Healthy Pumpkin Pie!? The holidays just got a lot more enjoyable with this fabulous recipe I worked out last week. Delicious, rich and barely sweetened, the natural pumpkin flavor really comes out and the anti-inflammatory spices are a great bonus.

Simple and Delicious Pie Crust

1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup Earth Balance trans fat-free, organic margarine

3 TB cold water

• Blend the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with a regular S-blade. Add the margarine in chunks and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add cold water and blend until well combined and a dough  forms. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Makes 1 crust.

• Once the crust has been refrigerated for 1 hour, remove and place the dough ball between two sheets of wax paper. Roll from the center out using light pressure. If the dough is very sticky, remove one sheet of wax and sprinkle a little flour on top. Flip over and remove the other sheet of wax and sprinkle a little more flour on the other side. Continue to roll out from the center until the dough is ½ -1 inch wider than your pie plate. Move the dough into the pie plate and prick the bottom with a fork in several places. Decorate the edges with your fingers.

TO PREBAKE:

(this will ensure the crust isn’t too gummy)

• Preheat the oven to 425. Tear off a piece of foil that will more than cover the pie crust and lightly coat with Earth Balance trans-fat free, organic margarine. Press this coated side gently onto the crust and weight it down with 2 cups of dried beans or rice. (These can be kept and used again for the same technique, but not for eating.)
• Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the weight and foil and bake at 375 for another 8 minutes. Remove and cool while you prepare the filling.

Pie Filling

2 cups soymilk

1 TB agar flakes

4 cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree or cooked

¾ cup Sucanat or Rapadura natural sugar, or agave or maple syrup

2 TB kudzu powder or corn starch

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

pinch ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

• Prepare the filling while the crust is prebaking.
• Heat the soymilk over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the agar flakes and whisk well. Bring the soymilk to a simmer and stir constantly until the agar dissolves. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Combine the pumpkin, and remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Once the soymilk-agar mixture has cooled for 5 minutes, pour it in and process until well combined.
• Remove the prebaked pie crust and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

* For extra credit, try Soyatoo’s canned soy or rice whipped cream from a can! Whole Foods carries it!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie!? The holidays just got a lot more enjoyable with this fabulous recipe I worked out last week. Delicious, rich and barely sweetened, the natural pumpkin flavor really comes out and the anti-inflammatory spices are a great bonus.

Simple and Delicious Pie Crust

1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup Earth Balance trans fat-free, organic margarine

3 TB cold water

• Blend the flour and salt together in a food processor fitted with a regular S-blade. Add the margarine in chunks and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add cold water and blend until well combined and a dough  forms. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Makes 1 crust.

• Once the crust has been refrigerated for 1 hour, remove and place the dough ball between two sheets of wax paper. Roll from the center out using light pressure. If the dough is very sticky, remove one sheet of wax and sprinkle a little flour on top. Flip over and remove the other sheet of wax and sprinkle a little more flour on the other side. Continue to roll out from the center until the dough is ½ -1 inch wider than your pie plate. Move the dough into the pie plate and prick the bottom with a fork in several places. Decorate the edges with your fingers.

TO PREBAKE:

(this will ensure the crust isn’t too gummy)

• Preheat the oven to 425. Tear off a piece of foil that will more than cover the pie crust and lightly coat with Earth Balance trans-fat free, organic margarine. Press this coated side gently onto the crust and weight it down with 2 cups of dried beans or rice. (These can be kept and used again for the same technique, but not for eating.)
• Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the weight and foil and bake at 375 for another 8 minutes. Remove and cool while you prepare the filling.

Pie Filling

2 cups soymilk

1 TB agar flakes

4 cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree or cooked

¾ cup Sucanat or Rapadura natural sugar, or agave or maple syrup

2 TB kudzu powder or corn starch

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

pinch ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

• Prepare the filling while the crust is prebaking.
• Heat the soymilk over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the agar flakes and whisk well. Bring the soymilk to a simmer and stir constantly until the agar dissolves. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Combine the pumpkin, and remaining ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Once the soymilk-agar mixture has cooled for 5 minutes, pour it in and process until well combined.
• Remove the prebaked pie crust and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour in the pumpkin mixture and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

* For extra credit, try Soyatoo’s canned soy or rice whipped cream from a can! Whole Foods carries it!