Amazing Dairy Free Toffee

I make this one time a year....ONLY for the holidays.  Why, you might ask.  Good question!  Because I have no self control.  I will eat the entire batch all by myself.  It is THAT GOOD!  I try to make enough for all our holiday parties, teachers, neighbors, etc, but this is so good that it doesn't stick around for long.  I usually have to make several different batches of it so we have enough!


AMAZING DAIRY FREE TOFFEE

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy free earth balance butter (the stuff in the red tub)
1/2 cup Kirkland, ghittard or earth balance dairy free chocolate chips


Directions:

1.  Grease bottom and sides of a square pan 9x9x2.
2.  Spread chopped nuts in pan.
3.  Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling in 1 1/2- quart sauce pan, stirring constantly.
4.  Boil about 7 minutes, or until your candy thermometer registers at 302 Celsius (hard crack.)
5.  Immediately spread evenly over chopped nuts.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and cover with another pan or cookie sheet. 
6.  Let chocolate and toffee stand for about 1 minute, then when chocolate is softened, spread over candy. 
7.  Break into wedges after candy and chocolate are hardened or cut into small squares while still hot. 

Healthy Chocolate!

I love chocolate.  A lot.  But, all the stuff in the store has yucky stuff in it.  So, now I make my own!  Want to know the best part about it?!  It's healthy!  That's right!  I can feel good about eating my daily chocolate.  Ha!

Chocolate:

1 Cup cocoa powder (organic is best)
1 cup organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup raw honey
A smidge of gluten free vanilla
5 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional if you want a delicious minty freshness to it)

- Melt 1/2 the coconut oil on low in a pan & let it cool slightly. 
- Place remaining 1/2 cup of solid coconut oil, the coca powered, honey, (and other ingredients if desired) in the food processer.  Add melted oil and blend. 
- Pulse the food processer a few times until the mixture is smooth.  Do not over mix or ingredients will separate. 
- Line a glass casserole pan with parchment paper. 
- Pour fudge over parchment paper.
- Place in fridge until solid (about a 1/2 an hour).
- Gently remove parchment paper from glass pan, place on cutting board or counter, and gently cut the hardened chocolate into squares.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer in a tightly sealed container. 

The Best Coffee Cake

This is a crowd pleaser!  My family begs for this every now & then, but I try to only make it on special occasions.  It's not a "low sugar" breakfast, so I try to make it a special treat.  Enjoy this special recipe that I adapted from a recipe passed down from my mom.



INGREDIENTS:

-2 1/2 cups gluten free flour*
-1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
-2 cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter (I use Earth Balance)

DIRECTIONS:

mix til crumbly
take out 1/2 cup of mixture & set aside
To what's left over, add:

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:

-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 cup curdled milk substitute (coconut milk or sub with 1 tbsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar - let it set for 5 minutes)
-2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water.  Mix & let gel for a few minutes.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix remaning ingredients.  Beat at medium high speed for 1-2 minutes or until light & fluffy.
2. Prepare a 9x11 pan.  Spread mixture out evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Next, take cake out of oven & sprinkle the 1/2 cup crumbly mixture over the top.  Bake for 10-15 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


* For a LIGHTER flour blend, use 1 cup sweet white rice flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, and 1/2 cup sorghum flour.
For a HEALTHIER flour blend, use 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup millet flour.

Mrs Field's Adapted Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

We just made the most amazing cookies & guess what?!  They were vegan, soy free, and gluten free!  I almost cried.  I can't believe something tasted this good & was ok to eat!!!!

Most of you have probably baked or at least tasted the amazing Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies at some point.  But, have you ever tasted them THIS way?  Now you can!!!!  Here is the recipe WITH the substitutions listed.

Cream together:

2 cups butter (I used 1 1/2 cups Earth Balance Butter & 1/2 cup Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil)
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (we used 4 T of ground flaxseed & 12 T boiling hot water - let the mixture set for 10 minutes)
2 tsp gluten free vanilla

Add a little at a time of:

4 cups flour (I used:
                                1 cup white rice flour
                                 1/2 cup sorghum flour
                                 1/2 cup brown rice flour
                                 1 cup potato starch
                                  1 cup tapioca starch
                                  2 tsp xanthan gum)
5 cups blended oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
2 tsp baking soda

mix all ingredients

Add 24 oz (we added 12 oz) of chocolate chips (Guittard or another dairy free variety)

Bake at 375 fir 10 - 12 minutes.


