16 Slow Cooker Recipes That Are Both Healthy Delicious

---

Ambitious Kitchen 16 Slow Cooker Recipes that are Both Healthy & Delicious16 delicious and healthy slow cooker recipes to make year-round! With nourishing soups and stews, plus delicious tacos and chilis, these slow cooker recipes will be your new favorites to feed a crowd or meal prep for the week. It’s officially 30 degrees here in Chicago and I’m starting to think that summer was only [...]
The post 16 Slow Cooker Recipes that are Both Healthy & Delicious appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.
A Sweet Pea Chef 5-Ingredient Coconut Oil Pie Crust RecipeThis coconut oil pie crust can easily be doubled to make two pie crusts for pies with a top and bottom and it’s perfect for anything from pumpkin pie to cherry pie! Plus, it’s dairy free, vegan, and easy to make.

A few years ago, I tested this clean pie crust recipe out for Thanksgiving and I never looked back ever since.
And it’s time to tell you everything about it.
If you’re sad that you have to pass on the pie this Thanksgiving or you are looking for healthy pie crust alternatives, you can be happy because this pie crust is healthy, clean, and free of refined ingredients. It’s also a dairy free pie crust. Actually, it’s not only dairy free, but also a vegan pie crust. Woot.
Yes, this is time to rejoice
And eat pie! What kind of pie? ALL kinds of pie!
I’ve used this no butter pie crust for pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pie so far (numerous times, let me tell you) and it’s always a delicious, flaky, and flavorful crust.
My kids even eat the crust more than the filling in their pies!  I mean…  Right?
You can easily double this easy pie crust recipe to make a bottom crust and a top crust or make it as is for just the bottom crust. Or to refrigerate it or freeze it for later.
So…what I’m saying here is… imagine any pie — any pie at all — and know now that you can make a clean crust for it.
Pretty exciting, right?
And that’s not even getting to pot pies, people.
Things are looking up!
And pssst!  Stay tuned for some healthy pie recipes at the end of this post.

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PIE CRUST So, let’s go over the reasons why this pie crust without butter is a better option for you, shall we?
no refined sugar <— instead, we use coconut sugar no refined flour <— instead, we use whole wheat pastry flour no lard or butter <— instead, we use coconut oil it’s vegan <— if you’re into that sorta thing super easy <— just mix, shape, and roll! BTW I’ve also used spelt flour for this pie crust which worked nicely, but there’s something really great about the whole wheat pastry flour.  It doesn’t have that heavy “whole wheat” flavor you think of when you hear whole wheat, but it bakes like a normal flour you’re probably used to, but without the refined stuff.  You could also use an almond flour for a paleo option.

MAKING COCONUT OIL PIE CRUST Now, I know there are some of you who refuse coconut oil because you or a loved one hates the smell and flavor of coconut.  If this is the case and you’re worried about the coconut flavor coming through, look for “unrefined, virgin coconut oil” as that has the least heat involved in the processing so it has the least strong flavor.
And you get a vegan pie crust that is actually good for you.
I really think you should try it because coconut oil makes a healthier pie crust that tastes very good, in my opinion.
But, to be fair, I heart coconut oil.
Guys, I’m like seriously in love with coconut oil – it can work MAGIC in foods like cheesecake and dark chocolate peanut butter cups.  And PIES!  So amazeballs.
MAGIC, I TELL YOU!

IS COCONUT OIL GOOD FOR YOU? The “is coconut oil good for you?” controversy seems to be a pretty heated debate these days.  It’s like the new eggs.
Why? Because coconut oil is high in fat. However, plant-based fats, like coconut oil, contain other substances that are good for you. Like antioxidants.
And, as long as you don’t use coconut oil in every single meal you’re making, coconut oil is actually very good for you.

