Mariah, here is my recipe for an oil-based pie crust. It is not "flaky" like a crust made with shortening, but it is very good and tasty. You roll it out between wax paper. I think you could add some natural sweetener to the dough for a sweeter pie. I also use it for quiche. I'm including my lowfat quiche recipe too, you and your hubby might like it. It's an easy, relatively painless way to add tofu to your diet. The crust sounds like it might go well with apple pie too! Pie Crust Mix together: 2 cups whole wheat PASTRY flour 2 tsp. salt (or a little less, depending on how strict your diet is) Here's where you could add a TBLSP of natural sugar Put 4 TBLSP COLD water into 1/2 cup of canola oil. Stir until bubbles are uniformly distributed. Pour liquid into flour mixture and stir. Separate into 2 piles and roll out between wax paper. Will hang together once it's rolled out. Low Calorie Quiche (from "Vegetarian Times" magazine) Crust: 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground into flour in a food processor (or oat bran) 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup unbleached white flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. baking powder 1/4-1/3 cup canola oil 2 TBLSP lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp. honey 2-3 TBLSP cold water 1-2 tsp. sesame seeds Mix dry ing. together. Drizzle in oil until mixture looks like coarse sand. Add lemon, honey and 2 TBLSP water until the dough forms a ball. Add more water if necessary. Roll out between wax paper. Can sprinkle the pan first with sesame seeds. Prick crust on sides and bottom. Prebake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Note: sesame seeds are undigestible whole. Toast them LIGHTLY in the oven, then grind in the blender or food processor, but not too much or you'll end up with tahini, lol! Store in the fridge and use as a topping for rice dishes, etc. Quiche Filling ing. 1 tsp. water or olive oil 1 cup minced onion 1 tsp. minced garlic (or less!) 3 cups small broccoli florets 1-2 TBLSP water 2 large egg whites 10 oz package soft, silken tofu (Mori Nu brand comes in a cardboard box and you can keep it on the shelf, so you can stock up when you hit a big city with a comprehensive grocery or health food store, but there are other brands out there which might be at your local store too) 1 TBLSP prepared dijon mustard 1 tsp. dried basil or rosemary 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. white pepper 1-2 TBLSP grated parmesean cheese (you can substitute nutritional yeast for the parmesean. Nutritional yeast is NOT brewer's yeast, which is a nutritional supplement. Nutritional yeast is a yellow, flaky powder, is a great cheese substitute for sprinkling. You'll find it in the refrigerator section of a health food store. Store it in your fridge at home.) Heat the oil or water in a skillet over med. heat. Add onion and sautee 3-5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and broccoli and 1-2 TBLSP water. Steam until broccoli is bright green, about 2 min. Drain veggies if watery. Place in the pre-baked crust. Whip egg whites until frothy. Add tofu, spices and parmesean. Blend until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Can garnish with red pepper strips if desired, but not necessary. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min. Watch the crust edges!

OH this is so going to be made for Christmas dinner.. I have everything but the gingersnaps..but Midel makes a Gluten Free GSnap that I love..so it will be GF too.. oh and I don't have rum extract..but I do have vanilla beans that have been curing in rum for a month plus...perfect! Thanks Michael for sleuthing this one out!

This was a huge hit on Xmas Eve (so we're making it again tonight!) Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Ganache: Crust (or just use a bought Oreo cookie crumb crust, like I did!): 1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs 1/3 cup butter, melted Filling: 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 8-oz package cream cheese 1 cup smooth peanut butter 2 Tbsp. soft butter 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 1 cup confectioners sugar Topping: 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used 2 3-oz Scharfenberger bars) 1/2 cup whipping cream Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Combine crumbs and melted butter and pat into 9" pie plate. Bake until firm and solid, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Filling: In medium-sized bowl, whip the cream and refrigerate until needed. In large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, then butter, then vanilla. Beat in confectioners sugar until fluffy. Fold about 1/4 of the cream into the mixture to lighten it up, then fold in the rest. Use a light hand -- but don't leave any streaks either. Fill crust with peanut butter mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 3 hours. Topping: Finely chop the chocolate bar. Put in small bowl. Heat the cream until bubbles form. Pour over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts. Let cook, then spread over pie. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Possible garnishes: A row of chopped peanuts around the outside edge, or mini-reese's peanut butter cups, cut in half. I didn't use either. (I got this recipe from RecipeZaar).

I have an oil crust recipe from the WWII era that makes an acceptably tender crust. And I use extra virgin olive oil all the time in pie crusts and other baked goods - often in combination with butter. It doesn't taste olive-y at all, IMPE, just extra rich. Oil Pastry 2 cups flour 1/2 cup oil 1 tsp. salt approx. 6 Tbsp ice water Stir salt into flour. Pour oil and water into a container, do not stir them, then pour into flour/salt mix. Stir until dough forms. Roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper - no extra flour necessary. Makes a tender, crumbly crust. Don't be alarmed if it seems too wet and soupy at first, the dough firms up as you mix it.