Ok, so maybe these aren't "healthy,"  but sometimes you need something yummy!  These sure beat all those store bought cookies (bleh!)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)

These truly are chewy & they stay together nicely.  They don't crumble into millions of pieces like many gluten free cookies.  Enjoy!!!


Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

3 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour (aka starch)
2 1/4 tp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup butter or butter substitute (we use soy free Earth Balance butter)
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs or egg substitute (we use flaxseed & water)
4 tsp gluten free vanilla
2 12-oz packages chocolate chips (we use Guittard is dairy free)


Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & xanthan gum in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl.  Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.  Add eggs (egg substitute) and vanilla.  Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Reduce speed to low.  Beat, gradually adding flour mixture, until well mixed.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets (I push the cookies down a bit with my fingers, otherwise they stay the exact same shape as when you dropped them).  Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown (if using flaxseed instead of eggs, they won't brown quite as much.)  DO NOT OVERBAKE.  Let stand 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheets. 




I adapted this recipe from this Land O'Lakes recipe:  http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1470/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies-gluten-free-recipe

Caramel - Yummmmmmmmmmm!

I made the most amazing "Turtles" for my family this Valentines Day.  I really wanted to make a special treat and Silas has been DYING for caramel.  It just didn't seem fair that he couldn't eat it, so I thought I would investigate and see if I could figure out a way to make it allergy friendly.  It still contains sugar, but no corn syrup, no dairy, no gluten, etc.  It turned out beautifully, as did the turtles!






Allergy Friendly Method:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy free earth balance butter (I used nutiva organic extra virgin coconut oil for part of my butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut cream 

Cook over medium heat in a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan, stirring constantly until around 240 - 245 degrees or when you get the texture of caramel you want with the drop test (drop some of the mixture in ice cold water & see if it hardens to your liking). When you take the mixture off the stove, add a tsp or so of gluten free vanilla & stir it in. The texture of this caramel will be a little sugary when it dries, but my goal was to NOT use corn syrup. If you use corn syrup you won't have this issue.


If you want to make caramel with corn syrup & dairy, here is the non-allergy friendly method.  LOL!

Ingredients:
2 cups Sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup

Use the same instructions as above, except use a 3 quart saucepan.

Allergy Free Foods We Use Regularly

Here are some of the products we regularly buy that are gluten free, dairy free, etc.  I will try to keep the list updated as I think of more things.  I hope this helps even just one person!  When we were first starting out, I had a few people come along side of me (thanks Alicia & Tom Moore & Mary Lou Hom!!!) who were able to point me to certain products that were helpful in starting our overwhelming journey of changing the entire way we eat.  Yes, at first it is overwhelming, especially if you have never shopped at, say, Whole Foods, but after a while things get easier, you know where things are in the stores and you find yourself experimenting with all sorts of crazy ingredients you may never have even heard of until recently!  We have been on this food journey less than two years as of now, and I am still learning new stuff almost every day.  But, I hope what I have learned can help those of you who might be just starting out.  I remember those first months and how helpless I felt.  Anyhow, the Lord has really taken me by the hand and led me and given me much peace.  I still struggle at times (esp lately when we seemed to have regressed in our progress or to have developed some NEW allergies) but I am confident that the Lord will see us through it.  Take the Lord by the hand and let him lead you in this journey.  He will carry you and comfort you and he will show you that you are NOT alone in this.  HE is always with you and will give you the strength you need moment by moment!  I have learned to lean on him much more than I ever have had to before in our journey with food, and I thank him that he has used this for his glory.   

Products We Use That Are:

Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Peanut, Egg, Almond, Garlic, Amaranth, Lentil, Shellfish FREE

-         OrganicVille Organic Ketchup

-         Daiya Cheddar and Mozzarella style shreds

-     Daiya Cheddar Style Wedge (you can slice the cheese for sandwiches!)

-         Earth Balance Butter (we use the soy free in the red container)

-         Once again Organic Sunflower Seed Butter (it is contaminated, so Silas can't have it...I make his myself)

-     Cashew Butter (I can't find an uncontaminated brand for Silas to have, but I make my own)

-     Kettle Brand Hazelnut Butter (can't have this anymore, as Si is allergic)

-         Glutino Gluten Free Pretzels (YUM!)

-         Enjoy Life soft baked cookies (they have all sorts of flavors!)

