Three’s Company Pie (aka Chocolate, Peanut Butter, ‘n Banana Pie) wheat-free option, gluten-free option, soy-free

All combinations here are winners – chocolate and peanut butter, banana and peanut butter, and chocolate and banana.   Together, three’s company, not a crowd!

1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
2/3 cup natural organic peanut butter (can also use a nut butter like cashew or almond, see note)
1 cup ripe banana, sliced (not too overripe as for banana bread, but just lightly flecked)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 ½  tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp (little scant) sea salt (see note)
3/4 cup plain or vanilla non-dairy milk

1 prepared whole-grain pie crust (I use Wholly Wholesome brand) or  can use “Rustic Pie Crust”* or “Gluten-Free Pie Crust”*
 *recipes for these wheat-free and gluten-free crusts will be in LTEV.

Toppings:
1 - 2   medium-large ripe banana, sliced
½ - 1 tsp orange or lemon juice (to toss with bananas to prevent discoloration; use full tsp if using 2 bananas)
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ cup chopped peanuts (or other nuts)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Fit a metal or glass bowl over a saucepan on medium-low heat and filled with several inches of water (or use a double-boiler). Add the chocolate chips to bowl and stir occasionally as water simmers (not boils), letting chocolate melt. While chocolate is melting, in a food processor, first combine peanut butter with the banana, process through, and then add the cocoa, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.  Puree, scraping down sides and base of bowl as needed to incorporate the sticky peanut butter.  Then add milk and puree through again until fully incorporated (again scraping sides and base of bowl to work in stickier parts of mixture). Once chocolate is melted, add to food processor and purée with peanut butter mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Pour mixture into pie crust (scraping out all filling) and tip pie back and forth gently to evenly distribute filling.  Bake for 20 minutes.  The pie will be firmer around the edges and a little looser in the centre, but it will set further as it cools. Carefully remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely (refrigerate if needed) before adding toppings.  In a small bowl, toss banana slices with juice.  Then, layer bananas (very random/rustic) on pie, use a fine sieve to dust the cocoa powder over top bananas, and then sprinkle the peanuts over top of everything.  Slice and serve!

Ingredients 411:  Some natural peanut butters contain salt.  Try to find a brand without salt.  If the brand you have does have salt, reduce salt from ¼ tsp to just a pinch.

If This Apron Could Talk:  This pie freezes very well, if you have leftovers.  Slice in portions, pop in an airtight container and then freeze.  Take out sometime later when you need a fix!

Another pretty way to decorate this cake is to dust it lightly with some powdered sugar.  Simply use about 1 tbsp of powdered sugar, place in a fine sieve, and tap it lightly over the pie to dust and decorate.

Serves 6-8.

Recipe from Let Them Eat Vegan.

Banana Pecan Rice Pudding Pie

(from eat, drink & be vegan)
 If you like rice pudding, you will want to inhale this dish! It is so creamy, sweet and comforting, it is surprising that whole-grain brown rice is used instead of white rice. The sliced bananas add natural sweetness to the pudding, and the sugar-pecan sprinkle topping… well that makes it even more ridiculously delicious!

Pudding Mixture:
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
2/3 cup coconut milk (regular or lite for lower fat)
¼ cup brown rice syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ – ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
¼ tsp sea salt (rounded)
3 cups cooked short-grain brown rice (see note)
1 cup ripe (but not overripe) banana, sliced (one small-medium banana)

Topping:
¼ cup pecans, crushed
3 tbsp unrefined sugar (see note)
¼ – ½ tsp cinnamon
couple pinches sea salt
½ – 1 tsp organic canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, first combine the arrowroot with a few tablespoons of the coconut milk. Whisk through until the arrowroot is fully dissolved and incorporate. Then, add the remaining coconut milk, and stir through. Whisk in the brown rice syrup until mixed through. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and then stir in the brown rice and sliced banana. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled (wipe bottom and sides with a smear of canola oil) 9 ½” glass pie plate. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients, working mixture with your fingers until a little crumbly. Sprinkle topping over rice mixture. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes or longer. (The pudding will thicken more as it cools.) Spoon out mixture into bowls and serve, surrounded by a little vanilla non-dairy milk if you like.  Serves 4-6.

Note: Cook your brown rice in advance. Some night that you plan to have brown rice with your dinner, cook an extra cup or so. Then, store the 3 cups of extra rice in the refrigerator, and you can put this recipe together in a snap… in fact, you can make this dish the night before then bake first thing in the morning.

Note: Coconut milk, either lite or regular, gives a buttery richness to this pudding, though you can use any non-dairy milk you like, including rice, soy, almond, or oat milk. If using vanilla non-dairy milk, you may not need as much brown rice to sweeten the mixture.