OTHER BUTTER ALTERNATIVES I already told you about the virgin coconut oil you can use if you don’t like the flavor of regular coconut oil. If that’s still not good enough for you, there are other healthy butter alternatives you can try to make this easy flaky pie crust.
You can substitute butter for:
vegetable oil. Use ¾ cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter. pureed avocado. I never tried this before but some people say it’s amazing. olive oil – you can use ¾ cup of olive oil for every cup of butter requested by the recipe. However, olive oil has quite a strong flavor so it alters the taste of the healthy pie crust so I wouldn’t use it to make sweet pies. It works great for meat pies and pot pies though. HOW TO BLIND BAKE PIE CRUST Wondering how to blind bake this coconut oil pie crust?
In case you don’t know what blind baking means, well, simply put, it means pre-baking the pie crust and adding the filling only after the crust is baked.
Is it necessary to blind bake the coconut oil pie crust? No, not for all pie recipes. Only for those that require it. Blind baking helps to prevent overcooked pie filling so if the recipe requires, you should definitely do it. It’s not hard at all.
Here’s how to blind bake this pie crust with coconut oil – bake the oil pie crust with weights on:
place the coconut oil pie crust in the pan; line the crust with parchment paper; add pie weights, such as uncooked rice or dried beans, to fill approximately 2/3 of the pie; bake until the pie crust is half done; remove the weights; bake until well done. The weights allow for the pie to stay put while it bakes so it doesn’t rise up or bubble.  It’s not to give it muscles.  LOL.
CAN YOU MAKE PIE CRUST AHEAD OF TIME? Making pies is time-consuming, especially during the holidays when you have to prep and cook so many dishes and side dishes. The good news is this dairy free pie crust is a great make ahead pie crust.
This healthy pie crust recipe can be made ahead of time and…
refrigerated unbaked and wrapped in plastic wrap for 3 days; stored in the freezer unbaked and wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. To make it ahead of time, just follow the steps above for the blind bake and have it ready to go!

2 MORE HEALTHY PIE RECIPES Keep this vegan pie crust recipe handy because Thanksgiving is coming and I’m pretty sure you’ll need it.
Now the exciting part – what to do with our low-calorie pie crust? PIE! Of course. What type of pie? Let’s see… we have pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and pumpkin pie. OMG yum, right?
HEALTHY PECAN PIE Easy to make and delicious, this Healthy Pecan Pie made with our flaky oil pie crust is the perfect dessert during the Fall months.

You can make this pecan pie as a dessert for Thanksgiving if you want a delicious alternative to pumpkin pie. Get the recipe.
SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO PIE This Southern Sweet Potato Pie is made from scratch with whole, unrefined ingredients and is a popular pie here in the South.

Sweet and yummy, this is how Southern Sweet Potato Pie tastes like if you never had a slice. But mine is extra special because it’s healthy. Get the recipe.

5-Ingredient Coconut Oil Pie Crust

This coconut oil pie crust can easily be doubled to make two pie crusts for pies with a top and bottom and it’s perfect for anything from pumpkin pie to cherry pie! Plus, it’s dairy free, vegan and easy to make.
1/2 cup coconut oil, (softened but not liquid) 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp coconut sugar 6-8 tbsp ice water, (plus more if needed) To get the coconut oil solid so we can break it into pieces, spread out the coconut oil into an even layer over a sheet of parchment paper and then place into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes to fully harden. In a food processor, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, sea salt and coconut sugar. (You could also combine in a large bowl and mix with your hands.) Pulse the food processor a few times to mix. Break the hardened coconut oil into small chunks. Add the pieces of hardened coconut oil, pulsing just as much as necessary to break the pieces into even pea-size lumps. Add ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between, until the dough sticks to itself when pinched. (I always need more water, but I start with just 4-5 tbsp. to be safe.) Remove flour mixture from the food processor and place onto a clean, dry, flat surface, then gently shape into a disk. If the dough is too crumbly and refuses to cooperate, you can add more water, tablespoon by tablespoon, as needed. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least 10 minutes. Remove the chilled disk from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to make it easier to roll out. Flour your surface with more of the whole wheat pastry flour. Using a rolling pin on your well-floured surface, roll out dough to form an approximate 12-inch circle. Be sure to continue to flip the dough over and generously flour each side so as not to have the rolled-out dough stick to the surface. (If it doesn’t cooperate, despite heavy flouring, roll it back up into a ball and start again. That’s ok.) Place the rolled-out dough onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it meets the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Using a knife, carefully trim the dough around the top edge of the pie dish, leaving about a 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch overlap. Fold the edge of the over and under the edge of itself, pressing together. You could leave the edge as is, or to style it more, you can either crimp the edges using your thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Now, all you need to do is fill this pie crust with your filling and you’re good to go!
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
The post 5-Ingredient Coconut Oil Pie Crust Recipe appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

---