Paleo Crust-On-Top Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Happy Day-Before-Thanksgiving! It’s Wednesday and for some it’s already your weekend. For others, it’s your Friday. Tomorrow we take thanks for all that we have been given, all that we have, and all that we can do. Tomorrow we also gorge ourselves on overly fattened, much to sweet, out of control amounts of food and I can tell you right now, I’m not sure I’m looking forward to all the food that I haven’t made myself. Although, I think I’ll live. π
For my pre-Thanksgiving, I decided to make a pumpkin pie that was based more on health than on sugary filling. I searched far and wide for a healthy pie recipe, and although most aren’t too bad with the ingredients (pumpkin pie is your best bet when choosing from all the pies), I did find one recipe that looked easy and healthy. This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Marks Daily Apple for pumpkin pie, although if you know me, you know I have to change EVERYTHING. I’m that annoying person at a restaurant.
Anyway, back to the pie. Since Thanksgiving reminds me of Pumpkin Pie, filling your stomach like the poor overly stuffed turkey in the oven, and those nasty casserole dishes with sweet potatoes covered in brown sugar and mini marshmallows (oh, bad memories from childhood…), I went with the Pumpkin Pie to say have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
This pie is fun to make, EASY to make, definitely healthy, tastes incredible, and can be topped with just about anything, since it’s crustless to begin with. The orange zest, juice, and cinnamon work amazingly well together with the pumpkin spices. This is one recipe you MUST try, whether it’s Thanksgiving or not. The filling is already Paleo-approved but make it 100% with a slight adjustment to the cobbler topping (recipe given in directions). Have fun and eat to health!
(Crust-On-Top) Orange Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Filling:
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp each nutmeg, cloves, cardamom
- 1/2 cup coconut meat (or canned coconut cream or coconut oil)
- 2 eggs
Stop the blender and with a spoon, scrape sides. Add in the eggs and blend again for about 30 seconds.
Line a spring-form pan with parchment paper, cutting the four corners of the parchment to help it fit into the round pan. Pour your pie filling into the pan and bake for 50 minutes.
While the filling is baking, make your crust topping, choosing from the following recipes below. When the pie has baked for 50 minutes, add your topping to the pie, spreading evenly, slightly pressing down into the filling. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until your topping starts to turn golden in color.
Remove and let cool before serving.
Topping ideas:
Cinnamon Cobbler Topping
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2-3 tbsp honey
- 2-3 tbsp tahini (ground sesame seeds), or almond butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
In a large bowl, mix the almond milk, honey, tahini, cinnamon, and salt together, well.
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup coconut flour or shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (softened)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2-5 tbsp almond milk (if needed for combining)
In a bowl, mix all ingredients together, except for the almond milk. Make sure the coconut oil is softened or melted. Add in the almond milk, more or less, as needed for combining all ingredients evenly, and if a bit too dry.
Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some berries, and you’ve got yourself dessert.
What does Thanksgiving remind you of?