

Top with coconut whip cream. 

Coconut whip cream:

1 premium can coconut milk-chilled

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp white sugar

Chill coconut milk well. scoop out the hard top layer and whip with remaining ingredients for 2-4 minutes. 

Nutritious re-fried beans

Okay so re-fried beans have this unfortunate and un-true reputation for being a sinful unhealthy snack...? Even the Canned stuff is just beans salt and water most of the time! ...of course I personally think the canned Refried beans smell like dog food... So NATURALLY I found me a winner of a recipe!

This recipe comes all the way from Mexico! ...okay, all the way from the little old Mexican lady who works at the little Mexican shop on henderson highway.... But she is legit! 

Curtis and I are huge Mexican fans. You would think my dairy free lifestyle wouldn't allow for that, but it's surprisingly easy and tasty to have Mexican without cheese or sour cream. My secret? These re-fried beans! They are so flavourful and creamy smooth that they easily replace the cheese. 

These were my ingredients. Peppers, garlic, onion, beans, oil and salt. 

Start by chopping up your veggies. 

Did you know there are male and female peppers? I learned this one from my uncle. Male peppers have three humps and females have four. 

Cut them open and the female peppers have more seeds than the male ones. (It's hard to tell with these cause these ones are very small and both don't have seeds really...). Female peppers are sweeter and better for eating raw and male peppers tend to stand up better for cooking. In my case these ones are both being cooked cause they are getting wrinkles... :)

I usually use one large or 1-2 small peppers, 1 medium onion and 2-4 garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky my mood is)

Chop the peppers about the same size as your onions. Nice and small. 

If you want to use some hot peppers to make it spicy, add them here. The little Old lady from the store told me that if you are using fresh peppers you need to use all fresh peppers. If using dried (like in enchilada sauce where you use dried ancho's) then you would use dried hot peppers too. The consistency this way makes a difference in the end flavour. 

Next put 1/4 cup of coconut oil in a pan and start frying (this is my personal reduction from 3/4 cup). In this batch I actually used canola oil because you really can taste the coconut oil in this recipe (which I love but my husband and extended family, not so much!). I often will make a batch of these and freeze portions for myself since my husband is a coconut oil hater... :) there are just some things you can't sneak it into. 

So use your preferred frying fat here. I hear grape seed oil is good for frying too (higher smoke point) but I haven't owned/experimented with it yet!

Fry it up till it's good and soft like this. You want your peppers well cooked and your onions clear. 

You can also add some sneaky ingredients here, just cook it in well.  Eg: I have put kale in these and my husband didn't notice other than the color (which I just told him I used a green pepper). Even after I told him it was in there, he liked them. You could easily incorporate spinach, zucchini, squash, etc...

Rinse and drain your beans and add them here. You can use any kind of beans. Usually I use black since that makes the nicest end color, however in this case I was out, so I used kidney beans which taste the same in the end, but give a lighter color, which can sometimes throw people off. 

Next add 3/4 cup of water to the pan and bring it to a simmer to heat it all up. 

Next just throw it all in your blender with a bit of rock salt and blend away!

You can eat these by the spoon full, use on quasidillas instead of cheese to hold things together, in burritos, enchiladas or my personal favorite, layer them with beans, beef (or bison), peppers, onions and a bit of cheese ---bake--- then top with tomatoes and shredded lettuce!! Yum!!! Serve with chips, pita wedges, or even over some Wild rice for supper!

Nutritious re-fried beans:

1 can black or kidney beans

1 med onion

1 large bell pepper (green tastes best)

2-4 cloves garlic

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup water

Dice your onion, garlic, and peppers. Fry in the oil until very soft. 

Rinse and drain the beans and add to the pan. Add the water and bring to a simmer to heat throug. 

Put everything into your blender with some salt, and blend until smooth. 

Use as desired.