Pumpkin Pie

Nothing celebrates the start of spring quite like a slice of pumpkin pie.

Ok, maybe not, but isn't it a shame if we only eat pumpkin pie once a year? You were maybe expecting a carrot, chocolate or egg recipe this week, but you must remember...my kitchen is untamed, so you never quite know what's gonna come out of it. :)

How about we make pumpkin pie an Easter tradition? Who's with me? Even better, let's celebrate Thanksgiving in the spring too. Sound crazy? Well, just tell that to my friends Brook and Cara. A few weeks ago, they invited some friends to a springtime Thanksgiving feast. The idea came about because Brook had received a frozen turkey from Vanderbilt, where he works, and the bird had been taking up their precious freezer space since November. They decided to thaw it out and share the love.

The rest of us took care of the sides, and I supplied the pumpkin pie. There was so much delicious food. I think I counted about eight different kinds of potatoes. Somehow, though, I still managed to eat two pieces of pie.

At first, I was unsure how successful my attempt at a pie would be because the crust is so important, and I'm pretty sure that gluten is a key factor in most good crusts. I scoured the internet for recipes and found this one on Elana's Pantry that sounded like a winner. I changed the recipe up a little and it turned out great.

I predict that I will be making this crust for years to come. It's so simple to make and it's flaky, nutty and completely grain free...who would've thought that was possible?

All this needs is a dollop of coconut cream on top...

The original plan for our Thanksgiving meal was to have it picnic-style in the backyard, but the rains came, so we moved indoors to my friends Jen and Katie's house. I have some seriously talented decorating friends.

I mean, this could be in a magazine.

The pumpkin pie was delicious, but it came in second place as my favorite part of the night. The best part was after dinner when Matt (below, on the left) sat down at the piano and started taking requests. Pretty soon we all joined in and had a giant sing-a-long. We sang classics by the Beatles and Elton John, and then we moved through the greatest radio hits of the 90's--Weezer, the Verve Pipe, Matchbox 20, etc. It was incredible. The kind of thing that you think only happens on TV.

It was a magical evening. I have plenty to be thankful for to necessitate two Thanksgiving celebrations a year. And I have plenty of room in my stomach to necessitate at least two pumpkin pies a year. Hopefully this will become a tradition.

Happy Easter! Enjoy your weekend. While you're at it, why not whip up a pumpkin pie. Here's how you can:

Pie Crust

1½ cups almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine oil and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Dough will be crumbly. Press dough into a 9.5 inch pie dish. Poke holes into bottom of crust with a fork. (Cover edges of crust with foil so they don't burn when you bake whole pie.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. When done baking, remove foil and set aside to cool for a couple minutes. While the crust is baking, you can prepare the pie filling.

 

Pumpkin Pie Filling
3 eggs
1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin
1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick cream that forms when full fat coconut milk separates in the can)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp stevia powder (or adjusted to your taste)

Turn oven up to 425F. Whisk eggs, then add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into warm pie crust. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Then, turn temperature down to 350F and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from the center of the pie. Serve by itself or with coconut cream on top (the thick creamy stuff that's at the top of a can of full fat coconut milk).