Banana Peanut Butter Avocado Pie

Weird creations! Remember the Celery 'N' Peanut Butter Cake? Well, celery and peanut butter is a good combo, but it's not usually put into cake unless someone weird like me makes a cake out of it. This pie, however is different. Banana + peanut butter is a common combo, but avocado with that? Strange.

What's one to do with so many avocados? Drink a Chocolate Banana Avocado Smoothie for breakfast, and eat a Banana Peanut Butter Avocado Pie for dessert . . . or lunch (it's healthy enough, right?).

It's actually pretty good. You wouldn't know it had avocado in it if it weren't for the strange color. Thick and creamy no-bake banana peanut butter filling poured into a simple press-in-the-pan pie crust. You want to try it yourself?

Banana Peanut Butter Avocado Pie
Hanunyah Creation
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free

2 avocados
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 bananas
1/4 cup brown sugar
7 quail eggs or 2 chicken eggs
Press-in-the-Pan Oil Pie Crust (recipe below) or your favorite pie crust, baked and cooled

Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or blender. Pour into the baked and cooled crust. Chill for a few hears or overnight. You may also freeze the pie.

Press-in-the-Pan Oil Pie Crust
Adapted from the Pillsbury Cookbook

1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. The mixture should stick together and form a rough ball. Press into a 9" pie pan and bake at 425F for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.


~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays @ Blessed with Grace
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Banana "Ice-cream" with Toasted Coconut and Almonds

 A breakfast creation of mine that my father has asked for a couple times now :). Very healthy and yummy. The nutritional quail eggs add a delightfully rich flavor to the creamy, frozen bananas combined with the flavor of toasted coconut and the crunch of almonds.


Banana "Ice-cream" with Toasted Coconut and Almonds


Hanunyah Creation
gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, corn-free, soy-free

Simply blend up 4 quail eggs and 2 bananas in a high-speed blender (Vita-Mix). Place a few tablespoons of flaked coconut and a small handful of raw almonds on a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds*. Top the banana mixture with the almonds and toasted coconut.

Notes:
*You may toast the coconut in the oven instead, if desired. 

~ Hanunyah

Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

Secret Ingredient Milk-Free Chocolate Pudding

The cat's out of the bag . . . on my Facebook page. But the somewhat neglected blog should have an update ;).

In the very beginning of this month, it was quite warm. Now, it's chilly. Winter time! Many layers of clothes, frozen water buckets, and kids. Kids! 3 were born this morning. (You know I'm talking about goats, right? No, I don't have 3 more siblings [though I wish]) :). They're all doelings!  Little girls, and a big mama - who we'd been waiting to have babies for months . . . we don't like unknown due dates. Ya know what else is unknown about this goat deal here? The dad was supposed to be a boer. Yeah, right. These babies: Loud screamers, they've got color and they're small - I think a Nigerian is the sire. So, 3 cute mutt babies!

Oh, the pudding! If you're not a "goat person" then I may have lost you :). Creamy, good ol' chocolate pudding. Made no-cook, fast, easy and milk-free - no dairy, coconut or almond milk, which makes this dairy and nut-free. No, gluten, corn or soy. Grain and Refined-sugar free!

The con about this recipe: It's not egg-free or vegan. For those who can't have eggs - sorry, this recipe simply won't work without eggs. But, something probably could be substituted for the honey.

An egg-based, not egg-taste recipe. Chocolate pudding! My sister also made a YouTube video showing how to make this simple chocolate pudding, but I'm also putting it below.

Surprise Ingredient Chocolate Pudding
Adapted from Snacks
(Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Corn-free, Grain-free, Refined Sugar-free)

1/2 cup honey*
1 cup water
4-5 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

In a vita-mix or blender, add the honey and water and blend. Add the cocoa and hard-boiled eggs and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes at the most. The pudding can be served immediately, but it thickens more if chilled.

Notes:
*The honey can be adjusted by personal preference. You may also try using a different sweetener.

Did you watch that video? Yep, she's a little weirdo :). A great sister, tho. I think her fav song right now is "A joyful heart is good medicine" - haha! She likes to "be weird" and make people laugh. The second oldest of my 6 lovely sisters :).

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative
Gluten-free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama and 2 other blogs
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
The WCFS Award Show @ Will Cook for Smiles
Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

It's Spring; Simple Pudding

Blogging has been on the back burner here, and so has some pudding. But since you can't leave pudding on the back burner for long, here I am, bringing it to the front. Especially if you put loads (well, tablespoon loads) of vanilla, a little cocoa, or some sweet strawberries.