-         Enjoy Life Chewy on the go Bars

-     Lara Bars (If you can have nuts)

-         EnerG breads (make sure to toast them before you eat it!)  We like the tapioca loafs & brown rice loaf the best

-         Edward & Sons Baked Organic Brown Rice Snaps

-    Quaker Rice Cakes (plain & salted) are a new gluten free addition to the list!

-         Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (use it to bake, fry, use it as butter, etc!)

-         Bob’s Gluten Free Red Mill Oats

-         Chex cereals (rice, cinnamon, and corn, & now chocolate which are newly dairy free)

-         Envirokids Organic cereals (Panda Puffs, Koala Crisp, Amazon Frosted Flakes, and Gorilla Munch)

-     Enjoy Life Cereals:  Very Berry Crunch Granola & Cinnamon Raisin Crunch Granola

-         Kix

-         Real Foods Corn Thinks (organic, original)

-         So Delicious Coconut yogurt

-         So Delicious Coconut Milk (I like unsweetened best)

-         So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream  (We usually buy plain Vanilla, chocolate, or Mint Chip)

-Luna & Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss

-         Organic Rice Milk  (I like unsweetened best)

-         Premium Gold Organic Golden Omega Flaxseed (for use instead of eggs in baking & I buy the preground stuff at costco)

-         Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening (palm oil) (for use instead of Crisco soybean shortening)

-         Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos Soy Free Seasoning Sauce (as a substitute for soy sauce)

-     Guittard Chocolate Chips (regular chocolate chip or dark chocolate chip, although these DO CONTAIN SOY LECITHIN and were manufactured on equipment that once had dairy on it.)

-     Bob's Red Mill flours for baking - Tapioca Starch, Rice Flours (white, sweet white, brown), Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour

-    Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix

-    Bob's Red Mill GF brownie mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF pizza crust mix


-    Bob's Red Mill GF cornbread mix

-    Edward & Sons:  Let's Do Gluten Free Sugar Cones or Ice Cream Cones

-   Oscar Mayer Selects hot dogs

-   Garden Veggie Crisps

-    Kettle & Lays plain potato chips (not made with soybean oil)

-    Brown, Batsami, & Jasmine rice, quinoa, buckwheat groats, millet

Gluten free sugar cookies

45 min.prep time 2:25total time

3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened  (I used soy free Earth Balance Butter since we are dairy and soy free)

2 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Egg yolks  (I used ground flaxseed - 2 tbsp plus 6 tbsp of water)

1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla

2 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)*

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour blend and salt. Beat until well mixed. Cover; refrigerate until firm (1 hour).

Heat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on surface sprinkled lightly with gluten-free flour, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. I actually roll my dough out in between saran wrap.  I do this with pretty much all my gluten free recipies (that require being rolled out) and it works every time.  I spray the saran wrap with canola oil or I use flour, depending on the recipe.  For this one, I believe I used white rice flour.) 

Cut with 2 1/2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

*  Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using.

for the flour, I used:

• 1 cup rice flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ cup sorghum flour
• ¼ cup potato flour
• 1 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

The only reason I used the mixture that I used was because I ran out of rice flour and I do not own potato starch as of yet (still need to buy some).  So, I did my own little experiment & it turned out beautifully!  I want to encourage you to try your own mixture, esp if you don't have what the recipe calls for!  I almost always modify and do my own thing and I have never once had a flop yet (knowing a thing or two about what each gluten free flour does is important, though)!  Success every time (ok, I am sure the flop will happen one of these times, but for now I can boast of my success!)

Here is my link from Landolakes where I got my recipe:

http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1527/star-cut-out-cookies-gluten-free-recipe/print#

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

Today is my baby girl's first birthday!  In honor of her, I am going to post my cake and frosting recipes that I used.  I decided to go with a gluten, dairy, soy free chocolate cake so we could all eat it.  I used duck egg in the recipe, so it isn't egg free but it is chicken egg free (which Silas can't have). 

Delicious Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil (palm shortening, or softened earth balance butter or a mixture of all three)
16oz powdered sugar
2-4 T coconut milk (rice, soy, almond milk)
1-2 tsp gluten free vanilla
*1/4 cup cocoa powder (plus add a little more liquid or mixture will be too dry)
Add more milk (or water) or powdered sugar if your mixture is too dry or wet.  My whole family LOVES this frosting & it is creamy enough that the vanilla version can be used on carrot cake.

*leave cocoa powder out for vanilla frosting (or you can add another flavor to spice it up)


Chocolate Cake

I adapted my recipe for cake from food.com.  It is called "One Bowl Gluten Free Chocolate Cake."

