WIAW #36 – Making Pie: Crust or No Crust?



Source and Recipe

Even as that “tubby” boy who thought not once about calorie content in food, I never really liked pie crust. So now that I’m ever so conscious of what I consume, I opt for no crust on the healthy pies I make.

I’m writing this prior to knowing what November’s WIAW theme is, so please forgive my non-themed post. Not like I was very good at following last month’s theme either….sorry again. And while I’m on the topic of “sorry”, I’m sorry for the lack of brand new pictures for my post. I’ve still been cooking, but the pictures (as unprofessional as they are) take up a lot of precious time. Time I want to be spending with my loving wife, Kelley.

So hopefully I won’t lose any of you during this time of infrequent posts and pictures; I promise to get back into the game sometime…..just don’t know when!

Being November with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’m sure there’s many a foodie with pie on the mind. I like pie, but only if made by me or I know the exact ingredients used and I like them. Since I don’t make pie often, this obviously means I don’t have a lot of the sweet, round, dessert. This season, I’d like to work on making my own healthy version that has no crust and that friends and family will enjoy.



I bet PB Crave Coco Bananas and pureed sweet potato would be an awesome pie!  Ughhnnnnnggggg!!! I think my stomach is saying something....

Sounds easy, but most of my “healthified” dessert attempts wind up being something only I enjoy. That’s okay to a degree, but I’d like to share. So, the first part to a healthier pie is taking out the crust component. This isn’t hard, just prepare the pie filling (the best part anyway) and if it’s one you cook, put in pie pan and bake as needed.

I think making overnight oats in a pie pan would also be an excellent no-cook and healthy version. Imagine, overnight peanut butter pumpkin oats mixed with milk of choice, protein powder, and pumpkin pie spice all mixed up and placed in a pan to set over night. You could wake up and have pie for breakfast; and it would actually be good for you!!

Right now I’m just “talking the talk”, but please stay tuned, I will post an overnight pie recipe to do the “walking” part soon.

As mentioned earlier, I am lacking in the picture department, so I’ll list out what I ate and then post a few pics and recipes for pies I found online. Thanks yet again to Jenn at Peas and Crayons, I love What I Ate Wednesday’s!!

I actually made this Clean Eating Pumpkin Cheescake posted on The Gracious Pantry and highly suggest you try too. Obviously, I chose to use no crust and this dessert is simply wonderful chilled and topped with Greek yogurt.

For those who find it hard to stick to just one slice (me), make mini pies so you can have the whole thing and not feel bad! Here’s the recipe good for 8 mini pies you can keep all to yourself or share with everyone! I’m pretty sure I’ll have a few of these in my fridge soon! If you don’t have custard cups, I’m sure a greased or paper lined muffin tin would work as well. Then you could even make them a little smaller and have 12 mini desserts!!

I found this recipe just through a Google search and like it as a way to start; plus it’s less than 500 calories for the whole thing. I would not use any artificial sweetener like Splenda and go for Stevia instead. Also, instead of milk, I will use unsweetened almond milk and protein powder in place of flour. That’s the beauty of recipes….you can suit to your own desire!!

 

 



Another Gracious Pantry recipe must try is this Clean Eating Sweet Potato Pie. Yum! There’s a crust recipe posted too, but again, I’d leave it out although it sounds simply delicious! A big thanks to Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry for allowing me to post these tasty pictures on my site.  If you haven't before, check out her blog and social media pages for clean and tasty recipes!

 

Web site: www.TheGraciousPantry.com
Facebook: www.FaceBook.com/GraciousPantry
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/GraciousPantry
Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/GraciousPantry

So, have you or will you be making pies this season? Ever try going crustless? Besides saving in the calorie bank, I think no crust helps you enjoy more of the flavor filling anyway.

Please share any recipes you have as I really want to test a few out. And most importantly…

Happy WIAW, have a wonderful rest of the week!!

 

One more thing....it looks like another 4 years of Obama.  Are you : ) or : (

 

As a typical Texan, I'm more : ( about this one, but I also know the world won't end as a result.  So... : )

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie and Making Others Happy with Food

 Coming back from Breckenridge, CO left us in a sad state since we know it means going back to work. Since we were both fighting off the inevitable and thinking of a way to delay going to work, I decided to seek solace through food. My Sunday was mostly spent in the kitchen because it’s therapeutic to me; prepping our lawn for summer was Kelley’s therapy.

Working off the adage “A happy wife is a happy life,” I wanted to make something for Kelley to make her happy. This, in turn, will unleash my happiness! For breakfast, I made some pretty tasty pumpkin protein crepes in an effort to capture the feeling of eating crepes in Breck. The crepes were a success (or she’s a good liar) and she readily stuffed one with goat cheese just like she had on vacation. Great, happiness level going North!


Now I needed to keep it up and make some good lunches for the work week ahead. I scanned my brain thinking of the food we had and that she likes: goat cheese, check….jersey sweet potatoes, check……green onions, check. I know all of these things alone are cherished by my dear wife, but what if *enter suspenseful noise* I combined them? And that’s exactly what I did….

Since I usually steam a blend of frozen mixed beans and veggies to pair with jersey sweet potatoes, I decided to spruce the meal up a little. I made an easy vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Here is what you need and what to do with it all:

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 medium jersey sweet potatoes (scrubbed with skin on; you can use your favorite spud or even cauliflower)
3 – 4 ounces plain goat cheese “chevre”
2 cloves crushed and chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onion (chives)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 egg (not necessary but helps hold things together)
1 tsp each of cumin, chili powder, paprika, parsley, dill, and ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne (I used more b/c we like it spicy!)
1/2 cup of your favorite jar of salsa
Ground pepper to taste
1 bag frozen mixed beans and veggies (I used a fiesta blend)

1 bag frozen peas

 

Preparation

Turn your oven broiler on.

Wrap scrubbed spuds loosely in paper towels and microwave for 4 – 5 minutes on each side; they will be soft to the touch when ready. Place potatoes in medium bowl, add all ingredients but the frozen foods and 1/2 cup of salsa and mash with a potato masher or large fork.

Microwave steam frozen veggies and peas in microwave-safe container. Season with a little sea salt and ground pepper to taste and add the remaining salsa; I used more of the same spices used in the potato mixture too. Feel free to experiment here, I like to change the herbs and spices used as much as possible.

Transfer veggie mixture into glass baking dish (I used individual dishes so I didn’t have to do anything after broiling) and spread mashed potato mixture evenly across the top. I ran a fork across to help with even cooking and it looked cool to me. Sprinkle with a little more paprika and broil for 5 to 10 minutes until a golden crust appears. Remove from oven, let cool, and store in fridge.

We had this meal today for Meatless Monday and Kelley really liked it. So, I guess I have one more day of a happy life with my happy wife. I only hope tomorrow’s food is good enough for another day of bliss!

Do you try to make your loved one happy with food?