It's spring. By the way, what season does pudding belong in? Probably depends on what kind. If it's as a nice warm custard - fall or winter? How 'bout some fruity, maybe lemony, cool pudding? Or the kind with crunchy cookies and bananas? I think pudding is well fit for any season, especially spring and summer - keep some on hand and make all kinds of yum-yums.

It's spring (it was official about 6 weeks ago). Babies, flowers, beauty, color season.

It's May. Many birthdays in May for us. Today marks the 51st year that someone was born who would become a great father. (p.s. last month, the 12th, was my day of 13 years. No, I didn't make myself a cake, but I did make my family brownies :) ).

Is it time to make an any-time, easy, creamy treat? Have fun with this versatile and quick recipe, which is based on 4 ingredients.

Simple Pudding (Gluten, Cow Dairy, Corn-free)
Hanunyah Creation

1/4 cup gluten-free flour (or cornstarch)
1 cup sugar
4 cups goat milk or non-dairy milk
1/2 cup cocoa, pureed fruit, etc., optional
1 tablespoon vanilla*

1. In a large saucepan, combine the flour, sugar and 1 cup of the milk. Mix well, and add the remaining milk and cocoa or fruit, if desired.

2. Place over high heat, and heat for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.

3. Remove from heat. Add the vanilla and serve chilled.

Notes:
*Add the vanilla to taste.
For a richer pudding, you may add 2 whisked egg yolks after step 2, return to the flame for another minute, and proceed with the recipe.
This recipe may be cut in half for a smaller portion, but I suggest making at least one full recipe - as it's not that much - and keeping it in the refrigerator. It doesn't hurt to throw it in a cake, or as a filling, etc.


~ Hanunyah


Shared at Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays,

Basic, Simple Marshmallows

Homemade mini marshmallows ready to dress up rocky road bars ;) (come back in a day or so!!).

When we learned about our allergies, we realized how simple things can be. These marshmallows are an example. Made with 3 main ingredients, they are much simpler and easier without the corn syrup and preservatives found in most (if not all) marshmallows found in the store.

Plain marshmallows with cranberry marshmallows in the background.

Most people are amazed that marshmallows are very easy to make and only require 3 ingredients (besides the dusting mixture to make them not too sticky).

Why don't you guess what 3 ingredients? I told a friend the other day.
Since marshmallows are white and fluffy, someone said egg whites. Some recipes do call for egg whites, but they are not needed.
Milk? No. Keep guessing.
Sugar? Of course (I know you can make marshmallows without sugar, but that's something else).
Water? Yes.
And gelatin. That one was hard for them to guess. It makes sense, though . . . marshmallows are like fluffy, white jell-o, kind of. That can be toasted over a campfire . . . for a sticky, goo-ey, sweet mess.

Now that's the marshmallow I'm talking about here. But they're better than the store-bought variety (taste-wise). One of my taste-testers (one of my sisters) said that they taste more "real" than store-bought - not fake, but good, homemade candy. Made with real sugar. Not that liquid that some now call "corn sugar".

Basic, Simple Marshmallows (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Egg, Gum-free)
Adapted from Pumpkin Marshmallows

3 (.25 ounce) unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cold water, divided
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup corn-free powdered sugar

1. Uniformly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Pour the 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin on top; set aside for 8 to 10 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.

3. Attach the mixing bowl to the stand mixer with the wire whip attachment and start the mixer on low speed. Carefully and slowly pour the boiling sugar syrup in a steady stream over the gelatin mixture. Increase the mixer to medium-high speed and mix until very thick, shiny, and white in color, about 5 to 12 minutes. When done, the mixture should form a more-or-less continuous ribbon off the spatula into the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally using a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan in an even depth. Let the mixture set at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.

5. Sift the cornstarch and confectioners' sugar into a pie plate or shallow bowl. When the marshmallows have set, turn them onto a work surface and cut them into squares or shapes as desired. You may make several cups worth of mini marshmallows for recipes, or bigger marshmallows for toasting, s'mores, make shapes matching the occasion, etc. Roll each marshmallow in the sugar mixture to coat all sides. Marshmallows are best served fresh, but they can be stored in an airtight container (unrefrigerated) for about a week or in the freezer for a month. If you store the marshmallows, re-roll them in the cocoa mixture before serving.

