Post Thanksgiving and Beyond

I had another unconventional Thanksgiving meal this year. I didn't stuff myself. I ate a comfortable and satisfying amount. I did a 24 hour fast preceding the meal. To learn about the benefits of IF (Intermittent Fasting), click here and here then ate a generous plate full of food followed by 2 pieces of my crust free pie with real whipped cream. I also had a snack consisting of several  handfuls grapes that day, then resumed my normal eating the following day. Here's a picture of my plate before I had a second helping of beef roast.

Photos: Rachel Albert Matesz ©Copyright 2009

The menu:
Smoked & Roasted Grassfed Beef
Spot Prawns with butter
Steamed Broccoli & Carrots with butter
Sauteed Collards w/Onion, Celery, & Walnuts
Homemade Sauerkraut
Magic Millet Skillet Bread with Whipped Honey-Butter
Squash Pudding Pie with Real Whipped Cream

I didn’t have to make every dish. My friends Kenny & Brenna (known as The Fish Huggers to people in the Phoenix, AZ, area for their wild Alaskan Salmon, pasture-raised beef, and raw honey), their three kids (Zane, Kaleb, and Murphy), and my good friend Don (an acupuncturist, herbalist, nutrition prof, and paleo-primal diet blogger based in Phoenix).

Kenny prepared a Pike's Peak (sirloin) beef roast, raised on his parent's farm in New Mexico, seasoned with FishHugger New Mexico Spice Rub, seared in and then smoked with mesquite wood at 200˚F for 4 hours. He cooked wild spot prawns he traded for in Alaska, sustainably harvested and caught in baited, stacking traps that have a door that only shrimp can get into. 

Compared to Gulf of Mexico shrimp with a by-catch of 90% unwanted fish that get thrown overboard because the shrimp fishermen don't have licenses to catch them, the by catch for these cage-caught shrimp (sold as Spot Prawns) is only 10%. You pay more for these select shrimp from Feel Good Fisheries because they're more labor intensive to catch, but the upside is that you're supporting more ecological and species sustainable operations with an extraordinarily low by-catch ratio. Brenna also prepared steamed veggies. They shared sauerkraut Kenny's mother made. Don made the collard greens dish, one of my favorite greens dishes.

I made the gluten free, dairy-free, corn-bread alternative (Don created it 20 years ago: i've been tinkering with it ever since). I whipped pastured butter with raw honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in my food processor. I made Squash Pudding Pie (recipe found in both of my books and below), my traditional take on pumpkin pie without wheat, gluten, dairy products, refined sugar, or crust. I whipped cream with honey and stevia, making a lower sugar, lower calorie, lower-carb topping. Photo: Rachel Albert Matesz ©Copyright 2009

The kids devoured the Millet Skillet Bread and had seconds; so if you've wondered whether you can make moist and delicious gluten free bread that kids will enjoy, the answer is YES!

For my pudding pie, I bake and use fresh winter squash (not canned.). This makes the pie naturally sweeter than if I’d used pumpkin and tastier than if I’d used puree from a can. Baking also makes the squash sweeter than steaming or microwaving. Sugar pie pumpkin isn’t even sweet (who named it that?). I use canned, unsweetened full-fat coconut milk in place of cream (regular coconut milk has half the fat and calories of cream); it adds lauric acid, one of the same fatty acids found in human mothers milk. It has anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties. I sweeten the pie with a mix of honey or maple syrup and stevia, which cuts the amount of sugar calories by at least 50%.

I skip the crust for several reasons: a) it saves a lot of time; b) it cuts out common allergens, such as wheat and other gluten grains, which promote inflammation and autoimmune disorders; c) it cuts out excess starch and calories (who is starving for carbs at a thanksgiving meal?); d) no one ever complains; the pie still looks and cuts into slices as you’d expect it to; e) people love this pie! In fact, I usually make it a few times a year between Halloween and Spring time. Try it. It’s full of flavor and health-enhancing nutrients and it’s low enough in calories to fit into any diet and fitness plan. 