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 c gluten free flour (I have used 1/2 c sorghum flour, 1/2 c white rice flour, 1/2 cup tapioca starch AND 2/3 cup white rice flour, 1/3 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup tapioca starch - I liked the second mix best)
1/2 c cocoa
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (I used xanthan gum)
5 T cooking oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1 egg (or 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed & 3 tbsp hot water combined)
1 c water

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
Add all liquid ingredients and mix well (I mixed for about 2 minutes on medium speed.)
Bake in a greased and floured (I used organic extra virgin coconut oil and dusted it with white rice powder) 9" square pan (or lined with waxed paper), at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


I can't wait to watch my baby girl dig in!  :o)  The cake smells wonderful, it is springy and it looks like a winner!  Happy birthday, Micaiah!!!!

Yummy Valentine's Day Chocolates

For my Valentines this year, I needed to figure out something that I KNEW was safe!  I needed to be frugal since the budget was tight, so I just used what I had on hand at home.  I decided to make my own chocolates - yummy!  Michael came home from work and could not believe I had made these all by myself.  He even called me his little Betty Crocker (I am not sure what that meant...either I am a scary cook normally or this was such a brilliant idea it COULDN'T possibly have come from me (ha ha), but I will take it to mean he was just plain impressed!)

I use Guittard chocolate chips (real semisweet chocolate chips) which are made in a peanut and gluten free facility and they contain no milk.  The ingredients are semisweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter), soya lecithin and real vanilla.  It does have a note that says it is processed on equipment previously used to process milk chocolate, but Silas is ultra sensitive to all dairy and this has not bothered him one bit.

I then proceeded to grab all the gluten, dairy, peanut, almond, egg, and soy free things I could find around the house.  Those of you allergic to corn will not be able to have the marshmallows (we used the campfire brand, I think...whichever ones specify gluten free) or the Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels because both contain corn starch, but for everyone else, those are great options.  We used marshmallows, raisins, dried mangos, coconut, walnuts and cashews (which those of you with nut allergies will want to avoid, obviously!)
So, here is an ingredient list:
Guittard chocolate chips (or other dairy free ones of your choice)
Olive Oil (or coconut oil or something to smooth the chocolate)

(Here are some ideas of what to dip into the chocolate)
Marshmallows (Campfire or other gluten free)
Nuts
Coconut
Raisins
Pretzels (Glutino Gluten Fee Pretzels)
Your favorite gluten/dairy/allergy free cereal
Any dried fruit of your choice
Fresh fruit like strawberries or bananas

I poured one 12 oz bag of Guittard chocolate chips into a small pan and I put that inside another pan filled with water. Heat the water slowly (on low) and make sure that none of the water splashes into the pan with chocolate. I poured a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the chocolate to smooth it. Stir constantly once it starts melting. When the chocolate is ready, have your prepared goodies all ready to dip! I just used a few forks & dipped the items in the chocolate, then placed it on a sprayed pan to cool (I sprayed the pan with canola oil so the chocolates wouldn't stick.) With the leftover chocolate, I poured it into about 6 cupcake holes in my cupcake pan with some of the items (I used cashews & coconut which turned out really yummy!)


This was a hit with my whole family!  I think we will be making a lot of these in our future!  Enjoy, and please share any ideas with me that might make this even more enjoyable!  (For those of you who don't have tons of allergies, things like sprinkles might be fun to add to the top!)

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup sugar (I use brown sugar or 1/2 c sugar & 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
sugar to coat cookies

Mix ingredients.  Shape dough into tsp size balls and coat in sugar.  Press cookie onto cookie sheet and use a fork or spoon to press it into desirable shape.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

I just did a happy dance!

I have tried all sorts of mixes for cookies, as well as baking cookies gluten free from scratch.  Usually, Silas will eat them, but I take one bite & have to fight to swallow.  I am not sure if the problem is the texture or the taste (perhaps of the xanthan gum), but cookies have been the one thing Silas has really done without since he started his gluten free diet.  Well, that is about to change!  I have to rave about the cookies we made last night! The Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cookie Mix is fabulous!  I was so pumped about how the cookies turned out that I did a happy dance (with my husband as witness!)

