Vegan Cooking with TLC

Pie crust can be a tricky thing to make, but I really wanted to make a pumpkin pie with a crust, so I got busy. As you can see I got a little excited about the crust and started adding the pie filling before I took a picture of the the crust. I was so happy my idea worked I actually did a little dance in the kitchen. I love finding creative ideas to make recipes fit my desires and my needs. I anticipate using this pie crust recipe for a multitude of pies in the coming months. Pie Crust with Pecan Butter 1/2 chilled pecan butter 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons date sugar 8-10 tablespoons water Place the flour and date sugar in a bowl and whisk together. Add pecan butter. Cut into the flour until mixture becomes crumbly. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Be careful to not overmix. An overworked crust will become tough. Place crust in the refrigerator and chill for 20-30 minutes. Spread a littl...

I was out of mulberries when I made my Raw Pumpkin Pie recently, so I used dried blueberries instead. It turned out pretty good though I still prefer my Raw Pecan Mulberry Crust for this particular recipe. The two crusts are different enough to make the pie taste quite different. I look forward to trying this crust with a several other recipes that have fruit purees or cheesecake type textures. Raw Pecan Blueberry Crust 1 ½ cups pecans 1 cup dried blueberries 4 dates ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon chia seeds Soak dates in warm water for 5 minutes. Remove pits. Reserve water. Process all ingredients in food processor or blender until stiff. If mixture is too dry and crumbly, add reserved water ½ teaspoon at a time until it combines and stiffens. Spread in spring form pan . Place in refrigerator while making pie filling.

This crust works well for any pureed fruit, "cheesecake", or "custard" type dessert. I particularly like it with my Raw Pumpkin Pie recipe. Raw Pecan Mulberry Crust 1 ½ cups pecans 1 cup dried mulberries 4 dates ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon chia seeds Soak dates in warm water for 5 minutes. Remove pits. Reserve water. Process all ingredients in food processor or blender until stiff. If mixture is too dry and crumbly, add reserved water ½ teaspoon at a time until it combines and stiffens. Spread in spring form pan . Place in refrigerator while making pie filling.