Simple & Healthy Pecan Pumpkin Pie

I love me some pumpkin pie. Do you know what I love even more than my go-to Thanksgiving pumpkin pie? Pumpkin pie that tastes like my definitely-not-healthy and definitely-not-vegan pumpkin pie, but is actually super healthy! There's times when, yes, it can be almost criminal to conjure up some "healthified" version of a cake, pie, cookie or whathaveyou. My birthday cake? That's no healthy affair.   Yep, if there's ever been a pumpkin pie purist...it's me. The recipe from the back of the Libby's pumpkin puree can. Every time. No straying. Don't be messin' with my pumpkin pie! 

But this pumpkin pie. Oh my goodness. Why keep making an unhealthy, sugar and cholesterol laden dessert when you can have this one? Why?? Just look at it. It's perfect! I couldn't believe how wonderful the texture was and how the pecan crust perfectly complimented it. 

And it's even better than my old Libby's recipe. Also, it features a wholesome pecan crust. This recipe couldn't be healthier, easier or tastier! 

Oh and did I mention that it's vegan, sugar-free (except for the fruit) and healthy? Whips up in a snap ta boot. Clean eating at it's finest.

I grinned the most impish, ludicrous grin when I asked Todd how he liked it and then told him it didn't have any added sugar or animal products. Muah-ha-ha! He couldn't tell the difference. A wonderful success!

Simple & Healthy Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Inspired by NutritionFacts.org

Makes 1 pie

• --Crust--
• 1 cup pecans
• 3-5 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 Tbsp. coconut four (or 1 1/2 Tbsp. of other flour)
• splash of maple syrup (optional)
• a pinch of kosher salt
• --Filling--
• 1 15 oz. can of canned pumpkin
• 1 12 oz. box of silken tofu, drained
• 12-16 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• a few gratings of nutmeg (to taste)
• 10 drops of liquid Stevia (optional)
• --Notes--
• I like the Mori-Nu boxed tofu. It doesn't have a "tofu" taste at all. It's found usually on the shelf (non-refrigerated) in the organic section. 

In a food processor, combine the crust ingredients and process for about 3 minutes. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers. 

In a pie dish coated with a non-stick cooking spray, press the dough to make the crust. Set aside until ready for the filling. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Wash out the food processor and add in the filling ingredients. Process for about 3-5 minutes or until the dates are just tiny little specks. The filling should be very smooth.

Scoop the filling onto the crust and smooth over with a spatula. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes. If the top of the crust looks like it's getting a little too brown you can add some strips of tinfoil or a pie crust protector over it. 

Remove from oven and chill completely before serving.

If you'd like to serve it with whipped cream, Oh She Glows has an excellent tutorial for Coconut Whipped Cream. 

My whipped cream...eh, it didn't work out as planned. But that's okay, it was still delicious! 

Listening to Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American MouthisRecipe Card

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Healthy Pumpkin Maple Pecan Oat Muffins

Did you know October is non-GMO month? Yep, it is! Sugar is one of those rampant GMO foods, so if you're trying to avoid genetically modified foods or just don't want your sugar manufactured by using the bones of cattle (yes, it's a thing...I talk about it briefly here), then get yourself some ethical sugar! You might be laughing at me, but I don't care. There's such a thing, and I like Zulka. Bet you didn't know that sugar could be such a big time downer, but guess what? I've got something to cheer you straight up! These Healthy Pumpkin Maple Pecan Oat Muffins! There's no flour, oil, eggs or butter in them! Doesn't that make you happy? However, if you're like me, anytime you see "no flour, oil, eggs, butter, etc..." you run far, far away from these type of recipes. However, I promise you that these are healthy as well as delectable! Try them out for yourself.

Healthy Pumpkin Maple Pecan Oat Muffins

Inspired by Examiner

Makes 12 muffins

• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped small
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats, dry
• 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned
• 1/3 cup vegan sugar (I always use Zulka)
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 5 oz. plain vegan yogurt (I used Silk)
• 1 tsp. maple extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Flax is first. To make the two flax eggs, in small bowl add the ground flaxseed then add in the cold water and whisk to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Chop the pecans very small and scatter them evenly on a baking sheet. Toast at 350 F for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. Careful not to let them burn! When done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Leave the oven on.

In a food processor, add the dry oats and pulse until very fine and a  flour-like texture is achieved.

Add in the remaining ingredients including the flax eggs, but not the pecans. Pulse until smooth and well combined. Now, fold in the pecans until incorporated evenly. 

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Coat a regular muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and distribute the batter evenly. 

Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the tops of the muffins spring back when poked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in their pan. Then, gently remove them and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. 

