Healthy(er) Pumpkin Pie or Tarts with a Really Simple Crust (less fat, low glycemic)
My son, Javan, requested that we bake a pumpkin, so of course I had to make pumpkin pie out of it! This recipe could easily be made with canned pumpkin, but if you’ve never tried fresh pumpkin you are missing out! I bought one of the smaller baking pumpkins from Trader Joe’s, cut off the top, cut it in half, scooped out the seeds, placed it on a greased (with coconut oil, because it’s way more stable than olive) baking sheet, and baked it in a convection oven at 350 degrees for about half an hour. My oven actually has a “roast” setting, so I think it cooked the pumpkin faster than a normal oven would…make sure you can easily poke it with a fork before removing it from the oven. I highly recommend letting the pumpkin roast long enough to get a bit brown on the bottom. This caramelization adds a ton of flavor! One pumpkin was enough to make 6 ramekin tarts and a full pie!
For the crust: I really try to avoid using refined flours in my cooking, so the main ingredient in the crusts was almond flour. The amount that you’ll need depends on how much you’re making, so I’m just gonna give you the ratio. Here it is:
- 1 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/4 Cup Gluten Free Pancake Mix
- 1-3 Tbsp Coconut Milk
For a 9 inch pie you should probably double the amounts. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add enough milk to form a ball (only add enough to moisten it, don’t overdo the liquid). Press the dough into an ungreased pan or ramekins. Keep a bowl of water nearby and moisten your fingers as you press…it’ll keep the dough from sticking to you. Before adding the pie filling bake the pressed dough for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven (bake until it’s starting to dry out a little). This was SO much easier than trying to roll out the crust, but if you really want to you can roll it between pieces of extra wide parchment paper (that way you don’t have to worry about it sticking and you don’t have to add a bunch of extra refined flour). If you want a flakier crust cut in a few tablespoons of butter before adding the liquid, but that kind of goes against the healthy factor! We really liked how this tasted without the butter! Almond fat is way better for you than butter fat!
For the filling I’ll share with you what I got from a whole pumpkin, so it’s definitely more than what you’ll need for only one pie. I figure it’s not a bad thing to have extra filling, though…throw it into a separate baking dish, bake until set, and eat it for breakfast the next morning! Here’s the recipe:
3 Cups Roasted Pumpkin
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sweetener of Choice (I used 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup xylitol)
1 Cup Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
1 Cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
2 Tsp Vanilla
3 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tsp Ginger
Place all ingredients, except for the eggs, into a food processor and run it for a couple minutes. If you are using fresh pumpkin, instead of canned, make sure to run it long enough to really puree the stringy flesh. Taste it and adjust the flavors as desired. When you are happy with the flavor add the eggs and run it again until they are incorporated. Add the filling to the prebaked crusts. Bake until the center is set and the top is not sticky. I think I baked the ramekins for 20 to 25 minutes and the pie for about an hour.
