Turkey and stuffing and green been casserole…eeeeek! My tummy is growling just thinking about all the deliciousness in store next week. But unless this housewife plans on starting the new year looking like a female version of Santa Clause, I’m going to have to find some healthier alternatives. Enter my new pumpkin pie. It’s pretty fantastic, I must admit. I’ve substituted sugar for agave nectar, and the Crisco in the crust for much more waistline-friendly option: coconut oil. Fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin pie from scratch on Thanksgiving Day takes just 15 minutes of prep when you freeze your pumpkin ahead of time.
Here’s how you do it:
1) Start with a pie pumpkin- it’s smaller and less grainy than jack-o-lantern pumpkins, and it’s sweeter too, requiring less sweetener during baking
2) Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Cut it in half using a serrated knife and a sawing motion.
3) Scrape the inside clean, make sure to get all the “stringys” and seeds.
4) Steam your pumpkin on the stove over medium heat for 20-30 minutes
5) Gently lift the skin away from the “meat” of the pumpkin
6) Using a blender, hand mixer, or food processor, blend the pumpkin until very smooth.
Poor into freezer bags, removing as much air as possible, label, and freeze. Frozen pumpkin can be used for up to 1 year.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (you can use white flour, plain, not self-rising, if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/6 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup COLD butter
- 1/4 cup ice water
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar and coconut oil first
- About 15 seconds in a food processor
- add butter, cut into chunks. (For a flaky crust, don't over-blend, just until dough forms pea-size granules).
- Sprinkle in water, a little at a time, just enough to make the dough hold together
- On a piece of wax paper, form dough into a small disc, wrap it up and refrigerate for an hour or more.
- When ready to use, roll dough into a large circle to fit pie pan (it should be about 1/8" thick). Crimp the rim to make it pretty :)
(If making from frozen pumpkin, remove from freezer and place in refrigerator the night before to defrost)
Ingredients
- 3 cups pumpkin, defrosted
- 3/4 cup agave nectar
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- one half teaspoon ground ginger
- one half teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1.5 cans (12oz each) of evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using a mixer, combine pumpkin, agave nectar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves, all spice, ginger, and salt
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Slowly stream in the milk
- Pour into pie crust
- Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down temp on the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45-60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the pie, comes out clean.
NOTES:
*Cover the edges of your crust with tin foil or, even better, an aluminum pie crust shield, to prevent burning.
*Pie batter is very thin and spills easily. Place a cookie sheet on rack beneath baking rack to protect your oven from any spills. Next time, I will also be sure to pull out the baking rack and place the pie crust on the rack first, before pouring in the batter, to protect against any additional spills.
*Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!
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Great blog! And the pie looks great :)
Yeah great recipe, the pie looks fantastic!
Your pie looks yummy and perfect. I really love to try this soon :)
Healthy and tasty… pics are great too! Happy Thanksgiving…
I usally opt for the most unhealthy and vomitously sweet option, but this “hippie recipe” looks pretty darn good! Just one question: where the heck can one find agave nectar?
Walmart… in the sugar aisle! Looks like a honey bottle.
Garrett- I’m right there with you…a sucker for the sweet stuff! You will be pleased to know, agave is even sweeter than sugar, so you don’t have to use as much. It’s also a good sugar substitute for anyone watching their waistline because it has a much lower glycemic index (in english: it’s less likely to store as fat in your body). In L.A., I get my agave from Costco (best value), and Trader Joe’s. If those aren’t options for you, you can also find it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wholesome-Sweeteners-Organic-Agave-23-5oz/dp/B0010XX4PE/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1290537567&sr=8-15
looks awesome! gonna jot this recipe down.
http://enjoibeing.wordpress.com/
That pie looks really yummy
Raymund
http://angsarap.wordpress.com
Mmmmmm, sounds yummy! Almost everyone are excited for the Thanksgiving, I’ve seen a lot of bloggers sharing their recipes and stuffs. Enjoy and Advance Happy Thanksgiving y’all.
This looks really good!
Thanks for posting it.
There’s gonna be some good eatin’ happenin’ around here.
Thank you for the intriguing read! Alright playtime is over and back to school work.