Pecan Pie

   

When I was a kid, my mom would bring my sister and I to the farmer's market every Thursday afternoon.  She would always buy fresh flowers and an assortment of imperfect tomatoes for her students to paint in her watercolor classes.  My sister and I would sample the gouda cheese and each buy a honey stick from our favorite vendor.  Every once in a while, if we were really lucky, my mom would splurge on a freshly made pecan pie, from the turkey vendors who also sold turkey pie and fruit jams.  Pecan pie is one of my favorite pies ever- I love the gooey sweetnesss.  Now that I can't eat wheat/sugar/dairy anymore, pecan pie is a distant memory.   It's been many years since I had a slice of pecan pie, and I have been craving it for a while.  I've been planning on making a wheat/sugar/dairy free pecan pie for months now, but since I've never made any kind of pie before, let alone a wheat/sugar/dairy free pie, I was nervous.  So I bought a gluten free pie crust mix by Glutino, to allow me to focus on the filling.  I researched some different recipes and finally, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I made my pecan pie!  It turned out so nicely, with the same sweetness of a traditional pecan pie, but not loaded with processed sugars.  Plus mine is vegan and could easily be corn and soy free if you use tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, and soy-free Earth Balance.  I added some chocolate powder to bring some richness to it.  Enjoy this dessert!

Ingredients:  (makes one 9 inch pie) 

• 1 unbaked gluten free pie crust*
• 3/4 cup of rice milk
• 3/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 cup of brown rice syrup
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of cornstarch dissolved into 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of Earth balance
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of toasted pecans

Directions

1. Follow directions on the box for the pie crust mix, and pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F.
2. In a pot mix together the rice milk, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup and bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Add the dissolved cornstarch and keep whisking until it gets thick, about 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla and Earth Balance.
5. Pour the mixture into the pie crust and smooth it out.
6. Place pecans on top in concentric circles, starting from the outside going in.
7. Bake in the oven at 350 F for about 30 or so minutes.  
8. Let cool and chill in the fridge for 10 hours.  Then enjoy!

*Glutino pie crust was good and is sweetened with honey not sugar.  Follow directions on the box, and use ground flax seed mixture instead of eggs if you prefer.  For the butter, I used Earth Balance's vegan shortening!