Squash or Pumpkin Pudding Pie        

Hands-on: 30 minutes  Cooking: 1 hour  Yield: 1 (10-inch) pie; 8 servings
                                                
I have been making and sharing this recipe for at least 10 years. Not just for Thanksgiving, this delicious dairy-free, low-sugar twist on the classic pumpkin pie makes an impressive dessert or snack throughout the fall and winter. It has a taste and texture like pie but contains a fraction of the carbs and fat grams. It takes less time to assemble than pie with a crust. For a fancy presentation, serve a scoop of Vanilla, Cinnamon, or Ginger Ice Dream on top or next to each serving of pie. Try Basil Ice Dream if you’re feeling adventurous (Kenny's kids loved that two years ago when my friend Heather tested the recipe from my Ice Dream Cookbook, when it was still in the works).

I recommend baking fresh winter squash—don’t steam, boil, or microwave as it won’t have much flavor. Use frozen squash as a second option or canned pumpkin as a last resort. If you use sweet winter squash rather than pumpkin, you’ll enjoy a sweeter taste with less added sweetener.

Shopping for winter squash: Look for Hokkaido pumpkin, kabocha, buttercup, honey delight, or butternut squash that feels heavy for its size. Kabocha, Hokkaido, and buttercup squash should have dark green skins, and any spots should be bright orange—not pale or yellow.  A ripe butternut squash will be orange all over with no hint of green.  Store all hard winter squashes at room temperature.

To cut and cook hard winter squash: Cut off the stem. Place a folded dish towel on a cutting board (this will keep the squash from slipping).  Lay the squash on the towel.  Cut in half from top to bottom, rocking the knife back and forth.  Scoop out and discard the seeds.  Bake squash halves cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet, uncovered, in a 400° F oven for 35 to 50 minutes until fork tender and juicy.  Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.  Puree the flesh in a food processor, or force it through a medium-mesh sieve or the medium disk of a food mill.  Freeze what you don’t plan to use within 3 days.  

Note: If apple or pumpkin pie spice is not available, substitute ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon dried ginger (powder), ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon dried orange zest, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.
           
Ingredients: 

• 3 cups baked or simmered winter squash, scooped from the skin and mashed: butternut, buttercup, sweet dumpling, delicata, kabocha, sweet mama or Hokkaido
• 3/4 cup blended, preservative-free (full fat, not lite) unsweetened, coconut milk
• 1/4 cup honey; additional 1 or 2 tablespoons as needed
• 3 whole eggs or 6 egg whites
• 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or natural vanilla flavoring or maple extract or flavoring
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon pure stevia extract powder or ½ to 1 teaspoon clear stevia extract liquid (start with less; add more only if needed)
• 1 recipe (1 to 1 1/2 quarts) Vanilla Ice Dream, or Cinnamon, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Rum Raisin, or Basil Ice Dream (see The Ice Dream Cookbook for recipes) or Real Whipped Cream, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
2. Purée all of the ingredients in a blender, Vita-Mix, food processor, or food mill, or in a bowl with an electric mixer. If using a blender or small processor, blend in 2 batches, then combine in a bowl. Mixture should be thick. If too stiff to blend, add 1/4 cup water and blend again. For a sweeter taste, add 1/4 teaspoon additional stevia and/or 1 tablespoon honey. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed. Note: Pie will become sweeter and more concentrated as it bakes.
3. Pour into an oiled 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Smooth with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven until firm, slightly golden, and dry around the edges, about 60 minutes. Allow pie to cool for ½ hour. Refrigerate until completely cool and firm, several hours or overnight, before serving
4. Cut into 8 slices and serve. Use within 4 days.

1 serving (with eggs): 154 calories, 3 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate (3 grams fiber), 6 grams fat, 23 milligrams calcium, 30 milligrams sodium

1 serving (egg whites only): 139 calories, 4 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate (3 grams fiber), 5 grams fat, 15 milligrams calcium, 48 milligrams sodium

Variations:

• Replace 1/4 cup honey  with 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon stevia and/or 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed. Add another 2 teaspoons arrowroot in step #2.
• For a gingery flavor, replace pie spice with 1 1/2 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh gingerroot plus 1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger (powder). If desired, add the finely grated zest of 1 fresh orange or tangerine. 

Source: The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Dream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes and Sauces (Planetary Press, October, 2008). Recipe also found in The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook (Planetary Press, 2004). To learn more or to order the books and receive a FREE shopping list with the Garden of Eating, click here:

Btw: These books makes excellent holiday gifts for the food, fitness and health lovers on your list.

 

Comments

[emily]

Thank you for the wonderful squash pie recipe! I made it for Christmas and it was a hit. I love the Ice Dream cookbook, and I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work!