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. 

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Oh, Hummus

I first learned about hummus when I was at girls' camp, about 8 years ago (wow, that's a long time ago). To tell you the truth, I didn't really like it.

I tried hummus from the store, and I still didn't care for it. Eventually I tried making it myself, and my feelings were the same.

Poor hummus. It could never impress me enough to finish the whole tub. 

And then everything changed...

I found this recipe from a blogger that seemed to understand my bitter disappointment with hummus. She promised this recipe was different, so I decided I'd give hummus a second chance. I was even careful to halve the recipe just in case it wasn't great. 

I really wish I'd made the whole recipe. Aaron and I ate about half of the jar and my family finished off the rest. My mom and dad both individually asked for the recipe, so here ya go Mom and Dad (and everyone else)!

Hummus

Adapted from Under the High Chair

4 cups (about 2 ½ cans) chick-peas, drained
½ cup tahini
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
4 or more garlic cloves, peeled and germ removed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons ground cumin seed or 1/2 tsp ground cumin
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine chick-peas, tahini, warm water, olive oil, and juice of 1 lemon in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth and creamy.

Add garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper to taste, and process to blend. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Add more lemon juice to taste. Scrape into storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

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