Strawberry Coconut Banana Pie

Strawberry Coconut Banana Pie

This recipe is about a year old, but by the time I put the post together, strawberry season was long over.  But it's June again, and my backyard strawberry patch is beginning to bloom, so what better time to share this delicious, out of the ordinary, pie recipe.  I can't even remember where I saw my inspiration for this, using fresh bananas in a pie that you bake, which I had never heard of before.  My mom, who is an amazing baker, even thought it sounded weird, but I was convinced it would add a layer of creamy sweetness to the dish.  I must say, I was right.  One of the ingredients, the sweetened coconut flakes, were new to me, something that my sister in law in Canada, where I baked this pie, had bought at Costco.  Hopefully you can find them as well, or just substitute regular coconut flakes and add some sugar.  The pie tastes like a tropical delight and is perfect for a warm summer day, either for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Happy strawberry picking!!

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Chocolate Fudge Pie

Chocolate. If you follow my blog, you know how much I LOVE chocolate.  So whether it is Christmas Eve, like today, or May, when I actually made this, a chocolate pie is always a crowd pleaser.  This is a twist on a fudge pie recipe that I saw on television once, but using organic ingredients, dark chocolate (antioxidants!!) and my favorite Coconut Oil Pie Crust (using whole wheat pastry flour).  So of course not a healthy food that you can eat everyday, but this is the Holidays, so I thought it was a perfect time to share one of my all time favorite ways to eat chocolate.

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Normally on Valentine's Day I would make a decadent dark chocolate dessert of some kind since chocolate is my favorite food group and Valentine's Day is usually all about chocolate.  But this year I also wanted to make something red, and the most naturally red things I could think of are cherries.  I had been wanting to try out a recipe for a pie crust using coconut oil, so I thought this would be the perfect day to give it a go.  And since I want to spend Valentine's evening enjoying the company of the people I love and not working in the kitchen, I figured I could make the pie the centerpiece of dinner (it does have fruit in it!) and serve it with a small selection of cheeses on the side.

The Coconut Oil Pie Crust came out perfectly and since it is made with 100 % organic whole wheat pastry flour it has health benefits as well.  A bit hearty if you are used to white flour pastry, but the coconut flavor is perfect, especially when paired with the cherry filling (would be great with a chocolate pie too!).  I did cheat and use a premade cherry pie filling because I found one at my local store that was very basic and had no corn syrup or anything artificial.  I decided to mix in some dried cherries and frozen cherries as well to add a bit of texture and it worked perfectly.  Not too sweet, not too tart and perfect for an evening meal with my Valentine.

All About Pumpkin

Even if it weren't for the drop in nighttime temperature and the fact that my modest back yard organic garden looks about done for the year, it is obvious that fall has arrived in my home.  No longer am I sitting outside in the sunshine reading a book when I have a free moment, or inside washing pounds of produce from my garden.  I noticed it a few weeks ago when my son went back to school and the temperature dropped... that unmistakable urge to bake that comes when I feel cooped up inside my house.  Over the course of three days I baked four different items and if it weren't for my children's relentless after school schedule (soccer, dance, guitar lessons, baseball...) I am sure I would have baked even more treats.  Not that we have that many mouths to feed.  :)  And of course when fall comes around and my favorite season full of fresh produce is over, what do I turn to in my kitchen?  PUMPKIN!!!

Growing in my backyard!!

Not only is pumpkin easy to use and convenient to have on hand, but it is also extremely nutritious. It is one of the lowest calorie vegetables and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol.  However, it is high in fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals (copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus) and vitamins A, C and E.

Usually I am happy to use canned pumpkin and to be honest I have never roasted and scooped out the inside of a sugar pumpkin for baking, but this year we are attempting to grow a few in our yard.  If the not so healthy vine does grow me a usable pumpkin or two, I will definitely roast it up and use it in one of the following delicious recipes... none of which are a basic pumpkin pie.  Why stick to something so boring (although a favorite of my husband) when there are so many other options to experiment with?  My all time favorite is a recipe I concocted last fall after looking up pumpkin bar recipes online and not finding anything that I liked.  After a few tries, I got the recipe perfect and it has been a year round favorite in our home ever since... pumpkin pie brownies!!  Not only are they delicious and nutritious (one sure way to get my very picky daughter to eat some vegetables), but they make the house smell amazing while cooking and for hours afterwards.  All of the recipes that follow are original pumpkin creations (or modified versions of old favorites) that my whole family looks forward to each fall. Happy baking!!