Pumpkin Pie From Real Pumpkin
Find out my secret to ending liquidy vegan pie! 

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! If you were like me and you were too busy to cook dessert, this pumpkin pie recipe will come in handy. 

Making a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin is surprisingly easy. It can also be cheaper than buying canned pumpkin. This time of year is great for getting discount pumpkins since most people are not cooking from scratch or making Jack-o-lanterns.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin is extremely filling and healthy, making it great for cheap vegans. About 1 cup of pumpkin has 2g of protein, 19% DV of vitamin C, 11% DV fiber, 8% DV iron, 4% calcium, and a whopping 245% DV of Vitamin A!

Vitamin A is beneficial for eye health. Retinoid forms from vitamin are helpful for pregnancy and childbirth, infancy, childhood growth, night vision, red blood cell production, and resistance to infectious disease.

Besides the health benefits of pumpkin, they’re delicious! Buying pumpkin fresh instead of canned is the healthiest way to take in these nutrients. 

Although a pie isn’t exactly the healthiest way to eat a pumpkin, is a nice treat especially around the fall holidays.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

You can make pumpkin pie from many different types of pumpkins. You can use regular pumpkins for a more mild flavor but cheaper price, small pumpkins about the size of cantaloupe, or specialty pumpkins like the cinderella pumpkin pictured above. You can even use butternut squash for a slightly different flavor.

I used the cinderella pumpkin for it’s naturally sweet flavor. This was my first time using this type of pumpkin and I don’t want to ever go back. Not only was the pumpkin tastier, but the seeds were much meatier too!

Fresh Pumpkin Puree

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F
• Use serrated knife (I use a bread knife) to cut pumpkin in half.
• Scoop out seeds and separate for baking pumpkin seeds later.
• Place pumpkin halves on a baking sheet. You can cut pumpkin as many times as you need to. Water may collect on pan so make sure to use a pan with raised edges.
• Bake until you can stick a fork through easily.
• Remove and cool. If you’re in a hurry, place pumpkin in ice water to speed the cooling process.
• Scoop meat of pumpkin into a strainer and press excess water out.
• Blend pumpkin in a blender. 

You now have homemade pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I still haven’t found the perfect pumpkin pie recipe but I found the most important change I made this year was using coconut creamer instead of soy milk.

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup coconut creamer***
• ¾ cup granulated sugar cane syrup
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ Tbs. dark molasses
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice

**includes photo of product, this coconut creamer changed EVERYTHING about how I make a pumpkin pie. The coconut milk mimicked the actual cream so well that I had no problems with firmness or texture. It was perfect. 

(You could possibly use coconut milk but I haven’t tried that yet)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine all ingredients and bake. Make sure to combine the cornstarch with a little cold coconut creamer first so you don’t get lumps of starch in your pie.
3. Pour mixture in pie crust of your choice (Whole Foods has vegan pie crust but you can save money by making your own)
4. Place in oven for 50 minutes or until the pie has firmed or become browned. Cooling should solidify the pie more firmly. Because of the creamer, the pie may be a lighter color than usual, this is normal and still tastes amazing!

The Reduced Rack

Shopping at the reduced rack is a great way to get brand name products for store brand prices. This photo is from a ShopRite in Philadelphia, PA, but many super market chains have similar sections in their stores. These racks are full of products that are slightly damaged but are still good for eating. For example, we found perfectly good boxes of De Cecco pasta for half the price! Same with Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares simply because the boxes were squished. We opened them up at home and the cereal hadn’t even been damaged. 

Be sure to look for reduced racks at produce stands as well These are a great way to try new produce and get it for way cheaper prices.

Save Your Meal with Greens

We all know that we should cut down on breads, pastas, rice, and other empty carbohydrates. If you watched the 60 minutes episode mentioned in yesterday’s post, you’ll have learned that white breads, pastas, rice, and other high fructose carbs are digested in your liver exactly the same way as sugar and alcohol!
That is a lot more damage than we expected from pasta primavera.

However quitting white carbs is probably harder than giving up meat and dairy. So here is a great way to eat less empty carbs and still feel fully satisfied.

Add a Bed of Greens to Your Meal.

Green leafy vegetables are probably the best food for humans to eat. They’re full of fiber, calcium, iron, B vitamins, vitamin A,C,E & K. They help prevent osteoperosis and are a great source of calcium on a vegan diet. But okay, we all know we should eat our spinach, but it might seem strange to think of mixing uncooked kale to nachos.

Different Greens for Different Foods

• Kale: Hearty Protein Dense Foods (Indian, Mexican, Southern, Stews)
• Spinach or Spring Mix: Lighter Foods (Italian, Asian, Pastas, Rice)
• Romaine: In between (Mexican Salad, Burgers, Foods Served Cold)

Pictured above are 3 different dishes. In each the grain is reduced by half of the usual serving and replaced with one of the raw greens listed above.

Place bed of greens on the bottom of your plate, then serve normally. They heat from your food will slightly cook the greens and add a light refreshing component to your meal. You’ll hardly notice the handful of Spring Mix with your pasta and your body will thank you.
Feel free to leave a comment and send photos of your Green Meal to Cheap Vegan.
(@cheapvegan)