Wednesday, 19 April 2017

Chocolate Banana Pie

Despite participating in the Whole30 program, I had to make a dessert for Easter. I've been brainstorming this for quite a while and apparently (according to my family testers) it was a success!
(I know, I know, technically not "Whole30 compliant" but, seriously, what's Easter without dessert?!)

And yes, it's dairy, grain and sugar free!

The crust is sweet and crunchy thanks to dates (these have been my sweet tooth go-to this month) and nuts. The filling is soft and chocolately! Then I added strawberries to give it some freshness and extra oomph.

Please excuse the quality of the photos. We were at my parents and there was poor lighting and I also didn't cut the piece very straight!  I will hopefully make it again soon so I can take a better photo with the Mama Camera.


Here's the recipe:

Crust 

Ingredients
1 cup almond & 1 cup walnuts, soaked for an hour or more then drained and dried as best as you can
2/3 cup dates
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt
Coconut oil (to grease pan)

Directions
1. Pulse nuts and dates in a food processor until well combined, then add the cinnamon and salt.
2. Transfer to an oiled pie plate, then press gently until it's even and smooth
3. Refrigerate for about an hour

Filling

Ingredients
1 pouch (1 tbsp) of unflavoured gelatine
1 cup of coconut milk (from the can)
5 egg yolks
3-4 ripe bananas (the riper, the sweeter but also the riper, the smaller), pureed 
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3-4 strawberries, washed and sliced

Directions
1. Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a small saucepan.
2. Whisk the egg yolks and whisk them well into the coconut milk, then add banana puree and mix well. 
3. Add the cocoa powder, then mix some more. Stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Make sure it doesn't boil.
4. Prepare the gelatine as per package directions. (Pour pouch over 1/4 cup water, add 1/4 boiling water and stir constantly until completely dissolved)
5. Add the gelatine mixture to saucepan and (you guessed it!) mix well.
6. Scrape the filling into a glass bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Putting it together

1. Take the crust and filling out of the fridge
2. Carefully pour filling into the crust and spread evenly.
3. Place back into fridge until set, about 2 hours
4. Strawberry time! Place strawberries over top, slice (hopefully a little straighter then me lol) and serve!


Next time I'm going to try whipping some coconut cream for an added touch...mmmmm....

Before the strawberries


Mmmm!


How'd it turn out for you? I'd love to hear your comments!




Sunday, 16 April 2017

Happy Easter!

It's Easter weekend here and our area got hit with a TON of snow! I swear it happens every year   though, because Good Friday always seems to have horrible weather, and then on Easter Sunday, like today, it's a beautiful day. Well, the snow hasn't magically disappeared but it's a clear blue day outside.

For me, this holiday is a reflection of the Saviour and how my relationship with Him is progressing. One of my favourite hymns is #185 "Reverently and Meekly Now." It's a sacrament hymn which words are coming from the Saviour's point of view. I am pretty sure it's the only hymn in the hymnbook that has this perspective. The Atonement was the most powerful, essential part of Heavenly Father's plan. I also love my calling! In sharing time today, we had an Easter lesson today and I was amazed (as usual) by the spirit of children as they participated in the lesson. It was so simple and so beautiful and the Spirit was so strong.



Easter time is one of my favourite times of year. It means that winter is leaving (hopefully, in this part of my world) and springtime is coming and then it will be summer! It's a season for change and growth, quite like how my life is right now.

Like most holidays, Easter has become pretty commercialized but we keep it pretty simple in our home. And amongst our crazy morning, I didn't get any photos of kids in their Easter outfits! But here's a few from our egg hunt at Oma and Opa's on Friday.