~ Hanunyah


Linked to Motivate Me Monday by Keeping it Simple, Made By You Mondays by Skip To My Lou, Shindig Saturday by Kims Kandy Kreations and Weekend Wrap-up by Tatertots and Jello

31 for 21: Sparkling Citrus Pie

Fresh grapefruit, lime juice and lemon gelatin are combined in this pie that my sister (who likes citrus) really liked.

Sparkling Citrus Pie

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 (9 inch) gluten-free pie crust, baked

2 grapefruit, peeled, removing all pith

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon rice flour

3/4 cup grapefruit juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1 (3 ounce) package lemon flavored gelatin*

1. Place the grapefruit fruit in the pie crust. Combine the sugar, flour and juice in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Stir in gelatin. Cool slightly. Pour over fruit in the crust. Chill.

~ Hanunyah

Frozen Fruit Dessert Pizza

I made this yesterday. They said it was "different", but good.

Frozen Fruit Dessert Pizza (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Hanunyah Creation


Crust:
1/2 cup lard (we were out, so I used oil)
1/2 cup sugar (I used white)
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, if not corn-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1 1/4 cups rice flour

Topping:
3 pieces fruit of choice*
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all of the crust ingredients. Spread in a greased round baking pan (I use a 11 inch stoneware baking pan). Bake in preheated oven for about 9 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.


2. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a food processor (be sure to remove seeds from fruit). Spread on the cooled, baked crust and put in the freezer. You could also top it with coconut, dried fruit, etc.

Notes:

*I used 1 ripe banana and 2 ripe plums. You may use whatever kind of fruit you want.


~ Hanunyah

Caramel Sauce

You may have noticed that my last couple recipes have a brown sugar sauce in them. It is very quick, simple and easy, and would be great as a dip for apples, or maybe even over ice-cream.

Caramel Sauce (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)

Hanunyah Creation

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup goat milk

1/4 cup lard

Bring sugar and milk to a boil over medium-hight heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add lard. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then beat until thick. Store in the refrigerator, and warm up when ready to serve.

~ Hanunyah

Banana Peanut Butter Layered Dessert

We've been getting slightly over-ripe bananas lately, so we froze most of them, but kept out a couple of bunches for me to bake with. So I made up another creation today ;). They haven't taste-tested this yet.

This is it at the last layer, when I started putting the fluffy stuff on it.

The most time-consuming part of this is making the cookies (that are baked in a pan), pudding and sauce, but still it didn't seem like it took that long.

*Note: You could add chocolate chips to the vanilla cookies (since it is actually my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe), that would be a great addition. If you were going for the chocolate twist, you could even make some of the pudding with cocoa. I didn't do either of these because we are out of chocolate chips and cocoa.

Banana Peanut Butter Layered Dessert (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free)
Hanunyah Creation


3 bananas

Vanilla Cookies:
1/2 cup lard
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder, if not corn-free)
1 1/4 cups rice flour

Peanut Butter Cookies:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar (you can use white)
1 egg

Pudding:
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can use white)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (if not corn-free, 3 tablespoons cornstarch)
2 cups goat milk
3 tablespoons peanut butter

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup lard

Fluffy Topping:
5 egg whites
1/4 cup brown sugar (you could use white)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. For the Vanilla Cookies: Cream the sugar and lard until fluffy. Add the egg and beat. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spread in an 8x8 inch baking pan and bake for 10 minutes (?), until golden brown on top. Cool, and cut into small squares.

2. For the Peanut Butter Cookies: Mix all the ingredients together. Spread and bake in an 8x8 inch pan for 10 minutes (?), until golden brown on top. Cool, and cut into small squares.

3. For the Pudding: In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk a little at a time so the mixture does not have any dry lumps. Place in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes on high. Stir, then cook at 1 minute intervals, stirring between cooking times for 2 to 4 minutes, or until thick. Divide in half. Leave one bowl plain, and add 3 tablespoons peanut butter to one bowl. Cool, and set aside until ready to use.

4. For the Caramel Sauce: Bring sugar and milk to a boil over medium-hight heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add lard. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then beat until thick. Set aside until ready to use.*

5. For the Fluffy Topping: With the mixer on high speed, beat the 5 egg whites until frothy. While still beating, slowly add the sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

6. To Assemble: Slice up 1 1/2 bananas in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Put a layer of the vanilla cookie squares, and pour the peanut butter pudding over it. Slice another 1 1/2 banana over those layers, put a layer of peanut butter cookie squares over it, and pour the other bowl of pudding over it. Pour some caramel sauce over it, and top with the fluffy egg white mixture.

