So I love to travel and I love to eat but last year my surgeon came up to me and said I couldn’t eat what I had been eating and veganism was my new way of life. So after I cried over the loss of my mac n’ cheese and bacon cheeseburgers I took a deep breath and started checking out every Vegan cookbook and blog I could read. Today here I am, over a year later, less tears, and a few tricks up my sleeve. One is making a quick pie for those moments when you forgot you had to bring a dessert…

Lemon Meringue Pie is a party staple. My husband loves lemon and I love pie so it works in our house. Here is my trick Grab frozen vegan pie crust from Whole Foods, some lemon pie filling from just about any grocery store (just check for egg and gelatin most will not have this and be accidentally vegan), dump into the crust and bake to the requirements of the pie mix can. Sometimes you just need to bake the crust so fill it with dried beans to keep it from bubbling on the bottom. Then cool and add filling. Last step is the only real “cooking” part of this. Make a homemade coconut whipped cream topping.

2 cans of cold full fat unflavored coconut milk. (I always keep 2-4 in the fridge these days).

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar (use organic or vegan, easy to find at Whole Foods)

3-4tbsp of tapioca flour

1tbsp of Soy Powder

First I seperate the coconut water from the thick cream in the coconut milk cans and discard the wet stuff, thick cream only please! Then, I dump the coconut cream and all the other ingredients in a bowl and whip with a whisk until it is thick. Feel free to add more flour if needed. Some people sub tapioca for coconut flour but I don’t usually have that in my pantry so tapioca will have to do. Last spread onto the pie curd and whip little curls over the top. Freeze for about 30-60minutes and then throw into the fridge until you leave for the party!