- I never knew what pumpkin spice was
- I'd never made a pie crust from scratch
- I had no idea how to cook a pumpkin
- I've never made a dessert pie, and
- I've certainly never eaten pie even slightly close to being healthy.
By the end of this post, I will explain how I got through all of the above, and hopefully it guides you through it if you're in the same circumstance! Let's get to it.
The Pumpkin Spice Secret
Below are the portions of each type of spice--everything can be found in your local grocery store spice section. Or...you can just buy the spice labeled "Pumpkin Pie Spice." These are pretty general, you can add as you see fit.
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (50%)
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger (25%)
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (12.5%)
- 1/4 teaspoon of allspice (12.5%)
A Savory Crust from Scratch
The original recipe calls for vegetable oil, but I use this amazinnggg coconut oil from Trader Joe's. This is basically what makes the pie crust so bad. But hey--at least there's no sugar or butter...
Ingredients & Materials
- 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup finely shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tbsp ice water
- 9-in non-stick pie pan / aluminum pie pan
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, and coconut. Stir in oil and water. Press dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Should look something like below.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. The one below is a little slightly burnt. Make sure you check often and pull out before it starts cracking.
The main event: Prep the Pumpkin!
Step 1: Buy a pumpkin.
Step 2: Scoop out seeds.
Step 3: Chop pumpkin into manageable pieces (for a one about the size that I got, probably about 10 pieces?).
Step 4: Bake in oven at 350F, steam, or microwave in a bowl of water until soft.
Step 5: Cool a bit, and scoop insides off the skin.
Step 6: Place all insides in a food processor and blend until soft and smooth.
Pumpkin ready!
On a side note, you can clean out the pumpkin seeds, sprinkle with oil and spices of your choosing (I did Old Bay and allspice), and bake for about 20-30 min at 275F. Check frequently!
Easy as Pumpkin Pie
Modified the original recipe to take out sugar and replace the evaporated milk with non-fat. You can also just use the filling recipe below and use canned pumpkin.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 packets (12g) stevia
- 1 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated non-fat milk
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 large egg
- 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin (or 15oz of processed fresh pumpkin)
Directions
- Position oven rack to lowest position.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- To prepare filling, combine all except pumpkin in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pumpkin, and stir with a whisk until smooth.
- Pour pumpkin mixture into the crust. Place pie plate on baking sheet. Place baking sheet on lowest oven rack.
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool completely on wire rack.
And that is the story about how I learned...everything about fall. The end.
Nutritional Facts & F>F Meter
References
Pumpkin Spice: http://gourmet.lovetoknow.com/Pumpkin_Spice_Ingredients
Preparing pumpkin: http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php
Crust: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/healthier-pie-crust/
Filling: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/classic-pumpkin-pie-10000000549931/
