HealthWise Articles

I

It's The Great Pumpkin!

...Pie, that is!

By Katherine Revell

Our health food store had pumpkin puree on sale this week, so I stocked up. We use pumpkin a lot in muffins, bread and now that it is October, I can officially make some Pumpkin Pie!

Over the years I have had a terrible time finding a CF replacement for my "back of the Libby's Canned Pumpkin" recipe that called for evaporated milk. I tried silken tofu--too lumpy and tasted too "non-dairyish." I tried a recipe from Special Diets for Special Kids that used Darifree--too liquid, kind of a disaster. Maybe I did something wrong though. I tried some of Carol Fenster's substitutes that I can't even remember, none of them worked.

But last year I hit on a solution: Coconut Milk. You can even find it in the regular grocery. I used Taste of Thai. If you want to be a tad unconventional, top your finished pie with a tiny bit of coconut flakes just before serving. (But it's fine without them!)

Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 TB molasses (optional)
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 pie crust (your GFCF choice)

Preheat oven to 425. Beat eggs lightly. Add pumpkin and all remaining ingredients except the coconut milk. When blended thoroughly, add coconut milk and stir to combine. Pour into unbaked, deep dish, pie crust. Bake for 5o-60 minutes until set. (Note: the molasses will make the pie a darker color, though it adds a nice rich flavor. If you prefer a more orange color, you can omit the molasses.) 

Katherine Revell is the author of the popular GFCF Mommy blog and website. 

2007©Katherine Revell; GFCF Mommy

Reprinted with permission.