Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My parents came up to visit and attend the 2011 Herb Fair at Bastyr with me. They also brought me items some butternut lettuce and rhubarb from their garden. Butternut lettuce isn't like your typical romaine or leafy green, it literally melts in your mouth with each bite you take. I made a wonderful salad with tomatoes, red onion, celery, sugar snap peas, and avocado. Then topped it off with *crispy walnuts and a dijon mustard vinaigrette. Lettuce grows really well in Seattle, so I'm thinking that after I harvest my spinach I'm going to plant some butternut, because it is just wonderful.

*Sally Fallon has a wonderful recipe for crispy nuts in her book Nourishing Traditions. It takes out the phytic acid and allows the body to absorb more nutrients. Basically by soaking the nuts and then making them crispy in a food dehydrator or the oven on a low temperature.

Recently, I was asked to teach a gardening 101 class at church. I grew up helping my parents garden but I am not a master gardener or even close to being one. In fact I could probably benefit from attending some gardening classes. Overall I think it went well, the women told me afterwards that after my presentation they felt they could try growing an herb garden or make some sprouts in their kitchen. Most of us are students here and don't have room for anything but a few planter boxes so I think it went well.

To thank the women that came to the class I made a strawberry rhubarb pie, using the rhubarb my parents had brought me from their garden. The pie turned out delicious, especially after it was topped off with whipped cream made from coconut milk.

I couldn't do a nut based crust like I usually do since one of the girls there has nut allergies. This one is a mix of ground oatmeal, brown rice flour, quinoa flour, vanilla, and organic palm shortening. I didn't measure it out so I don't have an exact recipe.

I didn't have 2 pie pans so I decided to make it in a large dish. The crust got a little over cooked this way but it still tasted great. However next time I'll make sure to use 2 pie dishes if I double the recipe. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

FILLING

• 3 cups chopped red rhubarb, fresh
• 3 cups largely chopped strawberries
• 1/2 cup organic Turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 dashes of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee

Mix the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, tapioca, zest and juice of lemon, dash of cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well in a large bowl and pour out into chilled crust. Dot the top of the filling with the ghee or coconut oil.

 Roll out the other pie dough and cover the top or cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Crimp to seal edges.

 Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling. Higher altitude will take 450 degrees F and 400 degrees