The mix made moist, chewy cookies that don't crumble & fall apart like I have come to expect in gluten free baking.  I think all the Betty Crocker mixes are fabulous, so if you are looking for a quick & easy way to cook gluten free, THIS IS IT!  You don't have to buy the xanthan gum or all the separate flours if you use a mix.  Buying all the flours (you have to use at least 2 or 3 per recipe, sometimes up to 7 or 8!) can get very costly too and is a pain because then you have to store what you don't use.  I am not a "mix" type of gal, but I find the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes to be very simple and close if not identical to ingredients I would use at home.  I don't see lots of weird words in the ingredients that I cannot pronounce, which I DO find in regular mixes. 

Here is a link to the wonderful Betty Crocker Mixes. http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free-baking-mixes 

Toffee

Mmmm, I look forward to the Holidays just so I can make toffee!  What better excuse to make one of my favorite treats than all the potlucks and get-togethers!  I am going to try this one dairy free this year, and I am confident it will turn out nicely.  This recipe is from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook.  This is sure to be a crowd pleaser and a favorite holiday tradition.

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup stick margarine or butter (I will use earth balance butter)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I have been using Guittard, although there is a note on it that says, "Processed on equipment previously used to process milk chocolate."  If you are extremely sensitive to dairy, try the brand Enjoy Life, although Silas has not found this chocolate bothers him and he is hyper sensitive to dairy.)

1.  Grease bottom and sides of square pan, 9x9x2 inches, with margarine (earth balance butter.) 

2.  Spread pecans in pan.  Heat brown sugar and margarine to boiling in 1 1/2 quart saucepan oer medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 7 minutes, stirring constantly.  Immediately spread evenly over pecans.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

3.  Cover pan with cookie sheet.  Let stand about 1 min or until chocolate chips soften.  Spread softened chocolate over candy.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares while hot.  Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hrs or until firm.

I usually double the recipe.  Take care to boil it long enough.  If it still acts sugary, give it another minute or two.  I have tried to triple the recipe before and it didn't work out probably because it needed more time to boil.  Enjoy!

Gluten & Dairy Free Caramel Corn

This is a delicious treat and kids LOVE it!  My mom passed down the recipe to me and I modified it to make it dairy and gluten free.

1 pan (or one bag) of popped popcorn
1 cube butter (I use Earth Balance Butter)
1 cup marshmallows (make sure they are gluten free, made with modified CORN STARCH.  If the food starch doesn't specify "corn", then it usually contains gluten)
1 cup brown sugar
1 large clean paper bag

Mix butter, marshmallows, and brown sugar over medium heat in a heavy sauce pan until just melted.  Put the popcorn into a large clean paper bag.  Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn slowly, mixing often.  The caramel dries quickly, so keep that in mind!  My mom recommends that the caramel recipe actually be doubled, but that is if you want it extra gooey!  Enjoy!

Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Soy, and Egg free Pie Crust

This is so quick & easy!  I could not believe it when I stumbled on this recipe I adapted from from Ener-G!  I have to say, I was VERY skeptical when I saw how easy the recipe looked, and even more so when I was pressing the crumbly mixture into the pie pan, but when it came out baked it looked like a normal pie crust!  It was really delicious and PERFECT for a pumpkin pie!  It's not the greatest recipe for a double crusted pie (crust on top) like an apple or berry pie (I will add that recipe next.)

Description

Easy 4 ingredient wheat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and egg-free pie crust.

Ingredients

1⁄2	cup	Butter flavored spPectrum palm shortening
3⁄4	cup	Ener-G White Rice Flour
3⁄4	cup	Ener-G Sweet Rice Flour (or sorghum)
4	tbsp	Cold Water

Instructions

Combine Ener-G White Rice Flour and Ener-G Sweet Rice Flour in a large mixing bowl. (I actually used about 1 cup of white rice flour and 1/2 a cup of sorghum flour) . Cut shortening into flour until texture becomes crumb-like. Add water and form dough into a ball with hands. Press dough into 9" pie pan. Prick bottom of crust with fork. Depending on the pie recipe, you can either pre-bake crust at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes OR pour in pie filling and bake as directed.

http://www.ener-g.com/recipes/easy-rice-flour-pie-crust

Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

The pumpkin filling is sort of a hodgepodge of recipes I have seen and I kind of made my own.  This recipe makes ONE pumpkin pie filling.

16 ounce can pumpkin
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice (or nutmeg)

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp vanilla
3 slightly beaten eggs
2/3 cup Coconut, or Rice Milk

1.  Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat until just combined. Gradually stir in milk.

2. Pour filling into pie crust.

3. Bake in 375 degree oven for 50 minutes (I check it after 40).  The pie is done when a knife inserted comes out clean.