Saturday, November 24, 2012

Low Carb (and yummy) Pumpkin Pie

Don't pass up this blog post just because of the words "low carb"!

I went into this Thanksgiving with a little bit different perspective on food than most years.  I wrote a few days ago about my plan for this Thanksgiving meal that you can read about at this link (you have to put your mouse over it to see it).

Growing up we had some Thanksgiving meals where I would actually eat so much that I threw up after because I was so full.  My body just couldn't handle all of the calories and sugar changes that it had nothing to do but fight me by getting rid of the food.  Food issues are just part of my life and I either will continue with those issues and stay the way I have been year after year or I can change things up a bit so I can still enjoy the day and not regret eating everything that I threw down my throat.

One of the things I did differently this year was bring some of my own food and find some healthier alternatives to some of the Thanksgiving favs.  (Healthier for us at the moment means lower in carbs in little to zero amounts of real sugar.)  Pumpkin pie was right there at the top of the list.

I experimented with a recipe, tasted it on Thanksgiving Day and truly enjoyed it.  I couldn't tell that it wasn't the normal pie at all other than the crust, which was obvious.  The pie was enjoyed by everyone and no one else complained either so it must have been a good one.  :)

Here is the recipe for the low carb pumpkin pie.

Pecan Nut Pie Crust

  • 1 cup pecan pieces (frozen)
  • 2 T melted butter
  • 2 T sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener of your choice. (I used Splenda)


1.  Take pecans out of the freezer and put them in a blender or food processor.  Pulse until the largest pieces are as big as lentils or split peas.
2.  Add the butter and sweetener.  Blend until it's mixed evenly.
3.  Dump into pie pan and push with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides.
Nutrition:  whole crust is 4.5 grams effective carbs plus 10.5 grams fiber, 10 grams of protein, 101 grams fat, 950 calories.

Low Carb Pumpkin Pie

  • 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 1 cup sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
  • 1 teaspoon dark molasses (optional)
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 scant teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • pinch cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt


1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2.  Dump all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and whirl to blend.  (I used a mixer)
3.  Pour into the crust.
4.  Put the pie in the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 375 degrees F.  In 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 300 degrees F. (This cooks the crust so it isn't soggy, but then allows the pumpkin part to back more slowly.)  Bake until almost set in the middle, about 40 minutes more.  (It took about 50 minutes for me).  If it starts to crack a bit around the edges it is probably done.
5.  Cool and serve.
Nutrition:  8 servings, without crust:  3.5 grams effective carbs pus 2 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 5.5 grams fat, 80 calories.  With the pecan crust each serving is about 4 grams effective carbs with 3.4 grams fiber.

See original recipe here.

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