Aranka Jones

It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s eat!

I love a good Thanksgiving-induced turkey coma followed by a big piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. This year I’m shaking things up with a more nutrient dense version of this celebrated dessert. It’s healthy enough to enjoy on regular rotation.

I’m using a red kuri squash instead of a pie pumpkin. While a pie pumpkin works just fine in this recipe, red kuri squash produces an intense orange colour and tastes sweeter. The result is a prettier pie requiring less added sweetener.

Squash and dates, some of the whole foods in this recipe, are naturally sweet. As a result, the only added sweetener is 1 Tbsp of maple syrup.

Squash is rich in beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor required by your immune system. Pecans are rich in heart healthy plant sterols, antioxidants and protein. Coconut milk is a source of monounsaturated fatty acids. Dates are rich in magnesium, a mineral required for healthy muscles and for coping with stress. Cinnamon helps to increase insulin sensitivity, ginger eases digestion, and both spices have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. See why this pie is super fly?

Ingredients:

• 1 red kuri squash weighing about 3 lbs
• 1 cup + 8 extra pecans, lightly toasted to enhance flavour (optional)
• 13+ medjool dates with pits removed
• Several pinches of sea salt
• 1 can full fat coconut milk (save 1/2 cup for pie filling and chill the rest for making a whipped topping)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Procedure: 

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Cut red kuri squash in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds, then place squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper cut side down. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until flesh is soft enough to insert and withdraw a fork with ease.
4. While squash is roasting, prepare pie crust. First place 1 cup of pecans (reserving 8 pretty pecans to use as a garnish) in food processor and pulse until crumbly. Then add pitted medjool dates and three pinches of sea salt and pulse until a sticky yet crumbly dough forms. The dough should press together between your hands and not crumble apart. If too dry and crumbly, add more dates. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of a glass pie dish to form a crust. Set aside until step 9.
5. When squash has finished roasting allow it to cool until you’re able to handle it without burning yourself, then scoop flesh out of skin. It may be easier to scrape skin off with a fork. You should end up with about 3 cups of roasted squash.
6. Put roasted squash (about 3 cups) minus skin into blender. Add 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk, putting the rest of the can of coconut milk in the fridge to chill for whipped topping.
7. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, lemon juice, maple syrup and a few pinches of sea salt to the squash and coconut milk in blender.
8. Blend until a silky smooth yet thick filling forms, like the consistency of a creamy icing, hummus or guacamole dip. This may take several minutes depending on your blender and may require you to occasionally stop blending and scrape down the sides of your blender to ensure all ingredients combine well. Taste the final mixture and adjust spices and sweetness as desired.
9. Scoop pie filling into your pie shell and flatten with a utensil to fill the pie shell, smoothing it down so the surface of the filling is in line with but does not cover the pie crust.
10. If you have any leftover pie filling, be sure to eat it out of the blender with a spoon and give thanks for healthy recipes that taste THIS GOOD!
11. Now back to the pie. Once you’ve filled the pie shell and smoothed the filling to your satisfaction, put it in the fridge until ready to serve. You do not need to bake this pie.
12. Before serving, remove extra coconut milk from fridge and whip with a handheld mixer until it thickens. Well chilled coconut milk whips best. If needed, add a pinch of coconut sugar to help it take on the consistency of whipped cream.
13. Garnish chilled pie slices with reserved pecan halves, a sprinkle of nutmeg and a dollop of whipped coconut cream and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether you opt for regular pumpkin pie or this more nutrient dense version, enjoy it without guilt. There is room for sweet treats in a balanced diet and active lifestyle.