PALEO PUMPKIN PIE!!!!!

Hey guys!!

I hope everyone had a fabulous fabulous Thanksgiving! I know we did! I was in Cincinnati for the weekend and gosh, it was just so wonderful to be with family! I have so much to be thankful for. I’m healthy, have an amazing family and wonderful friends. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t count those blessings. But it’s nice to have a day to devote to just being thankfulJ

We traveled to Indianapolis to be with my brother, his wife, and their sweet little 4-month-old daughter 

for Thanksgiving!

Well, since we were traveling, and they have their hands full with a new baby, we did something crazy. We packed the gluten-free Thanksgiving in the car and had an INSTANT THANKSGIVING!!

Yep. Allllllll day on Wednesday, my mom and I cooked all the dishes (all gluten free, might I add) and packed them up into Tupperware containers (even the turkey!). We cooked from 11am to 11pm. Then bright and early on Thursday morning, we piled it carefully into the car and drove to my brother’s house! INSTANT THANKSGIVING!

It was so fun. And crazy. Actually, rather insane. But we did it and it was awesome to be together.

SO for the meal, it was all gluten free. We had turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, and pies! 

Unfortunately, just because things are gluten free doesn’t mean they’re Specific Carb Diet Friendly- or vegan, for that matter.  All SCD is gluten free, but not all gluten free is SCD --- (get it? I know, It’s confusing.)So—I made myself a meal, and made enough for everyone to have someJ

For the Specific Carb Diet/Gluten Free/Vegan/Paleo meal, I made Roasted Beet and Brussels Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pistachios and Roasted Apples. Oh. My. Gosh. WOW! That post is coming soon.

But for dessert…….I’ve got a show stopper here folks. Paleo Pumpkin Pie!!

It’s Gluten Free. It’s Dairy Free. It’s Specific Carb Diet Friendly. It’s Paleo. It’s fan-frickin-tastic.

Filling: (Makes 2 pies)

1/3 cup raw cashews
2 cups pumpkin or butternut squash puree
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 droppers full of pure liquid stevia, alcohol free (SCD omit, and use an extra Tbsp honey instead)
2 healthy pinches of salt
2 Tbsp honey
3 egg whites
12 oz coconut milk – I used light

CRUST: (Makes 2 crusts)
16 dates
1 cup cashews
1 cup almonds
4 healthy pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 400. Cut your squash or pumpkin in half length-wise, scoop out all the seeds and place cut-side-down on a tin foil-lined, olive oil-sprayed baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, until tender. Take it out and let cool for about 7-10 minutes, until you are able to touch it. When you take it out, increase the oven temp to 425.

Meanwhile, make your crust. Pit and chop your dates into small pieces to help out the food processor. Then, add all nuts and salt to the food processor and process until they have broken down into small bits. Then, add your dates and process until it forms the consistency of chunky, wet, sand. You’ll need to scrape the sides once or twice. Spray two, 9-inch pie pans with cooking spray and divide the crust evenly between the two. Then, with your fingers, press the crust together along the bottom and up the sides. The dates will hold it together. Set aside.

Reassemble your food processor. You will now make the rest of the pie.

Place your cashews in the food processor and process until it forms a fine dust. Then, scoop out the flesh of the cooled squash and add it to the food processor. Process until smooth, scraping the sides several times. Then, add your stevia, spices, honey, and egg whites. Process to combine. Then, in 2 batches, add your coconut milk and slowly pulse to combine, so as not to splatter. The batter should be a thick, creamy liquid.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pie shells. Place in the 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 40-50 minutes. When you reduce the oven to 350, plaee a tin foil “hat” around the edge of your pie, so the delicate crust doesn’t burn. It is finished when a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 2 hours before cutting into it.

Oh. My. Gosh. You guys, I don’t mean to brag, but my dessert stole the show for Thanksgiving. ;) We had this and a store bought gluten free apple pie. Let me just tell you – we polished off my entire pie….and there was only one piece of the apple pie gone!

Everyone RAVED about it. They couldn’t believe that there was no butter or cream in it. They said it was so decadent and delicious.

The flavor was warm and spicy, and the texture was so rich, luxurious and creamy. And the crust – wow: nutty, sweet, chewy, sticky! The perfect compliment to the luscious center.

These pies were like my little babiesJ Oh- just thinking about them warms my heartJ #proudmama

Be sure to check back next week for my mouth-watering stuffed acorn squash. Let’s just say, there were no leftovers! J Here’s a teaser:

Want more GFHT?  You can now get my e-cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy for only $2.99 on Amazon!