GF Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

The other day, I went and got 44lbs of strawberries from a local farm!  I'd like to say I picked them all, but that wasn't the case...it was my intention, but their crop just wasn't as bountiful as I had hoped (I went way too late in the season), so I decided that my time was more precious than saving a few bucks, and bought the ones that were already to go!  My day was spent with making freezer jam, as well as freezing whole berries, so we can have some for the winter.  When it was all said and done, I had one more batch that needed to be prepped to freeze, and I just didn't want to do it any more...I also didn't want to make a pie crust to accommodate a fresh pie...however, I did want something "pie-ish"!  That is the back-story for the birth of this recipe...someone who was too lazy to pick berries, too lazy to finish prepping berries to freeze, and too lazy to make pie crust!  Let's just say that after trying this, maybe it does pay to have a lazy day ever so often!

My original recipe was not Gluten Free, but I made this one without gluten because of two of Tommy's co-workers, who cannot have it.

(This recipe will make 2 9" pies!)

The filling:

6 c. sliced strawberries (sliced thickly)
4 c. sliced rhubarb
1 c. pure maple syrup (oh yeah, one of his coworkers can't have white sugar either)
1/2 c. coconut palm sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 c. tapioca starch/tapioca flour

Toss all of these ingredients together until everything is well incorporated.  Divide among 2 9" pie plates (preferably deep ones, to prevent bubbling over while baking)

Preheat oven to 350

The crumble:

1 1/2 c. coconut palm sugar
3 c. coconut flour (if you don't care if this is GF, you can use regular flour)
1 t. sea salt
2 c. GF oats (Bob's Red Mill)
2 c. Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or coconut oil)

Mix with the back of a fork until everything is incorporated and looks crumbly.  Divide over the 2 pies.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling through the crumble around the edges, and the crumb topping is browned.

Don't cut into it right away (although you will want to)...everything will be a big, runny, sloppy mess!  Have patience, let it cool until warm, and it should set up much better!

Serve with SO Delicious Coconut Icecream, or some whipped coconut cream!  You're going to love how easy (no pie crust!!!) and how delicious this is!  Not to mention, there's no processed sugar and no gluten!!  And the best part is...no one will even know the difference!

Refreshing Strawberry Pie

This pie is nothing short of amazing!  My mom found the recipe for this from the Engine 2 cookbook...and of course, as soon as I started making it (the first time), we were brainstorming how we could make it even better!  You see...that's what we do...we can't just take a recipe and follow it...we feel this huge desire to make it better!  So this time around...that's what I did!  I made a few "improvements" (in my opinion), and the end result is a refreshing dessert, that tastes incredible, and is healthy enough to eat for breakfast! (and you better believe my kids will be eating this for breakfast tomorrow morning!)

Preheat the oven to 350

The Crust: (oh yeah...there's no traditional pie crust involved, which is amazing!)

1 c. almonds
1 c. cashews
1 c. coconut flour
1/4 t. salt

Grind into a powder.  I used the grain grinder on my Vitamix, but a food processor would work too.

Add:

1 c. (packed) pitted dates
1 T. pure vanilla

Grind until the dates are incorporated into the nut mixture, and you have a sticky, wet crumb consistency.

Press into the bottom and sides of a 9" pie plate and bake for 10 mins

While the crust is baking, blend together:

1 1/2 lbs of strawberries (fresh)
1/4 c. maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
1/4 t. vanilla

Set aside and slice:

3 bananas
1 lb strawberries

When the crust comes out of the oven, layer the bananas along the bottom.  Then layer the strawberries over the bananas.  Pour the blended strawberries over the layers, and the sprinkle a 1 1/2 c. of blueberries over top.

Chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours.  Serve alone, or with some Coconut Ice cream!

The Pie doesn't hold together when cut, which is a bummer for presentation, but once you taste it, you won't care!