Serve for breakfast (like me!) or as a snack or even for dessert! Store in an airtight container.

Also, I thought I'd share this pretty little quote. So eat these nutritious muffins and be happy. It's good for your healthy after all!

I'm listening to The Features – How It Starts

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Frugal Kale Pesto Pasta

Pesto...so expensive, but so darn delicious. I don't know about ya'll but here in Alaska, basil (when you can find it in the store, seriously) is very spendy, and don't even get me started on the pine nuts. Not only does it take two hours to find them, but they also cost about two hours of my pay. It's a little nuts, heh heh a pun! Anywho, Todd and I are leaving for Ohio this week which means I not only have to use up the food in the fridge, but I'm also forbidden from purchasing any food items for fear they will spoil. This is a restriction I have placed upon myself. I cannot be trusted.

Interestingly enough, all that my fridge offered up yesterday was kale...and broccoli. There was a block of tofu, too. That was honestly about it. Good shape for leaving, poor shape for making dinner. So I thought to myself, how about a kale pesto? That sounded good and doable enough, but I sure as hell wasn't buying any pine nuts. I decided to use what nuts I had stashed away. This happened to be pecans, walnuts and brazil nuts. I wasn't exactly sure how the combination would be pan out but I thought, "Meh, I'll try it out." Olive oil, nutritional yeast and garlic are staples that I always on hand so there was no problem there. I even had some really good, cheapo pasta from Costco and a few fresh basil leaves from my two little guys outside. Fancy that!

This pesto is so scrumptious who cares if it's not all proper like. Don't be mistaken though. This ain't no poor man's pesto. Nope, I can safely say I don't ever desire to make a proper pesto again.

A quick note: This pesto sauce recipe makes enough for 34 oz. of dry pasta. That's a lot of pasta, so go ahead and cut the pesto recipe in half, save half for later (which I did) or just use 34 oz. if you've got a boatload of people to feed.

Frugal Kale Pesto Pasta

Inspired by Culinary Adventures In The Kitchen

Makes 4 large servings (pesto sauce recipe makes 2 batches/8 large servings)

• 1 bunch of kale, blanched
• 1 small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup mixed nuts, chopped and toasted (I used pecans, walnuts and brazil nuts. Feel free to use what you have on hand.)
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• juice from 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or additional olive oil)
• 3 generous pinches of pink Himalayan salt
• sprinkling of ground black pepper
• 17 oz. of dry pasta of choice (I used Penne)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Chop up those nuts! Once the temperature has been reached, arrange the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes or until fragrant. I beg of you; don't skip the toasting!

Bring a large pot of water to boil. De-stem and wash the kale. Once the water is boiling, submerge the kale in the water for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile get a large bowl and fill it with very cold water. Drain the kale and rinse with cold water, then submerge in bowl of very cold water. Let it sit until ready to use.

Fill the large pot up with water again, this time for the pasta. While the water works to a boil, combine the kale, basil, toasted nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Add in the yeast and lemon juice, processing again. Turn off and scrape down the sides. Turn back on and with the processor running, add in the oils. Blend until combined and then add the salt and pepper and process again until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed. Congrats, you just made an amazing and frugal pesto! Times are tough but that doesn't mean we can't eat well.

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Now that the water is boiling, add in the pasta and cook according to the package. This isn't rocket science. Drain the pasta and in a large pot or bowl combine half the recipe of the pesto and all the pasta. Freeze the remaining pesto for later or store in the fridge for a few days until ready to use.

Serve hot with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Now that's some good pesto. Enjoy!

Frugal Kale Pesto Pasta

Recipe Type: Entree

Author: Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves: 4-6

Too broke to buy pine nuts and 5 lbs of fresh basil? Never fear, make this Frugal Kale Pesto Pasta instead! I'll never go back!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale, blanched
• 1 small handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup mixed nuts, chopped and toasted (I used pecans, walnuts and brazil nuts. Feel free to use what you have on hand.)
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
• juice from 1 lemon
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. walnut oil (or additional olive oil)
• 3 generous pinches of pink Himalayan salt
• sprinkling of ground black pepper
• 17 oz. of dry pasta of choice (I used Penne)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and toast chopped nuts for 10-15 minutes.
2. Blanch kale.
3. Boil water for pasta.
4. While the water works to a boil, combine the kale, basil, toasted nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth. Add in the yeast and lemon juice, processing again.
5. With the processor running, add in the oils and salt and pepper.
6. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to the package.
7. Drain the pasta and in a large pot or bowl combine half the recipe of the pesto and all the pasta.
8. Freeze the remaining pesto for later or store in the fridge for a few days until ready to use.
9. Serve hot with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. Now that's some good pesto.

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