Notes:
*I only used about half of the caramel sauce, so if you have extra store in the refrigerator and make this again or use for something else.


~ Hanunyah

Instant Oatmeal Packets

~ This is my 100th post on this blog! ~

This is a good substitute for the packets in the store. To be sure this is gluten-free, use gluten-free oats and read the labels of the variations you use.

Instant Oatmeal Packets (Gluten-free, and Dairy-free if not using some of the variations below)
From: The Dollar Stretcher Family


3 cups quick oats
salt (optional)
small sized zip bags



Put 1/2 cup oats in a blender and blend on high until powdery. Set aside in a small bowl, and repeat procedure with an additional 1/2 cup oats. If you're using a food processor, you can do the 1 cup of oats in one batch. Put the following ingredients into each zip bag: 1/4 cup quick oats, 2 Tbsp. powdered oats (or oat flour), and 1/8 tsp. salt. Store in an airtight container.


~ To serve: Empty packet into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir and let stand for 2 minutes. For thicker oatmeal, use less water - for thinner oatmeal, use more water. ~

Variations:

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 Tbsp. chopped dried apples.
Sweetened Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. sugar or 1 packet 'Equal' artificial sweetener.
Brown Sugar/Cinnamon Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. brown sugar & 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Oatmeal w/ Raisins & Brown Sugar: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. raisins.
Fruit and Cream Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 Tbsp. non-dairy coffee creamer and 2 Tbsp. dried fruit
Fun Fruit Oatmeal: To each packet add 6 or 7 pieces of 'fruit snack' type dehydrated fruit.
Confetti Oatmeal: To each packet add 1 tsp. decorative cake/cookie sprinkles.
S'More Oatmeal: 

To each packet 

add 6 miniature marshmallows and 1 Tbsp. chocolate chips.

Exploding Oatmeal: 

To each packet 

add 1 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. 'Pop Rocks' candy to each packet. This one is fun for celebration days, such as birthdays.

Update - July 27, 2011: Here is what I have come up with the last 2 times I made this. I may add more if I make up more.

~ My Variations ~

These are flavors I've come up with. Since it is eaten up so fast, I mix it in a big bowl and put it back in the oatmeal container. My brothers and sisters like it in cold milk, so they just scoop out what they want out of the container.

Seeds and Spices Oatmeal: Add poppy seeds, flaxseeds, a little nutmeg, a little ginger, and cinnamon. I made up this flavor and my sister who has been eating my Instant Oatmeal for breakfast every morning said it was really good. She likes this one better than the Maple Nut/Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavor I made today (below).

Maple Nut/Brown Sugar Cinnamon: Add brown sugar, cinnamon, finely ground walnuts and maple extract. I can't taste this since I'm on the GAPS diet, but it smells really good!

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Food on Friday @ Carole's Chatter

No-bake Chocolate Cookie Bars

Here's a no-bake bar recipe I found. The original recipe used graham cracker crumbs, but I used flour, sugar, and molasses in place of the crumbs.

No-bake Chocolate Cookie Bars (Gluten-free, Corn-free, Dairy-free)
Adapted from http://www.foodaphilia.com/


For the crust:
1/2 cup lard or shortening
1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate (4 1/2 tablespoons cocoa and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour
1 cup chopped nuts (I'm sure you could make without)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 1 or 2 tablespoons or so molasses or honey

Line a 9X9 glass dish with non-stick foil or regular foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and chocolate together over low heat.

When the chocolate and butter are completely melted, add the flour, nuts, sugar, water, and vanilla, and molasses and stir to coat. Press this mixture into the prepared pan and stick it in the fridge to cool.

For the frosting layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablesppons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted.

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla and milk and mix thoroughly. Spread the frosting evenly over the chilled crust. Melt the baking chocolate and transfer to a pastry bag or ziploc bag. Cut a tiny hole in the bottom corner of the bag and drizzle the melted chocolate over the frosting in a decorative manner.

Chill the bar until the chocolate is set. Use the foil to remove the bars from the pan, place on a cutting board and use a sharp knife or a pizza wheel to cut the cookie into 16 squares. 

No-bake, No-cook Peanut Butter Cookies

I think this is the easiest and simplest cookie recipe! Just mix everything together, drop on foil and wait to eat.

No-Bake Peanutty Oat Treats

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups gluten-free oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
2 cups (any combination of) raisins, diced dried mixed fruit
, miniature marshmallows, shredded coconut, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips or mini candy-coated chocolate pieces

1. In large bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until firm. Store tightly covered.