Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Have I ever mentioned how much I love fall?

Of course I have. 

But, have I told you my favorite part? The food!

After making pumpkin puree with the pumpkins from our garden, I decided to make a recipe.

This recipe has tons of protein and healthy fats, with only a little bit of sugar. Which is always a good thing. The other great thing is that it gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. I'm not vegan and I don't have any food allergies, but it's always nice to give the digestive system a break from all the highly-allergenic foods.

This recipe is completely original and I'm really excited about sharing it with you!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Crust

2 cups pecans (you can also use almonds or walnuts)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (recipe below)

Filling

2 cans (3 cups) garbanzo beans

1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup

4 Tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp ground chia seeds or flaxseed (must be ground before mixing with other ingredients)

2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Place crust ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until fine. Press into the bottom of pie tin or springform pan. Let chill in refrigerator while making filling. (I halved the recipe and used muffin tins!)

Wipe out food processor or blender and add filling ingredients. Blend on medium-high until completely smooth (warning: this could take up to 10 minutes). Dump filling over crust and let chill in refrigerator for a couple hours before serving.

You may have to adapt this recipe to fit your taste; I thought it was perfect, but Aaron likes it with more pumpkin pie spice. However, both of us agreed that it tasted exactly like pumpkin pie. We would love to hear any suggestions you have, so please comment!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp allspice

3/4 tsp cloves

2 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Mix together and store in airtight container. 

Tweet

Pin It Now!

Chocolate Avocado Mini-tortes

Oh She Glows Avocado Mousse

Mmmm.

I usually use my mini cupcake tin to make bit-sized versions of this dessert.

They are just plain amazing. Sometimes I need a little pick-me-up when I get home from work and these are perfect. Aaron enjoys them as well, so they have been 'man-approved.' The room-temperature texture is like melted chocolate, or pudding, and the frozen texture is a smooth, creamy ice cream.

I can read your mind right now, and you are thinking "No way am I trying a chocolate fudge made from avocados."

I know this because I said the same thing. It took me a few months before I decided to man-up and try them.

I'm so glad I did.

Sometimes when I'm eating them I get a faint taste of green, but it completely depends on the avocados you use and the intensity of the chocolate (milk chocolate vs. dark chocolate).

Remember a while back I talked about the importance of healthy fats and fertility? Well, these little darlings have tons of good fats. The crust is mostly made of walnuts (or almonds, or pecans) which are full of healthy fats, and the mousse is almost completely up of avocado (which not only has monounsaturated fatty acids, but it also has a lot of fiber!). Plus, pure cocao powder is known to be an aphrodisiac.

I think it would be appropriate to rename these little guys 'fertility tortes.'

Hmm, maybe not.

Raw Chocolate Avocado Mini-tortes

Crust*
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

1/2 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds
2/3 cup pitted dates (I get mine from Winco)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2-3 T cocoa powder (or cocao powder)
optional: a pinch of salt

Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc. It helps if you start with the nuts, vanilla, cocoa, and salt FIRST, and then add the dates. Press into the bottom of a spring-form pan, or a cupcake tin. Place in freezer while you make the mousse.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Adapted from Oh She Glows

2 cups avocado flesh (approx 3 small avocados), pitted and scooped out
1/3 cup almond milk (you can also use rice, coconut, or dairy)
1/2 cup liquid sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar, honey)
1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy

Place all mousse ingredients (except chocolate chips) into food processor. Process until smooth. In a small bowl, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave and scoop melted chocolate into food processor mixture. Process until smooth.
Remove crust from freezer and scoop this mousse on top of crust. Smooth out as much as possible and then place in the freezer for 2 hours to firm (shorter if you are making mini tortes in a cupcake tin).
Once firm, remove from freezer and allow to sit on the counter for about 5-10 minutes before serving chilled. Place leftover torte in the freezer wrapped and placed in a seal container.
Note that this torte should be served chilled as it gets soft at room temperature.

*Alternative Crust:
2 cups pecans
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut oil (other light taste oil may work)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt

In a food processor, pulse the pecans until crumbly. Be careful not to over process them as you still want them a bit chunky. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and pulse until just mixed. Scoop mixture onto prepared pan and press down firmly and evenly with slightly wet fingers or a spatula. Pop into freezer to set while making the mousse.

DISCLAIMER: "Healthy" does not mean "low-calorie." I'd say the majority of foods that Aaron and I eat are high in calories. However, they are high in essential nutrients, which is what I'm aiming for when I make healthy foods. I don't have the exact caloric content of these, but I'd say they're at least 100 calories each (mini cupcake size). I don't make healthy treats because I want to reduce most of the calories, I make them so they are beneficial in some way and not just empty calories.

Tweet

Pin It Now!