VEGAN BANANA CREAM PIE W/ A HAZELNUT DATE CRUST

VEGAN BANANA CREAM PIE

w/ a hazelnut date crust

I woke up this morning with such an itch to bake so I was instantly excited when my boyfriend said it was national banana cream pie day. Random yes but an excellent opportunity to try something new. I also had a serious craving for hazelnut so I went out and bought some pura hazelnut agave syrup which is the kind I used in this recipe and it is SOOO GOOD. I mostly drink it in my coffee usually but it was an awesome addition for my pie crust. It gave it just the extra pizzaz it needed. Although I didn't make my own custard for the middle I was really pleased with the gobio vegan custard packet that I bought at one of the local pharmacies here with an awesome vegan food section there. It was my first time trying the custard and although it needs quite a bit of sweetener to be delicious its an excellent base for a cream pie. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to pull off a vegan cream pie for the first time. So here it is. In the name of national banana cream pie day, my vegan banana cream pie. I hope you enjoy! Happy baking. 

*I attached a link to the Pura linkedin below if you want to check them out. They are an awesome local company from Vancouver, BC

Pie crust recipe

1 cup everland organic pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 20 minutes)
1/2 cup bob's red mill organic graham flour
1/2 cup everland organic unbleached white flour
1/4 cup lets do it organic shredded coconut
1/4 cup earth balance melted
2 tablespoons Pura hazelnut agave syrup (link attached here)

*I also left links to the other products I used if you wanted to check out these awesome vegan companies!

Steps

Combine flours in a medium sized bowl with your shredded coconut.  Mix together well with a fork. Next drain your dates and add to your food processor or blender. Add 2 tablespoons of agave syrup and 2 tablespoons spoons of melted earth balance. Blend together for 4 minutes. Add blended dates to the flours and begin to mix together well, pressing down while mixing to pack everything in tight. Once your pie crust has formed into a ball, press your pie crust into a pie  pan. Refrigerate for 5 minutes then bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Once your crust is ready you can make your custard because you'll want your custard to cool before adding it to your pie.

Pie filling recipe

2 cups vanilla almond breeze milk
1 packet goBio organic custard
2 tablespoons cane sugar
2-3 bananas sliced

Steps
Measure 2 cup of almond milk. In a bowl add the contents of the custard packet and 1/4 cup of your milk. In a pot bring your remaining 1 3/4 cup of milk to a boil then slowly add your mixture to the pot once its boiling. Turn down to a low bowl and whisk together until desired consistency. For me it was around 10 minutes. Afterwards pour your custard into a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Next its time to make your pie! You'll need 2 to 3 bananas depending on how much banana you like. Slice them thinly then place slices in your crust. Cover the whole bottom of your crust.
Add your custard to the pie crust and spread evenly. Place one more layer of banana slices on top. Top it all off with your choice of whip cream if your heart so desires. Its delicious on its own. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

VEGAN COCONUT DONUTS WITH MAPLE ICING

I said I was going to post a recipe for baked donuts a looonngg time ago in my first donut post.  Sorry it took me so long! These are so insanely easy to make.  It probably took me a half an hour tops and that includes making icing and baking. The longest part is waiting for them to cool down.  The icing recipe I used is from my maple scone recipe. (There's a link attached here) its an amazing icing recipe thats super versatile. It works great for donuts, danish's and scones! I love making baked donuts because you can eat so many guilt free:) They are much healthier for you and much less oily. I hope you love making and munching these easy, healthy and delicious donuts.

Recipe

Makes 14 donuts

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1/4 cup earth balance, melted

1/2 cup of unsweetened almond breeze

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Combine all your dry ingredients except the sugar into a large bowl. Stir together well with a fork to make sure all the lumps are out and everything is well incorporated.  Melt your butter and pour it into a medium sized bowl. Add your milk, vanilla and sugar. Stir together well with a fork. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour all your wet ingredients into the well. Stir all the ingredients well together with a big wooden spoon. Once it mostly mixed together begin to knead it with your hands. It should form into a doughy ball like this!

*My mom bought me that beautiful rolling pin for christmas. She also bought me the cute green platter and the funky plate. Thanks Mama <3

Once your dough is formed prepare an area on your counter to roll your  dough out. I have a donut cutter so if you don't have one you can cut your dough into thin long strips and form the two ends together by pinching the dough together with your fingers.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. It needs to be about half an inch thick to make the proper size and amount. Begin to cut your donus out. Prepare a lightly oiled baking tray and place the cut donuts on the tray. I used the middle of my donuts to make donut bites too! Place them in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Let them cool for a half hour before icing.

You can get the icing recipe here. Sprinkle your donuts with your favourite toppings and serve!