Pie For Breakfast

When I was a kid, my dad would occasionally eat leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast. I thought it was the ultimate in adult self-indulgence. When it was offered to me it just felt too hedonistic, even for a kid. That would be something that I would earn over time, along with wrinkles and paying for babysitters…

So here I am, a hundred years later, having met the above qualifications outlined by my juvenile sensibilities. And what do I do with my adult liberties? Feed pie to my kids for breakfast! Not because I am making up for my childhood asceticism, but because I am confident in the healthy ingredients making for a nutritious meal. Not only do I feed them pie, but also rice pudding. Both are staples in our home; they make great after-school snacks and dessert, the amount of sugar can be modified, extra eggs can be added, you can use your choice of milk, and one can choose to use a pie crust or not. We make more “pudding” than actual pie in our home. Keep in mind that anytime you combine milk, eggs and heat, it will eventually gel into a custard, the exact proportions can vary. The texture will be dictated by the ratio of eggs to milk.

My youngest, Xander, who is almost two, has a legendary “thing” for pie. It was one of his first words – sounds more like “bye” than pie. It can be a bit deflating to pull a toddler out of his crib first thing in the morning to be met with “Bye!” unless one knows how to read the timing and inflection. Regardless, today was his lucky morning. Links to recipes for his waking delights: Pumpkin Pie (or pudding), Almond Pie Crust (gluten-free!).

Pumpkin Pie with Almond Crust (gluten-free!)

Pumpkin Pie (or pudding)
1 can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup cream or any kind of milk (cow's, rice, almond, etc)
1/4 C. maple syrup plus 2 Tbsp. molasses* (or 1/3 cup maple syrup)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla

Blend, pour into crust or greased baking dish and bake at 350F 35-45 min. Serve with whipped cream!

*The molasses will make the pie much darker, more brown than orange, and it will add a lot of flavor and nutrition. Molasses is naturally high in iron, potassium, magnesium and B vitamins.

Almond Crust
Adults love this but sometimes it is too rich for the wee ones. Give it a try and if they don’t like it, have them scoop out the filling and you can eat their crust!

1 cup ground almonds (aka “almond meal”)

¾ cup rice flour (any flour will do, just keep in mind that some flours are more absorbent than others requiring additional shortening)

3/8 cup butter, melted, or coconut oil

¼ cup Rapadura Whole Organic Sugar*

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine and press into buttered and floured pie pan. Add pie filling and cook according to pie recipe. Any crust that sticks out above pie filling will get quite dark.

You can also pre-bake at 325 F for 30 min. for a fully baked pie crust for cold or pre-cooked pie filling. A great alternative to a graham cracker crust!

* Rapadura Whole Organic Sugar is dried, unrefined, naturally evaporated sugar cane juice. The processing method allows the sugar to retain its original natural vitamins and minerals and in the end it is still a “whole food” unlike the white refined sugar found in packaged and processed foods.

Almond Pie Crust

Adults love this but sometimes it is too rich for the wee ones. Give it a try and if they don’t like it, have them scoop out the filling and you can eat their crust!

1 cup ground almonds (aka “almond meal”)
¾ cup rice flour (any flour will do, just keep in mind that some flours are more absorbent than others requiring additional shortening)
3/8 cup butter, melted, or coconut oil
¼ cup Rapadura Whole Organic Sugar*
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp vanilla extract

Combine and press into buttered and floured pie pan. Add pie filling and cook according to pie recipe. Any crust that sticks out above pie filling will get quite dark.

You can also pre-bake at 325 F for 30 min. for a fully baked pie crust for cold or pre-cooked pie filling. A great alternative to a graham cracker crust!

* Rapadura Whole Organic Sugar is dried, unrefined, naturally evaporated sugar cane juice. The processing method allows the sugar to retain its original natural vitamins and minerals and in the end it is still a “whole food” unlike the white refined sugar found in packaged and processed foods.

Rice Pudding

This recipe is modified from my well-worn copy of The Joy of Cooking. Whenever I make brown rice for a meal I make extra so that we have it available for rice pudding. It is easy to cook the rice pudding in the oven at night before bed, refrigerate it and have a nutritious breakfast waiting for the family in the morning!

1-2 c. of cooked brown rice, set aside. (If you use less rice it will be more custard-ey, if you use more rice the rice will absorb much of the moisture and it will be starchier, almost loaf-like.)

Combine and beat well, then add to rice:
1 1/3 c. milk
1/8 tsp sea salt
4-6 Tbsp. Rapadura sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Add:
1/3 c. raisins, dates or currants. Coconut can be a great addition too.

Grease a baking dish (the depth and size of the dish will influence how long the custard needs to cook.) Put mixture in dish and bake at 350 until set, about 45 min. 6-8 servings.