vanilla cardamom pear pie

would you be upset if I told you that this was the second time that I've baked this pie? and you knew that I'd been indulging in it's amazing goodness without sharing it with you? I know. I would be too. it's truly one of the most incredible pies that I've ever baked. the flavors blend so wonderfully together with the aromatic scent of cardamom and the sweetness of split vanilla bean. and the crust is so perfectly flaky and buttery, you'll want to make it over and over again. I'm sure of it. just make sure you have someone to share it with so you don't feel guilty when you end up eating the entire pie yourself because it's so darn good.

oh and did I mention it's sugar free? yea... incredible is the word you're looking for.

Vanilla Cardamom Pear Pie

:: for crust ::
3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 sticks chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• blend flour and salt in processor.
• add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms.
• add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry.
• gather dough together. turn dough out onto work surface; divide dough in half. form each half into ball and flatten into disk. wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour {I only did about 40 minutes and it seemed fine}.

:: for filling ::
about 5 or 6 medium sized organic d'anjou pears, sliced thinly
1/3 cup of agave nectar*
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

* if agave nectar isn't your thing or you don't have any in the house or simply forgot to buy it, you can use 1/4 cup of natural cane sugar.

• combine pears, agave nectar, vanilla extract, cardamom and flour in large bowl.
• scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean.
• toss to blend well. let stand until dry ingredients are moistened, about 30 minutes.


:: for pie ::
• preheat oven to 400°F.
• after dough has chilled, roll out 1 pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. trim overhang to 1 inch.
• line another baking sheet with parchment paper. roll out second pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips.
• arrange 6 dough strips in 1 direction across top of pie, spacing apart. working with 1 strip at a time, arrange 6 more strips in opposite direction atop first, lifting strips and weaving over and under, forming lattice. gently press ends of strips to edge of baked bottom crust to adhere. trim overhang.
• bake pie 35 minutes. tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. continue to bake pie until filling bubbles thickly and lattice is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. cool pie on rack.

sunrise carrot muffins

well hello there. I've been a bad food blogger. I've baked and cooked and prepared many dishes that I've photographed then just not had the time to post on here. I know I know, it's like I'm hiding something for you. but these were so good I had to make time after my Sunday morning breakfast to share them with you.

for Christmas, dlb got me this amazing cookbook, Baking with Agave Nectar. ever since I read about it on 101 Cookbooks, I've been coveting it. I'm always on a mission to use less sugar and usually cut the amount of sugar in recipes, so the idea of baking with an alternative to sugar was so appealing to me. you can find agave nectar in the baking section near maple syrup and sugars in a natural foods store. I love it as an alternative to maple syrup on waffles or in place of honey in my oatmeal.

one of the main reasons I love this recipe is because of all of the nutritious things in it. fruits, nuts, veggies and spices, all packed into a wonderful vegan recipe that's just the right amount of sweet. you'll find them disappearing before the day is over.

Sunrise Carrot Muffins
adapted from Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano
makes 16 muffins

:: for muffins ::
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/2 cup dried mango, chopped into small pieces*
12 ounces firm silken tofu
1/4 cup canola oil
2/3 cup agave nectar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots {about 3 small carrots or one giant carrot}
1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

* the original recipe called for raisins, but I have some amazing dried mangos that I brought back from a recent trip to the Philippines. so unless you can find really soft, plump dried mangos, I'd suggest using golden raisins or dried apricots.

• preheat the over to 350 degrees. line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• stir together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. mix in the flaxseeds and dried fruit.
• place tofu, canola oil, agave nectar and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• add the tofu mixture to the flour mixture and combine well.
• fold in carrots, apple and walnuts.
• spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• remove from muffin pan and cool on a rack.