Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie “Upgrade”

My pumpkin pie filling has been given an upgrade for Thanksgiving – thanks to a pie crust, maple syrup and unsweetened almond milk.

Crust: 1 c. ground almond, 1/2 t. salt, 1/3 c. lard, 1 t. of the following blend (used later to make a regular pie crust for the rest of the family) – 1 egg, 1 t. vinegar, and 3 t. cold water.

Filling: 2 c. pumpkin purée, 2 eggs, 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. cinnamon, dash of ginger, dash of allspice, 1/4 c. maple syrup, 2/3 c. unsweetened almond milk.

Bake at 200ºC for 15 minutes, then until set at 180ºC for approximately 25-30 minutes.

Keep your eye on it. I don’t know the exact time as I was having oven trouble this morning!

A Treat, Partially Sweet, to Eat While We Meet

This year I have given myself a new challenge: Discover a treat, partially sweet, to eat while we meet.

Every month our women’s Bible study begins with a time of fellowship, coffee, and something “sweet”. And, every month someone apologizes that there is nothing I can eat.

Challenge Part I: Bring something I can eat, that is also somewhat “sweet”.

A few times I have brought something to share – usually not sweet – and I must say that the response has gone from a polite silence to “This is disgusting” to “Hmm. It’s not too bad.”

Challenge Part II: Bring a “treat” that can not only be shared, but that others might actually enjoy sharing with me.

Last month I made some little peanut-butter biscuits – two varieties. They weren’t bad. One was better than the other. But, my body didn’t respond too well to the sugar in the peanut butter.

Today I brought a mini loaf of Pumpkin Bread – a recipe that my single, most devoted fan, Julie, passed on to me a week ago. (She passes on some great recipes!) It was frozen at the beginning of our study and only two women were left when I pulled it out of the oven and served it. One bite, and they were already asking me for the recipe.

Give it a try – Paleo Pumpkin Bread by Elana’s Pantry. It will fill your house with that amazing fall aroma of cinnamon, pumpkin, cloves and nutmeg. The texture is moist and tender. And, it won’t disappoint your palate.

Thank you, Julie, for the referral, and thank you, Elana, for a “success”.

Zucchini-Pumpkin Muffins (Test!)

2 cups GF flour (1 cup rice flour, 1 cup Quinoa flour in my case!)
1 1/2 t. Xantham Gum
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/8 c. flax seeds (Next time I’ll make sure to grind them. Encountering them whole takes away from the muffiny texture.)
30 drops Stevia (Mind you, they are far from sweet, but I’ve grown used to that!)
1/2 c. olive oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini
1 1/2 c. baked and pureed pumpkin/yellow squash
1 1/2 t. cinnamon (I might increase this next time, too, just to give it a stronger flavor.)
3/4 c. canned coconut milk (Is there anything else I can add instead? Would just water work? They turn out a bit greasy. Maybe I could leave out the oil? Or use water and oil?)

Bake in greased muffin tins at 350º for 25-30 minutes.
This is a variation on Fiona Haynes’ Gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. I really like the chocolate in those. But, the texture here is the same, and they are a nice variation on the theme.

Pumpkin Pie filling

It satisfies the craving for an autumn dessert:

2 cups baked pumpkin, pureed
1/2 t. Cinnamon
2 eggs
1 can coconut milk

Mix well. Bake at 375 until set.

I tried a new variation on this yesterday. I think I like it better. I used 4 eggs, 1 t. Cinnamon and 2/3rds can coconut milk. I also added a 1/2 t. Salt and maybe a T. Maple syrup along with 12-15 shakes of stevia.

Much like a flan in texture. Gentle pumpkin, cinnamon flavor.