Lemon Bars
Preheat oven to 350ยบ
Oil a 10x10 or 9x13 pan (I like the 10x10 for a slightly thicker crust)
In a food processor, blend:
1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
2 cups brown rice flour
pinch of salt
3 T ground flax seed
Add:
1 stick Earth Balance "butter," softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Pulse until blended.
Press dough into the oiled pan and bake for 20 minutes.
While the crust bakes, blend in food processor:
1 cup silken tofu
2 cups organic cane sugar
6 T brown rice flour
6 T lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
grated rind of 2 lemons
Mix:
1 T agar powder with 1/4 cup boiling water.
(If using agar flakes instead of powder, you need 6 times more, or 6 T)
Add to lemon mixture and blend well
Pour lemon topping over the hot crust and bake 35 minutes more. Cool completely before cutting - in the fridge is OK. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. These are best kept in the refrigerator.
NOTES: I used organic cane sugar because it's the "whitest" natural sugar I could find here. The lemon bars will not be as bright yellow as if you used bleached sugar, but who cares. Also, you can make your own powdered sugar by buzzing it up in a coffee grinder. I have one that I keep just for food, not coffee. Same with ground flax seeds. It takes about 5 seconds.
The original recipe can be found in People Magazine, May 14, 2012, however I see a note on the page saying that Katie's recipe was adapted from Loukoumi's Celebrity Cookbook, by Nick Katsoris. I love how recipes evolve!
