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IMG_2458Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Mostly because all the TVs go on sale. I kid, I kid! I love the fact that we have a holiday dedicated to being grateful for our lives and the people in it. And we get to eat as much pie as we want. Being a fall baby myself, pumpkin is undoubtedly wayyyy up there in the favorites lexicon. Had the chance to practice on some friends this last weekend, and the results were unanimous–yum! xox Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Heat the oven to 350 and turn on tunes! Alabama Shakes did the trick nicely for me.. For the crust:
  • 2 1/2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix
  • 3 tbls. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3 tbls. light agave
  • 5 tbls. sunflower (canola or safflower work well too) oil
  • 3 tbls. ice water
Mix the flour, butter and agave together in a large mixing bowl with a fork until the butter is the size of little peas in the mixture. You can use your fingers to help out. Then add the sunflower oil and ice water, and mix again. The crust should have a slightly doughier consistency than a wheat pie crust–it needs a little more liquid to help it hold together, since it doesn’t have gluten. Press the dough firmly into a 9 inch deep dish pie pan, and prick the bottom with the tines of a fork. Pop in the oven for 10 minutes to pre-bake lightly, and make the filling. photo For the filling:
  • 1 can (15 0z) natural pumpkin (Yes, I’ve done the whole roast-the-pumpkin-scrape-out-the-flesh-and-puree bit. Canned tastes better. Trust me–and Martha Stewart–on this!)
  • 1/2 cup light agave
  • 1/2 cup almond (or your choice) milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp. cinammon
  • 1/2-3/4 tsp. nutmeg, depending on taste
  • small pinch of cloves
nutmegMix pumpkin and eggs until well combined. Add in the rest of the ingredients and add a little more spice if you like. Life is about spice! Pour the mixture in the pie shell, and pop back in the oven. Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until the mixture is fairly firm. It won’t be super hard like some pies, but it will be silky and delicious. I promise!! Make some whipped cream to serve with, by whipping 1/2 pint of heavy cream with 1/4 cup agave and 1 tsp vanilla. Dollop and feast!! xox IMG_6669P.S. Special thanks to Brooke Wilen for some of these pie pics!  

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watermelon2When it’s this hot all I want is watermelon. No ovens, no baking, no starch. Just juice, crisp, sweet, hooray. 3 Piece Watermelon Salad
  • 1/2 watermelon, sliced how you like it
  • 2-3 tsps. chopped fresh mint
  • juice of one lime
Mix it up, eat! How easy is that? The tartness of a little lime juice balances out the sweet crisp of watermelon flavor, and the mint is just a clean surprise. Good for breakfast lunch or dinner! (I had it for breakfast this morning.) xox watermelon1 watermelon3  

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pieWhen my dad agrees to do something wonderful for me, like a photo shoot for instance, he generally insists on payment in the currency of lemon meringue pie. I am more than happy to oblige!

For today’s blog, I decided to go all techie and shoot iphone video while simultaneously baking. The result is BRILLIANT! Or, uh, something. Watch the video, then scroll down for the recipe! xox
Gluten-Free Lemon Meringue Pie Pre-heat oven to 375 and turn on tunes! My playlist this time was me, but that’s mostly due to copyright issues for video. For the crust:
  •  2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix
  • 7 tbls. Sunflower oil
  • 2-3 tbls. light agave
  • 2 tbls. ice water
Mix the ingredients until well formed. Take the dough by the hand (dough si dough! I–I’m so ashamed) and press into a 9 inch pie plate. Prick all over with the tines of a fork, and bake until golden brown—about 10-12 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. For the filling:
  •  3 eggs, separated
  • Generous 1/3 cup corn starch
  • ¾ cup light agave
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
  • Grated zest of one lemon
  • 1 tbls. unsalted butter
Put the egg whites in a bowl and set aside. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork in a large mixing bowl. Mix the corn starch in a medium sauce pan with a little bit of the water, until it’s a smooth mixture. Add the agave and rest of the water. Stirring constantly over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for about one minute. Take off the heat, slowly pour half the mixture into the egg yolks and mix to temper, then pour that back in the pan with the rest of the mixture and bring it back to a boil. Boil and stir for one minute. Take it off the heat, add in the lemon juice and zest and butter and mix it up. Pour it into your baked pie shell and let’s make meringue! For the meringue:
  • 3 egg whites
  • ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1/3 cup light agave
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla
Mix the egg whites on high speed with cream of tartar until lightly stiff. Add in agave and vanilla and mix again until really stiff and glossy. Using a rubber spatula or a large spoon, scoop the meringue on top of the pie, making sure to bring the meringue all the way to the edges of the crust so it doesn’t shrink back while baking. Bake at 300 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until the peaks are lightly browned and pretty. Let ‘er cool for a bit, then serve and enjoy!! xoxox