Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a quintessential holiday treat, but the standard recipe is far from healthy. Eric Lechassuer has created a vegan macrobiotic version that’s both beautiful and delicious. — FMT

Recipe by Eric Lechasseur

Pecan Pie

For The Pie Crust:

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 3?4 cup unbleached flour
• 1?4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1?3 cup maple sugar
• 1?3 cup safflower oil
• 1?4 cup purified water

For The Pecan Filling:

• 1 1?4 cups pecans, crushed
• 2 cups almond-flavored or plain
• Amazake
• 1?2 cup maple sugar
• 1?4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons agar flakes
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot

For The Pie Topping:

• 1 cup pecans, halved

For The Apricot Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons apricot jam
• 3 tablespoons water

To Make The Pie Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add the oil and water, and knead quickly to form a dough. Allow dough to sit for 15 minutes.
4. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle slightly larger than a 9-inch pie pan. (Dough thickness should not exceed 1?4-inch).
5. Gently line the pie pan with the dough, trimming off any excess.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven
   and allow to cool.

To Make The Pecan Filling and Pie:

1. Roast the pecans until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine all the filling ingredients (except for the halved pecans) and whisk together.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until the agar has dissolved.
4. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Arrange the halved pecans on top of the filling. Bake for another 10 minutes.

To Make The Apricot Glaze:

1. In a small saucepan, melt the jam and water together to make a thinner consistency.
2. Glaze the pie then allow to cool.

Love Sanae

Love Sanae

Sanae Suzuki is the co-owner, with Eric Lechasseur, of the organic, vegan macrobiotic café seed, in Venice, California. Her new cookbook, love, sanae, opens with the heartfelt story that inspired her to adopt a macrobiotic lifestyle. While the book includes a full year’s worth of healing recipes and menu ideas, it also features information on including wellness-promoting practices in many parts of a person’s daily routine. The beautiful photography is a feast for the eyes and the indispensible hints, such as how to warm homemade foods without a microwave, make this a book to return to again and again. Sanae demystifies foods like hijiki and pressed green salads and gives a multitude of uses for umeboshi, the fermented pickled plums that stimulate digestion and add a zingy flavor to recipes. It’s a loving gift for someone who wants a user-friendly guide to macrobiotic cooking or someone who wants to try out a new set of delightful healing foods. seedkitchen.com

Favorite Veggie Eats: Readers Weigh In

Having been a vegan for over five years in numerous veg-friendly cities, I have been blessed to eat at so many wonderful vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Favorites tend to be old-time classics, like Angelica Kitchen or Souen in New York City. A recent transplant to California, I am even more spoiled with veg-friendly options and have learned that the best spots are simply the dotted Farmers Markets that span the state.

However, there is a special place in Ventura that time and time again reminds me that good food comes from a kitchen that is aligned physically, spiritually and mentally. Mary’s Secret Garden serves fresh food that is tasty and well-balanced in flavor and health benefits, which makes it my instant favorite. What is even more appealing is that Mary herself runs the place and just like a mom, her hand in everything somehow makes it all taste that much better.

Raw Apple Pie

Try the vegan “BLT” as well as one of the many health beneficial smoothies. Oh yes, and don’t skimp, the desserts are worth spending a few extra lingering minutes to complete a lovely lunch. Closed on Mondays (I have made that mistake!).

Mary’s Secret Garden, 100 South Fir. St. Ventura, CA 93001 Open for lunch 11:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Tuesday and Wednesday, open for lunch and dinner 11:00 A.M. – 9:30 P.M. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For reservations (recommended), call (805) 641 – FOOD.
Maryssecretgarden.com.

Entry by Jennifer Steinwurtzel, a Jivamukti-trained Yoga teacher who is currently interning at Stewart & Brown, an environmentally-conscious fashionable clothing company based in Ventura, California: stewartbrown.com. She can be reached at jlsyoga@me.com.

What’s your favorite veggie restaurant? Write us at: edit@layogamagazine.com.

By Eric Lechasseur

Brian Chance