Taco Pie (gluten and dairy free)

Making this dish brings back many fond memories for me.  The recipe was passed along to me from my very best childhood friend at my bridal shower.  Someone came up with the idea of sharing recipes at the shower so all of my closest family and friends filled up a recipe box for me.  It was a great idea and this dish was one that we made weekly after we were married.  It is very simple and yet filling.  As my dietary issues increased over the years, we had to stop making this delicious taco pie.  Something lately triggered this dish in my mind and I realized it wouldn't be very difficult to tweak the recipe.  I was pretty excited to give it a try since it had been years since we had made this dish.

I found a great paleo taco pie crust online and so I started with that base.  You could also very easily make a gluten-free crust and that would work well too.  I liked this crust since it had only a few ingredients and I had them all on hand!  I then just excluded the dairy (sour cream and shredded cheese) and instead added guacamole, salsa, and cilantro on top and it was so good!  I am thankful that over many years of eating differently I have finally become more confident to just make it up as I go.  I have always been a girl who needs a recipe and follows it precisely! My mom would always give directions in the form of a pinch of this or a handful of that and it would drive me crazy! I am thankful I can now just having fun experimenting in the kitchen and learning from all of my kitchen fails that ended terribly!

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup butter or ghee, melted
• 1 tsp salt

Crust Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter and salt.
2. Blend until a doughy texture takes shape.
3. Transfer the dough into a 9 inch pie plate and press it out evenly.
4. Bake for 7-9 minutes in 350 degree F oven.
5. Let it cool completely.

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning ( I make my own to ensure it is gluten and dairy free)
• 1 can refried beans
• 1/2 cup salsa plus extra for topping
• shredded lettuce, cilantro and guacamole for topping
• crumbled tortilla chips for topping

Directions:

• Brown the hamburger and drain completely.
• Add taco seasoning.
• Mix 1 can refried beans and 1/2 cup salsa separately in a medium sized bowl.
• Put bean/salsa mixture on bottom of pie crust, then layer with meat.  Repeat layering sequence.
• Top with crumbled tortilla chips.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.
• Top with desired toppings (lettuce, cilantro, guacamole, salsa).