In the United States and Canada, people spend Thanksgiving Day on a different day. Unlike the US, Thanksgiving Day in Canada is irrelevant to religion. They celebrate the harvest and thank nature and God that both of the two have gifted us abundant sunshine and dew, so that our grain can grow, and we have had another peaceful year. And that is the theme of Thanksgiving Day.
A whole family reunion on Thanksgiving Day to enjoy roasted turkey and pumpkin pie and other food is the most classic picture on that day. But do you know why they choose turkey and pumpkin pie? At first it was difficult to get material resources, looking around, there were only wild turkeys on the floor and abundant pumpkins in autumn season. Naturally they became the seasonal dishes.
Set aside the traditional turkey, pumpkin pie-a loved food by all American people was originated in Britain. On the recipes of UK in 1675, pumpkin pie was another form of expression of a traditional British cuisine called British spiced and boiled squash, which is similar to today’s fusion. Pumpkin pie has now somehow become the dedicated gift to the Indians on American Thanksgiving table.
Besides the nutrition in pumpkin, pumpkin can make you happy, because it is rich in vitamin B6 and iron, both of the two nutrients can help transfer body stored blood sugar into glucose, and which is exactly the only fuel for the brain. Pumpkin pie is considered to be the “most intelligent” dessert on the menu for every bite of pumpkin pie will simultaneously ingest three carotenoids, which is very useful to guard against heart disease and aging problems.
#1 – Tofu Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
For the filling: 200g tofu, 200g pumpkin mashes, 15g honey, 3g cinnamon powder, 2g powdered ginger, 10g corn starch
For the crust: 57g oatmeal, 30g raw almond, 30g whole wheat flour, 40g olive oil, 10g honey
Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients for crust in a blender
2. Press the dough into a 6 inch pie pan and refrigerator for an hour
3. In a plate put tofu and heat with microwave for 4 minutes and drain
4. Add all the ingredients except pumpkin and blend well
5. Steam pumpkins and stir in tofu mashes, and mix well with a blender
6. Take out the pie crust, pour in pumpkin/tofu mashes and top with almond particles
7. Preheat oven to 347F and bake for 35 minutes in the middle layer
This kind of pumpkin pie is totally egg-free and dairy-free. It is easy to use no milk in the cooking, which is to substitute milk to water or some other liquid. But egg is not that easy to be replaced. This time I used corn starch, which is a good substitute for egg to play a big part in adhesion.
#2 – Coconut Flavor Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
For the filling: 200g pumpkin mashes, 25ml original coconut juice, 10g cake flour, 10g corn starch, 15g sugar
For the crust: 110g cake flour, 30g corn oil, 20g water, 10g sugar
Method:
1. Knead all the ingredients for crust into a rough dough
2. Let loosen for half an hour, roll the dough into a large slice and cover it on the pie pan, cut extra dough by pressing the edge of the pan
3. Poke holes with a fork, and cover the slice with silver paper and beans
4. Preheat oven to 392F and bake for 20 minutes
5. Mix all the ingredients for filling, fill in the crust
6. Preheat oven to 356F and bake for 15-20 minutes
7. Bake coconut shreds until crisp, and top on the pie
Another egg-free and dairy-free pumpkin pie is ready to serve. Make sure to adjust the components of coconut juice if your pumpkin is juicy.
#3 – Walnut Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
For the filling: 400g pumpkin mashes, 4 tablespoon coconut powder, 20g cake flour, 20g corn starch, 5g sugar, pinch dried raisins, walnut meats & coconut shreds
For the crust: 110g cake flour, 30g corn oil, 20g water, 10g sugar
Method:
1. Steam pumpkins and let cool
2. Bake walnut meats to 302F for 5 minutes
3. Blend all the ingredients for crust, sealed and loosen for 30 minutes
4. Spoon out the pumpkin fleshes and press into mashes
5. Mix all the ingredients for filling with pumpkin mashes, put in dried raisins at last
6. Take out the dough and roll it into round shape larger than pie pan
7. Brush a little corn oil on the pie pan, cover it with pie crust, press hard and flatten and finally cut extra pie crust over the edge of the pie pan
8. Poke holes with a fork and preheat oven to 392F and bake for 15 minutes until cooked
9. Remove from the oven and pour in pumpkin filling, make it flat and top with walnut meats and bake to 356F for another 25 minutes
10. When it arrives 20 minutes, sprinkle some coconut shreds and go on baking the last 5 minutes
#4 – Classic American Pumpkin Pie In A New Light
Ingredients:
For the filling: 2 cups cooked pumpkin bulks (bake to 392F for an hour), 1.5 cups cooked sweet potato bulks, 220ml coconut juice, 3 tablespoons tapioca flour (or corn starch), 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder, 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, 1/4 cup oatmeal, 1/3 cup dark sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the crust: 1.5 cups ordinary flour (or whole wheat flour), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup oil, 2 tablespoons orange juice (or soy milk)
Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients into a blender and mix well and let cool
2. In a large bowl put in all the dry ingredients for crust
3. Add in orange juice, oil and mix with a fork
4. Press the dough into a 9 inch round pie pan with your fingers, flatten
5. Preheat oven to 428F
6. Poke holes on the bottom crust with a fork
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool for 10-15 minutes
8. Fill in the pie crust with pumpkin filling, flatten the surface with a scraper
9. Preheat oven to 356F and bake for 45-55 minutes and let cool for an hour
10. Refrigerator for 3 hours or serve directly
#5 – Apple Red Bean Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
For the filling: 200g pumpkin mashes, 10g cooked red beans, 10g sugar, 5g sweet rice flour
For the crust: 80g flour, 20g starch, 20g vegetable oil, 5g sugar, 20g water
Others: apple, maple syrup
Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients for pie crust
2. Knead dough and cover it with a plastic wrap and loosen for several minutes
3. Roll the dough into a large slice and lay on the pie pan, poke holes with a fork and re-cover the plastic wrap for loosening another several minutes
4. Peel off the pumpkins and steam in a pot
5. Press pumpkins into mashes with a spoon and mix with sweet rice flour, sugar and oil
6. Stir in red beans and blend well
7. Take out the pie crust and lay the filling on the crust evenly
8. Top the filling with thin apple slices
9. Preheat oven to 338F and bake for 50 minutes
10. Sprinkle some maple syrup when hot
It is a vegan dessert still with egg-free and dairy-free.
Above are the 5 recipes for healthy egg-free and dairy-free pumpkin pies serving on Thanksgiving Day. Choose your favorite one or ones to make on the great day to cheer with your long time no see family members.