Posted by Zora Tabin ·
Two AIP Pie Crusts for the Holidays!
Dietary restrictions often feel just like that, restricted. There’s a reason that many of the indulgent foods that we daydream about are gone: they really make us feel like crap. In my experience, this time of year means holiday get-togethers full of (delicious) sweets with too many grains and refined sugars that leave me feeling heavy, crampy, bloated, and sleepy.
Fall Alternative Recipes For a Healthier Holiday Season
This year, I’m committing to finding and sharing alternative recipes that make sense for our family and hopefully, your family and friends. Food that satisfies those inevitable holiday cravings without leaving us all feeling like absolute crap.
While I personally get to follow my mother’s mantra, “a little bit of everything won’t kill you”, I stick mainly to the PaleoAIP diet. I’m trying to find alternative recipes that are:
- Grain-free and gluten-free
- Low or no added sugar
- High in fiber and micronutrients
- If meat is included, it is 100% grass-fed and free-range
What do you look for in alternative recipes for fall?
If you struggle with autoimmune conditions, I especially feel for you during this time of year. I’m always looking to have an option or alternative in these recipes. But, I’m not an expert, so if you have better replacements, please let me know in the comments below!
Two AIP & Paleo Pie Crust Recipes
Click here for a printable PDF version!
Pie Crust: the quintessential fall and winter baked good. As soon as it’s sweater weather, I am daydreaming of apple rhubarb or pumpkin pie. While that buttery and flakey goodness is mouth-watering, it leaves me and my family feeling SO lethargic. So, I’ve been experimenting with some AIP and Paleo alternatives made from Otto’s Cassava flour, and I’ve landed on these two recipes. There is a sweet option, for traditional pies, and a savory option for meat pies or quiches (if you can enjoy eggs).
AIP Paleo Raw Honey Pie Crust Recipe
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooling Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes
Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, AIP Friendly, Paleo Friendly, Nut-Free
Makes: 2 Pie Crusts
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 3 cups cassava flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup cold coconut oil
- ½ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 TBSP raw honey (check out why I love raw honey)
- ½-1 cup ice water
Directions:
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cold coconut oil to the dry mixture and use a fork to cut the coconut oil into the flour so that it is in small chunks all throughout the mixture. Don’t use your hands, as the heat from them will melt the coconut oil.
If you have a food processor, feel free to chop the coconut oil into the flour mixture that way.
- Add honey to mixture. Feel free to add more than I have listed if you love honey and a little extra sweetness!
- Slowly add ice cold water to mixture until it can just be shaped into a ball without crumbling apart too easily.
- Form the dough roughly into a ball (don’t handle too much, you’re too hot 😜).
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour (or overnight if you want to prep this early).
- Once you pull your dough out of the fridge, preheat oven to 350°.
- Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Roll out to ⅛” thick.
- Lay over your favorite, cute pie pan and press it in. No need to grease the pan! When the coconut oil bakes, it will keep the crust from sticking.
- Poke holes in the crust (make sure to get the sides) with a fork.
- Par bake the crust for 20 minutes until is has a pale golden color.
- Add your favorite AIP pie filling that you have already caramelized in a pot. My favorites: granny smith apple and fig, anything with rhubarb, or lemon and berries.
- Bake for another 10-20 minutes until the sides of the crust are a full golden brown.
- Remove, cool, and enjoy! If you can enjoy dairy, I love to throw some plain greek yogurt on top instead of traditional whipped cream or ice cream. It adds some creaminess, a little more healthy protein, and is good for your gut.
AIP Paleo Savory Rosemary Pie Crust Recipe
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cooling Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes
Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, AIP Friendly, Paleo Friendly, Nut-Free
Makes: 2 Pie Crusts
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 3 cups cassava flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup cold coconut oil
- ½ cup arrowroot starch
- ½-1 cup ice water
- ½ cup fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 TBSP dried rosemary)
Directions:
The directions for this crust are the same as above with a couple minor changes:
- Skip step 3 (unless you want honey in this crust, rosemary honey could be a match made in heaven)
- After step 4, add fresh chopped rosemary and lightly mix it into your dough without stirring vigorously
- Savory dough is perfect for a twist on a traditional sweet potato pie or as a base for a quiche (I love this veggie-packed paleo quiche recipe) or meat pie.
Wondering about AIP?
In case you are new to the term Autoimmune Paleo Protocol Diet (AIP), it is a slightly more restrictive version of the Paleo diet. Along with the foods you cannot eat on the Paleo diet, AIP eliminates nightshades, alcohol, eggs, nuts, and seeds. These foods have nutritional benefits and are not harmful to everyone. But for some, eliminating them from their diet reduces inflammation, supports more prosperous gut health (no more leaky gut), and helps combat the frustrating, chronic effects of autoimmune diseases.
Once your body has adjusted to the much more limited food selection and you feel better, you can slowly reintroduce foods. The process will give you a greater understanding of what triggers your own immune system. For more information on this, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne from The Paleo Mom provides detailed, step-by-step information about the AIP diet.
If you are looking for AIP snacks and meals to take on the go, start shopping here.
I can't wait to see everything you come up with! Share with us on social media with #weonlyputfoodinourfood.
Happy holidays,
Zora Tabin (Founder, Mom & Healthy Snack Enthusiast)
2 comments
- Tags:
- Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
- Dessert
- Paleo
- Recipes
